These are some common terms in the citizen science world:
BioBlitz: “An event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time” [12].
Biodiversity: “The variety of life on Earth” [1].
Bird banding: The placing of small metallic or plastic bands, rings, or tags on birds to help scientists study their movement, health, and behavior. Banding is attached to a bird’s wing or placed around a bird’s neck or leg, and may be color-coded or include identification codes [13].
Camera trap: A camera that is activated by motion or body heat to capture remote images of wildlife.
Citizen science: The involvement of “volunteers from the general public in scientific investigations as data collectors or analysts” [9].
Citizen scientist: A person who participates in citizen science. Citizen scientists can be adults and children.
Ecosystem: A community which is comprised of living and nonliving things in a particular area as well as the interactions between them [14].
Environmental monitoring: “The repeated measurement of physical, chemical and biological variables in order to study environmental changes, particularly those arising from human activities” [15].
Invasive species: Any type of living organism that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm [16].
Monarch tagging: Placing a small identification sticker on a monarch butterfly’s wing so that the butterfly’s migration can be tracked when sighted by other individuals [17].
Phenology: “Key seasonal changes in plants and animals from year to year—such as flowering, emergence of insects and migration of birds—especially their timing and relationship with weather and climate” [18].
Principal investigator (PI): The lead researcher for a citizen science project. Typically the PI is a scientist, conservationist, or subject-matter expert.
Scientific inquiry: A method by which a person gains understanding of the natural world by asking questions, conducting investigations to collect evidence, and drawing conclusions from what was learned [19].
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Citizen Science for Everyone 