Developing a Tool for Profiling End-User Participation in Citizen Science to Enhance Engagement

This study introduces a novel tool to profile end-user participation in Citizen Science (CS) projects, aiming to optimise engagement strategies and enhance participant participation. By creating a six-item questionnaire, participants were classified into four distinct roles related to their willingness to participate in CS activities: Queen Bees, Worker Bees, Drone Bees, and Larvae, each reflecting different levels of time and effort commitment. The initial application of this tool in the Mediterranean context has revealed a predominant distribution of worker bees in Greece, Italy, and Spain, highlighting a uniform pattern of engagement across these countries. The consistency in role distribution not only underscores the cross-cultural applicability of the bee roles but also aids in developing tailored engagement strategies relevant across diverse geographic settings. In addition, this article discusses the development of the profile tool, its theoretical foundations, and the implications of its application to improve the effectiveness of CS initiatives by effectively engaging participants. The tool presented in this article supports a more targeted and efficient management of CS projects, ensuring higher participation rates and more sustainable engagement in various communities.