Investigation of Digital Citizen Science and its Challenges in Iran

Abstract

This study aims to investigate digital citizen science projects in Iran and the challenges in this field from the perspective of experts. The present study is exploratory with a content analysis approach. First, scientometric research was conducted in Scopus to assess the status of digital citizen science. Second, to identify the challenges of digital citizen science in Iran, experts were interviewed. Though the number of scientific publications in this field has been growing recently, Iran's share of the scientific output is quite small. A Review of qualitative data obtained from interviews showed that the main challenges in this field in Iran are: Funding, Government policy, Engagement, Time, Recognition, Data quality for citizen science, Volunteers for citizen science, Capacity and skills, and Communication. This research can be a guideline for experts in the field of digital citizen science. These technologies can also facilitate interactions and communication between professionals and non-professionals. Despite the spread of digital citizen science projects in European and American countries, the term is unfamiliar in Iran.

Keywords

• digital citizen science
• scientometric
• online citizen science
• iran