Citizen science is considered an emerging trend, having gained visibility and interest over the last decade for two main reasons: its benefit to research questions that could hardly be approached without the involvement of a large number of data collectors and as a means of involving the public in the scientific process, thus contributing to the promotion of scientific culture and a closer engagement of the public with science and technology. In Portugal, however, citizen science is still an uncommon practice and most initiatives are being developed outside the ‘mainstream’ scientific community. Hence, research is being developed to understand the Portuguese scientific community’s perception of citizen science and how it evaluates the relevance of citizen science actions both in terms of research and scientific culture. The results of a preliminary survey will be presented and discussed. They indicate that the scientific community in Portugal lacks knowledge about citizen science, yet demonstrates a strong commitment towards activities promoting scientific culture.

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Citizen science,Scientists,Perception,Survey

• Sociology - Social Sciences
• Other Social Sciences - Social Sciences