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Short Abstract

This paper proposes creative ethnographic methods such as arts-based practices and storytelling (including local folk arts and digital storytelling) to document process-focused local impacts, motivations and challenges through co-creation grounded in inclusion and ethics.

Abstract

The long-term impact analysis of citizen science remains difficult for several reasons, such as timing mismatches and hard-to-trace outcomes, among others. Communities that take part in citizen science projects, however, experience direct impacts during the process, which can potentially empower them and influence longer-term change. Such communities are rarely homogeneous; interactions occur not only between professional and citizen scientists but also among diverse citizen groups. Thus, to understand, capture and assess the impact of citizen science on local communities, this paper, through an integrative review, proposes the use of creative ethnographic methods, such as arts-based practices and storytelling (including local folk arts, photography, co-created exhibitions and installations and visual digital storytelling through vlogs), which document experiences, emotions and imaginaries in ways that extend conventional interviews, surveys and metrics. In doing so, they can reveal how projects affect citizen scientists, their motivations and commitments, as well as their frustrations or disappointments, which may offer important insights about long-term impact. Creative ethnographic approaches also provide the means for professional and citizen scientists to engage in reflexive meta-research together, improving the process for the benefit of engaged communities and wider stakeholders. Going beyond impact assessments focusing on positive outcomes measured by quantified counts, these methods also emphasize the mitigation of negative and unintended impacts that may arise during and after the project. This, in turn, prioritizes the ethical dimensions of pursuing impact, which requires consideration of who benefits from project outcomes and who may be excluded or harmed.