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Short Abstract

By analysing the risks and trust-building strategies involved in embedding citizen science within German research and funding organisations, our talk illustrates the practical challenges and paths for transforming citizen science from a peripheral method into an integral research approach.

Abstract

Trust is often considered to be a potential outcome of citizen science. However, its role in navigating uncertainty in research settings is poorly understood, as well as the means by which it is created and maintained. We propose a novel perspective on trust in citizen science that is sensitive to those processes and apply it to the challenges of institutional embedding. As citizen science is entering research and funding structures, transformations present risks for the actors who drive them, such as those related to the planning of project outcomes, career prospects or performance measurement. Based on previous research and theoretical insights, we hypothesise that trust and control are used to navigate those risks.

The talk presents findings from an ongoing study we are conducting among German research and funding structures that conduct or support participatory or co-creative projects. Using a discourse analytical approach, we identify the areas of cooperation that involve risk and examine how practitioners and institutional actors establish trust and control in communication. To this end, we combine document analysis of guidelines and project reports with semi-structured interviews of project leads and institutional actors.

Our findings will inform both the debate on trust in citizen science and the challenges linked to citizen science becoming an integral research approach. We will illustrate strategies applied in the German context and hope to provide actionable insights for pathways for the sustainable implementation of citizen science.