Taking part in research: A guide for citizen scientists on environmental and climate considerations
ModulesTaking part in research: A guide for citizen scientists on environmental and climate considerations
By the end of this micro-module, learners will understand how to participate responsibly and ethically as citizen scientists in environmental and climate-related research, while recognising their rights, responsibilities, and the potential environmental and social impacts of their participation.
By the end of this micro-module, learners will be able to:
- Understand the role of citizen scientists in environmental and climate research.
- Recognise their rights and responsibilities as participants.
- Identify key information they should know before participating, including the project purpose, funding, organisations involved, and use of results.
- Recognise the environmental and social impacts of research activities and results.
- Understand the role of the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle.
- Know what questions or concerns to raise with the project team.
- Reflect on whether a research activity is safe, transparent, respectful, and ethical.
- Recognise when additional safeguards may be needed, such as in health, life sciences, or biosecurity research.
What is this about?
This module is for citizen scientists taking part in research that may have environmental or climate implications, including projects linked to the European Green Deal1 . This means being actively involved in activities such as collecting data, interpreting results, or contributing to project decisions. It is designed to help you participate responsibly, understand how your contributions support environmental and climate knowledge and the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH)2 principle, and avoid actions that could unintentionally cause environmental or social harm.
At a glance, the module helps you understand:
- Your rights as a citizen scientist, including receiving clear information, choosing whether to take part, and stopping your participation at any time
- Your responsibilities, such as following project instructions, acting honestly and carefully when collecting or sharing data, and respecting the environment and others involved
- How your participation can support research that is respectful to the environment and climate and contributes to positive outcomes for communities and ecosystems
Before you join: understand the project
1. Project purpose and who is behind it
You should receive a clear, short description of the project’s aims (for example, monitoring local heat islands or tracking biodiversity change), who coordinates the project (institutions), who funds it, and how the results are expected to be used (e.g. informing local policies, contributing to scientific publications, supporting environmental management). This information should be provided in accessible, non technical language. Where relevant, the project should also explain whether its activities or results could create environmental or social impacts beyond the immediate study context, including effects on other communities or future generations, and what measures are taken to minimise such risks
The European Green Deal is the European Union's comprehensive growth strategy launched in 2019, aiming to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy. Its central goal is to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, with an interim target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The framework covers energy, industry, agriculture, transport, and biodiversity to create a sustainable, inclusive, and clean, green transition.
2. Your role as a citizen scientist
The project should explain clearly what you will do, such as making observations, uploading photos or sensor data, joining workshops, or helping interpret results, including activities that may involve natural areas or environmental data
You are free to decide what level of involvement is realistic for you, and you are not obliged to take on tasks beyond what you agreed at the start. You can also adjust your level of involvement over time or decide to stop at any time.
Do No Significant Harm" (DNSH) is a European Commission principle ensuring investments, particularly under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, do not cause significant environmental damage. It requires projects to meet criteria across six objectives, including climate change mitigation, adaptation, water protection, circular economy, pollution control, and biodiversity
3. What happens with the data you contribute
The project should explain which types of data will be collected including, where relevant, data that may be collected about you and data that you will collect or generate through your participation (for example dates, locations, measurements, photos, and any environmental or climate-related information you might gather). You should be informed on how to ask questions and feel comfortable asking them if anything is unclear. You should know where and for how long the data you will provide will be stored, how it will be protected and whether it will be openly available or shared under conditions. You should also know how you will receive feedback on results (e.g. maps, dashboards, newsletters or meetings). You should feel comfortable asking questions if anything is unclear.
4. Terms, conditions and duration
You should receive clear terms and conditions that explain how you can participate, how the data you contribute can be used, shared or reused, under which licence, and how long the project and its data infrastructure are expected to run. You should have an opportunity to read these and ask questions before you decide whether they are acceptable to you.Your rights as a citizen scientist
1. Voluntary participation and right to withdraw
Participation is entirely voluntary. You may decline to participate or withdraw at any time, without penalty. The project should tell you how to withdraw and what will happen to the data you have already contributed including community, environmental or climate related data.
