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Citizen Science: Theory and Practice

Citizen Science: Theory and Practice (CSTP) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed publication focused on the global field of citizen science and other participatory sciences. It provides a venue to share and advance related theories and practices, and serves those interested in and contributing to citizen science across all disciplines, including scientists, educators, community organizers, evaluators, information technologists, and resource managers. It also partners with organizations supporting citizen science and associated endeavors. The journal is an integral part of the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences and is published by ]u[ Ubiquity Press. This is made possible by the significant support of many volunteer contributors; this includes its leadership team, editors, reviewers, and advisors.

Are you interested in reading CSTP? See our latest articles in the feed to the right, or explore our extensive library in “Articles”. There is no charge to view our open-access publications, which are supported by author fees.

Are you interested in submitting a manuscript or proposing a special collection? See our “About” tab to learn more about what we publish and to download our Author Guidelines for Submission. Please pay special attention to maximum allowed words for each submission type, as submission over that limit will not be considered.

Announcements

Citizen Science: Theory and Practice Invites Editor-in-Chief Applications

This is an unique opportunity for a highly-motivated scholar to gain field-wide visibility and provide visionary influence across the landscape of publishing in citizen and participatory sciences.
Applications due 15 August 2026, with onboarding to begin 15 Oct 2026.
For more information, please see the full announcement on the AAPS website or download the PDF.
Citizen Science: Theory and Practice (CSTP) is an online-only, open-access, and peer-reviewed journal established in 2014 by the nonprofit Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS) and published by Ubiquity Press. Through a burgeoning partnership with the European Citizen Science Association, the journal advances the global field of practice by providing a central space for scholarly communications across multiple disciplines. Candidates with expertise in any aspect of participatory sciences (including social sciences and humanities) are welcome.
CSTP is committed to an editorial team responsive to this breadth of content and perspectives, and to a culture of editorial review that is as supportive as it is rigorous. This team includes a diverse volunteer Editorial Board and a highly skilled, part-time Managing Editor. As a non-predatory, nonprofit-led journal, CSTP is competitive in providing dedicated staffing support as well as compensation in the form of an honorarium and travel support. This is over and above the recognitions and rewards that academic institutions provide for editorial service.
The CSTP Editor-in-Chief (EiC) leads and grows this editorial team to ensure top-quality, timely publications, and plans and implements strategies to enhance the journal’s profile and reach. They serve as the first and final point of review for all submissions and as the front-line representative for the publication. The ideal candidate is a clear communicator, an interdisciplinary scholar, and a decisive leader who acts with integrity and understands the evolving landscape of peer-reviewed publishing.

Evidence-Based Policy and Decision-Making

Citizen Science: Theory and Practice is pleased to announce a call for abstracts for their latest special collection, with guest editors Muki Haklay, Smriti Safaya, Jay Benforado, Peter Elias, and Marius Oesterheld.
The deadline for abstracts is December 15, 2025, with the full papers expected on May 15, 2026.
Citizen science is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for influencing policy and decision making, as evidenced by recent international developments**.** However, finding concrete good-practice examples where citizen science has directly informed decisions either at local or high-level scales remains challenging. Equally underreported are cases where attempts to shape policy have failed, leaving the community with limited opportunities to learn from these experiences.
Our special collection aims to address these gaps by documenting both successful and unsuccessful cases, supported by analytical reflections from researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers alike on what enables or hinders policy impact. It also seeks to provide actionable guidance by synthesizing lessons learned, proposing roadmaps and offering practical toolboxes for integrating citizen science into evidence-based decision-making.
Thematically, this special collection is open to any field and region in which citizen science can contribute to decision-making processes, including for instance biodiversity and conservation, environmental protection, climate change adaptation, research and education, public health, technology and innovation, etc.
For full details of this call, please visit the website of the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences at https://participatorysciences.org/2025/10/15/call-for-abstracts-policy-and-decision-making/#logistics
All abstracts should be submitted to https://forms.gle/jweDnpT6LqN9SKnH9. Should you encounter technical issues with the form, please send your abstract by email to marius.oesterheld@mfn.berlin.
Please review in advance the journal’s scope, author guidelines, and information on publication fees in the Submissions section of our website.
If you have any questions about this special collection, please contact Marius Oesterheld at marius.oesterheld@mfn.berlin.