Table 1
Career and life stages of 59 case study community scientists.
| CAREER/LIFE STAGE | NO. OF PARTICIPANTS (%) | PSEUDONYMS OF CASES |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-professional | 16 (27%) | N/A |
| Early–middle career | 27 (47%) | Summer, Breana, Avery, Jaclyn |
| Late career | 16 (27%) | Samuel, Maya, Patricia |
Table 2
Community science lab practice codes and descriptions.
| ABBREVIATION | BROAD PRACTICE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| DEFIN | Study definition | Feasibility team, an expert-review-panel process for identifying and refining the next study’s scope |
| METHD | Design methods | Design team and other data-collection protocol work |
| ANALY | Data analysis/interpretation | Using mathematical, statistical, or visual techniques to detect patterns, draw conclusions, etc. |
| BGRES | Background research | Review and synthesis of related information and research for papers, presentations, and projects |
| COMM-S | Communicate science to the scientific community | Contributing (as co-author) on scientific papers Presenting to scientists |
| COMM-P | Communicate science to the public | Explanations during enrollments Hosting or staffing outreach events Public presentations Contributions to materials for the public (videos, take-home packets, etc.) |
| DATAP | Process data | DNA extractions and routine data transformation processes |
| DATAC | Data collection | Doing study enrollments of museum visitors |
| MAINT | Lab/exhibit maintenance | Use of lab tools and manipulation of materials, following standards of practice (co-occurrence with other lab tasks) |
Figure 1
Prevalence of scientific practices among 45 participants. The figure depicts the percent and number of participants who participated in each scientific practice (definitions also in Table 2).
Figure 2
Participation in practices among focal participants. Three individual case studies (Samuel, Breana, and Summer) indicate the types of practices participants engaged in over the course of six genetics studies. The scientific practices with examples are shown in Table 2, and a summary of the participation frequency across all scientists is in Figure 1.