2. Informed consent
Before you start, you should receive a clear explanation of the project and your role, information on possible environmental benefits and risks, and a consent form (paper or digital) in understandable language. You should confirm consent only if you feel you understand what is involved. In some projects, especially in health and life sciences, additional institutional or regulatory approvals and safety rules may apply. These should also be explained
3. Privacy and confidentiality
Privacy and confidentiality are especially important when research involves data that may indirectly reveal information about you, such as location data, observations linked to specific places, or contributions associated with identifiable individuals. This may be particularly relevant when datasets include sensitive environmental information (for example, endangered species locations, community sites, or places associated with participants).
4. Recognition and feedback
Your contribution should be acknowledged appropriately (for example in project reports, websites, or publications). You should be able to choose whether to be named or remain anonymous. The project should share results in accessible formats, such as summaries, visuals or public events, and explain how you and other participants contributed to the research (e.g., how your contributions helped advance environmental or climate understanding).
5. Involvement in decisions
Where suitable, you may be invited to help shape decisions about how data are collected and interpreted, how results are communicated, or how data are shared or reused. You are free to accept or decline these roles. Saying no should not affect your participation in the project.
6. Your knowledge, community data and benefit sharing
If you provide local, environmental, cultural or traditional ecological knowledge to the project team, you have the right to ask how this knowledge will be used, stored and shared, whether your community or group will be recognised as a custodian of this knowledge, and what benefits are planned for you and your community if the research leads to applications or products. You can decline to share knowledge that you or your community consider sensitive, sacred or vulnerable to misuse. Where knowledge is shared collectively, it may be important that consent and benefit-sharing are discussed at the community level, not only individually.Your responsibilities as a citizen scientist
1. Act with honesty and care in data collection
Follow the project’s instructions and protocols as closely as possible. You should not invent, alter, or selectively report observations. Inform the project team if you are unsure or may have made a mistake. These practices are an essential part of research integrity, which means producing trustworthy knowledge through honest and careful work. Key integrity issues to keep in mind include fabrication (making up data), falsification (changing or omitting data to influence results), and selective reporting (only sharing results that support a preferred outcome). Noting uncertainties, limitations, or unexpected results is part of good research practice, especially when environmental or climate-related data may inform local decisions or policies. You should also be aware that strong personal, professional, or community interests related to the research topic can unintentionally influence how data are collected or interpreted. Being open about such interests and following agreed protocols helps ensure that the research remains fair, credible, and useful to others.
2. Respect people’s privacy
You should avoid capturing identifiable images or information about people (for example faces, license plates, house numbers) and avoid sharing other participants’ personal information without consent. You should take care when posting project-related screenshots or maps on social media especially if they show sensitive environmental or location data
3. Respect nature and local rules (Do No Significant Harm)
You should follow rules for protected areas and natural sites, including “leave on trace" principles, staying on marked paths where advised, avoiding disturbing wildlife (especially during breeding seasons), and following any biosecurity instructions such as cleaning boots to avoid spreading invasive species. You should also ensure your activities do not inadvertently block access to public spaces for others or create local nuisances (noise/light) while monitoring. Non-personal environmental data (for example, animal behaviour, species presence, weather, water levels) should be gathered in the least intrusive way possible, avoiding disturbance, stress, injury or damage to animals and habitats. EU and national
rules on the ethical treatment of animals also apply when research is carried out by citizen scientists. If a protocol ever feels harmful or inappropriate for animals, you should stop and contact the project team for clarification.
You should not collect samples (such as plants, animals, soil) without explicit instructions and you should always respect local regulations and conservation rules. Take litter away and minimise your environmental footprint during field activities (e.g. choosing a sustainable mode of transport to reach sampling sites where possible).
4. Use technology responsibly
You should use only the official apps or tools provided by the project, keep your accounts and devices secure (for example, by using passwords and updates), and report technical problems such as GPS errors or app bugs to the project team. This is particularly important when your device collects location or environmental data that might be sensitive.
5. Support, inclusion and respect
You should also ensure your activities do not inadvertently block access to public spaces for others or create local nuisances (noise/light) while monitoring.. Non-personal environmental data (for example, animal behaviour, species presence, weather, water levels) should be gathered in the least intrusive way possible, avoiding disturbance, stress, injury or damage to animals and habitats. EU and national
6. Be open about your interests and roles
If you or your organisation have strong interests related to the project topic (for example employment in a company, NGO or public authority involved in the issue, or a role in a campaign or court case), you should tell the project team. This does not disqualify you from taking part; it helps avoid misunderstandings and supports fair interpretation of data especially when environmental or climate issues affect different groups differently
