Abstract
Recent years have seen a surge in online collaboration between experts and amateurs on scientific research. In this article, we analyse the epistemological implications of these crowdsourced projects, with a focus on Zooniverse, the world’s largest citizen science web portal. We use quantitative methods to evaluate the platform’s success in producing large volumes of observation statements and high impact scientific discoveries relative to more conventional means of data processing. Through empirical evidence, Bayesian reasoning, and conceptual analysis, we show how information and communication technologies enhance the reliability, scalability, and connectivity of crowdsourced e-research, giving online citizen science projects powerful epistemic advantages over more traditional modes of scientific investigation. These results highlight the essential role played by technologically mediated social interaction in contemporary knowledge production. We conclude by calling for an explicitly sociotechnical turn in the philosophy of science that combines insights from statistics and logic to analyse the latest developments in scientific research.
Highlights
Experts and amateurs have been collaborating on so-called ‘citizen science’ projects for more than a century (Silvertown 2009)
We argue that a close examination of crowdsourced e-research reveals important lessons for epistemology and philosophy of science
We find here that articles by researchers using traditional methodologies are more concentrated below approximately the 50th percentile, while Zooniverse papers are more likely to be found in the upper half of the data range
Summary
Experts and amateurs have been collaborating on so-called ‘citizen science’ projects for more than a century (Silvertown 2009). Such projects relied upon volunteers to participate in data collection. The latest wave of citizen science projects has replaced this passive software approach with interactive web platforms designed to maximise user engagement. Utilising fairly simple tools provided by well-designed websites, amateurs have helped model complex protein structures (Khatib et al 2011a, b), map the neural circuitry of the mammalian retina (Kim et al 2014), and discover new astronomical objects (Lintott et al 2009; Cardamone et al 2009). As of December 2015, citizen science project aggregator SciStarter links to over a thousand active projects (SciStarter 2015)
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