Science and participatory research are based on a simple idea: producing scientific knowledge by engaging with people who are not scientists themselves.
These approaches break away from a top-down view of science. “Often, we see this relationship as the academic world knowing and bringing knowledge to society. Here, the idea is to mix knowledge,” explains Laure Turcati. In addition to scientific knowledge, experiential knowledge brought by residents, patients, enlightened amateurs, or field professionals is also considered.
This involvement also changes the relationship with science. “People actually participate in the knowledge construction process. They learn about the subject, but also about the scientific method.”
Diverse Projects
While participatory sciences are often associated with natural sciences, their field is actually much broader. Within the Alliance Sorbonne University, projects cover a wide range of disciplines and various forms of participation. Some are based on the observation and collective validation of data, for example, from photographs shared by participants. Others go further, to co-construct research questions, especially when they emerge from the concerns of those involved. “In some cases, it is directly those affected who bring irreplaceable expertise, notably patients, whose lived experience allows for the emergence of other priorities and ways of posing scientific problems,” emphasizes Laure Turcati.
Human and social sciences also play an important role, with programs in musicology, such as BiblioJazz, which targeted jazz enthusiasts to collect and annotate archives, as well as linguistic projects focusing on Alsatian or French dialects.
Access to New Data
One of the major contributions of participatory sciences is access to data that academic research alone could not collect. “Some data is otherwise inaccessible. The biodiversity of private gardens, for example, eludes researchers without the participation of residents,” specifies the research engineer.
Digital and AI: Tools, Not Substitutes
Digital tools have played a key role in the rise of participatory sciences, especially since the mid-2000s with the arrival of the Internet in households. Platforms dedicated to data-oriented projects, like those developed by the Mosaic service unit at the Sorbonne University Alliance, support these initiatives.
Artificial intelligence is primarily seen as an aid to participation. “Many volunteers self-censor out of fear of making mistakes. With a little help from AI, it reassures them and makes them feel more comfortable to participate,” explains Laure Turcati.
Effects of Participation
Motivations for participation vary, but the desire to contribute is a common theme. “There is this desire to help, to participate in something greater,” supports Laure Turcati.
The effects of participation can be seen over time. “The more people participate, the more they become experts on the subject, but also on the scientific method. They are better able to formulate their own questions.”
Recognizing and Sharing
According to Laure Turcati, recognizing contributions is essential to the ethics of participatory sciences. Various forms of sharing exist: data visualizations, co-constructed interfaces, regular exchanges. The co-authorship of scientific publications sometimes occurs, but it may not always interest the volunteers.
Doing Science Together
Shared observations have led to the creation of the Science Together network. Today, around sixty participatory science initiatives are carried out within the Sorbonne University Alliance and listed on the Science Together portal.
“We realized that, regardless of the discipline, we often encounter the same issues,” explains Laure Turcati. Workshops within the network have become spaces of collective learning. “Colleagues who join Science Together often say that these exchanges save them time and help them avoid certain mistakes.”
This wealth of experiences gave rise to the book “Doing Science Together.” “We didn’t want to create a recipe book or list of best practices, but to share our experiences and reflections, and inspire other discussions,” concludes the co-coordinator of the collective work recently published by the Sorbonne University Press in collaboration with the scientific editions of the National Museum of Natural History.
