Page 68 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 44

ZHAO Yuxiang / A preliminary exploration on citizen science projects based on scientific crowdsourcing perspectives: 067
Conceptualization, pattern design and research opportunities

the whole sample collected in a period of time. However, qualitative emergence emphasizes the
improvement, breakthroughs and leaps in the process of sample feedback accumulation, i.e. the
weight of each sample feedback is diverse, and the assessment of the final result is not to converge
and count from the aspect of quantity, but to concentrate on the progress and improvement of
quality. The qualitative emergence also provides more possibilities for volunteers to collaborate,
and the ultimate result may be an iterative refinement based on each feedback ordisruptive
innovation in the process of accumulation. Wiki collaborative scientific crowdsourcing is then a
representative case. Every time the volunteer passes the audit, there will be a corresponding version
number to the contribution, but the evaluation and utilization of the ultimate result concentrate
on the optimization of quality rather than the sum of quantity. To sum up, this paper conducts a
conceptual analysis on three types of scientific crowdsourcing activities, as shown in table 1.

Table 1. Conceptual analysis of scientific crowdsourcing types.
Dimension Non-emergent scientific Quantitative emergent Qualitative emergent
Category crowdsourcing scientific crowdsourcing scientific crowdsourcing
To revise, reconstruct and perfect
To collect, compare, and To collect, aggregate and evaluate
Goal of tasks evaluate feedback, and feedback, and reflect the overall the task in the process of sample
feedback accumulation and show
select the best option situation and sample distribution
the result after aggregation
Task granularity Polynary Single Polynary
Task autonomy Strong Weak Moderate
Sample size Timely convergence The bigger, the better The bigger, the better
Quality control High level Low level Moderate level
Mainly third-party public
Platform selection platform Self-designed or public platforms Mainly self-designed platforms
Participants enter Moderate Low High
barriers
Mainly non-linear
Type of participant contribution, and strong Mainly linear contribution, and Mainly non-linear contribution,
contribution strong homogeneity and strong heterogeneity
heterogeneity
Competitive scientific
Typical case Crowd rating/voting Wiki collaboration
crowdsourcing

3 Modelling citizen science projects from the perspective of scientific crowd-
sourcing

The citizen science projects concerned in this paper, for one thing, emphasize taking advantage
of crowd wisdom and the power of collective intelligence in order to promote the growth and
development of projects on the basis of mass participation. For another, it emphasizes that the
attributes of the project and the results of the research are of certain “public” and “social” nature,
i.e. not all scientific projects are fit for crowdsourcing, especially those that are too basic, too