The Social Economy Organisations’ Guide to Jargon: 7 Key Terms for Citizen Science Partnerships

The collaboration between academic research institutions and Social Economy Organisations (SEOs) in Citizen Science* (CS) projects represents a powerful shift towards transdisciplinary, societally relevant science. However, the true potential of these partnerships is only realised when both parties share a common understanding of the foundational concepts that oversee ethical, rigorous, and impactful research. This is the catch: without a shared vocabulary, even the best intentions can get lost in translation. 

This ​​​​​​​​​​blog post aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the seven crucial terms used in participatory research. Understanding these concepts is not about learning jargon; it is about aligning the understandings of academia and SEOs to co-produce knowledge effectively. This guide breaks down 7 key terms you will hear in CS projects. Consider this your phrasebook for building brilliant collaborations in the future. 

1. Data Management Plan (DMP) 

DMP is a formal living document that outlines the lifecycle of what data will be collected, how it will be stored, who can access it and what will happen to it after the project ends.   

2. Ethics Approval

This process forces the partnership to proactively identify and mitigate potential harms to the community, ensuring the project's design prioritises participant welfare over data collection. While often perceived as a bureaucratic hurdle, ethics approval provides a structured framework for risk assessment.

3. Open Data

The Open Data practice is driven by the belief that publicly funded research data should be a public good. The aim is to accelerate scientific discovery by allowing data to be reused, reanalysed, and combined in innovative ways, enhancing scientific transparency and reproducibility. The Open Data practice is guided by FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) principles.

4. Informed Consent

The process where a project participant fully understands what it involves, including potential risks and benefits, and must voluntarily agree to participate in it. This process is usually carried out providing the participant in the research with a clear and simple form to fill in and provide their signature.

5. Stakeholder Engagement

The inclusive process of involving all people or groups who are affected by or can influence the research activity. This can include a wide range of institutions from, community members, local government, civil society organisations, and other NGOs

6. Co-Creation

A collaborative practice where researchers and stakeholders jointly define problems, design methodologies, generate data, and interpret results throughout the entire research process. It challenges the traditional dichotomy between knowledge producers and users.  

7. Capacity Building

The process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes, and resources that organisations and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive.

This blog provides a precise understanding of terms that are frequently used and are not merely academic; they are the practical foundation upon which trust and openness in research are built.  Understanding of these terms will help SEOs to move beyond ad-hoc collaboration to a new standard scientific practice — one that is rigorous, inclusive, and purpose-driven. 

Nikita Sharma - ECSA

* Note: Engaged Research (ER) is an overarching or umbrella term describing a wide range of research approaches and methodologies, each having a core intent of collaborative engagement with and within society. Hence, engaged research is an inclusive approach that moves beyond the mind-set of conducting research for society and it includes practices such as citizen science, public patient involvement, or participatory action research as well as concepts such as co-production or co-creation of research.

References 

1. Norström, A. V., Cvitanovic, C., Löf, M. F., West, S., Wyborn, C., Balvanera, P., ... & Österblom, H. (2020). Principles for knowledge co-production in sustainability research. Nature sustainability, 3(3), 182-190. 

2. Carroll, S. R., Herczog, E., Hudson, M., Russell, K., & Stall, S. (2021). Operationalizing the CARE and FAIR Principles for Indigenous data futures. Scientific data, 8(1), 108. 

3. Reed, M. S., Graves, A., Dandy, N., Posthumus, H., Hubacek, K., Morris, J., ... & Stringer, L. C. (2009). Who's in and why? A typology of stakeholder analysis methods for natural resource management. Journal of environmental management, 90(5), 1933-1949. 

4. Germany, U. G. C. N. What Makes Stakeholder Engagement Meaningful? 5 Insights From Practice (UN Global Compact Network Germany, 2022).