Enthusiast survey

We want to make the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) more relevant and user-friendly for nature enthusiasts, naturalists, amateur taxonomists, and other biophiles from every walk of life. We refer collectively to this broad spectrum of people with a passion for biodiversity as citizen scientists - people who want to dig deeper and understand the world around them.

Please share your experiences and insights with us by taking our survey. Your feedback will be used to guide future development of the Encyclopedia of Life.

What is your highest level of formal education?:

What motivates you to pursue citizen science activities? Select all that are appropriate. It is a way to:

do interesting activities with my family

have fun and learn things

meet and interact with like-minded people

keep myself intellectually challenged

learn more about the natural world

give back to the community

Other:

Is your participation in citizen science something you pursue:

in addition to school or training?

as a full time job?

as a part-time job?

one of several hobbies or volunteer activities?

your main activity, unpaid?

Other?:

Describe any formal training you have had in science:

None

Partial degree program

Full degree program

Professional scientist

Environmental certificate training programs (e.g., conservation commission training certificate program)

Other:

In which of these citizen science activities are you engaged?:

	Yes	No	Sometimes
I am a member of local chapters or clubs related to nature
I subscribe to nature magazines specializing in my interests
I borrow materials from my library related to my interest in nature
I attend lectures on topics related to my interest in nature
I belong to on-line communities to discuss/chat about my interests in nature

What do you like about the citizen science activities you pursue :

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Knowing what species live in my area
Meeting other people who are interested in similar activities
Being part of an on-line community that focuses on natural history
Being part of an on-line community that focuses on citizen science activities
Sharing stories and information about species I encounter
It's a way to keep myself intellectually challenged
Contributing to larger monitoring or scientific research projects
- on a local level
- on a regional, national or international level

What other on-line resources do you use for your citizen science activities? List all that apply:

Other:

These other resources provide me with:

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
all the information I need
tools to help organize and share my information
social networking opportunities
opportunities to participate in Citizen Science
a way to connect with experts if I have a question
a way to contribute information and images

Other:

If yes, how do you use it?:

Please leave any other comments here:

Please let us know if you (check all that apply):

are willing to help us in future planning efforts

Email address:

Science in Action

Citizen Science

"We need to encourage children everywhere to exercise their curiosity with nature and to do this we need simplified tools that they can use – not just Field Guides, but on-line resources such as the Encyclopedia of Life and national and global programs that encourage children to explore the wonders of nature..It is through these programs in the early years of life that encourage children to grow up appreciating nature and to become active, life-long citizen scientists."
— Arthur D. Chapman, Dec. 2009

Austrliaan green tree-frog

Image information:

Common Green Tree-Frog (Litoria caerulea) near Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Photographed on 18 June 2005 by Arthur D. Chapman. Check out this image on EOL.org