Participating in Online Citizen Science: Motivations as the Basis for User Types and Trajectories

Virtual citizen science (VCS) creates Internet-based projects that involve volunteers collaborating with scientists in authentic scientific research. Understanding what motivates volunteers to contribute to these projects is key to their growth and success. After reviewing the existing research on motivation to volunteer in VCS projects, we present our own research about the motivations of both experienced and first-time volunteers in Zooniverse, a collection of VCS projects. The volunteers’ responses to surveys and interviews help to provide a more complete sense of the possible motives for participating in VCS, how the motives are related to different VCS activities, and directions for future research.

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