Ecological projects involving citizen scientists have rapidly increased in number and there is now a general consensus that they can produce high-quality data. Citizen science projects generate large datasets that allow novel ecological questions to be addressed, but can require developing both new analytical tools to handle big data and large open-data platforms. Citizen science projects can also play an important role in engaging people with nature. To assess the contribution of citizen science to the advancement of ecological and people and nature-based knowledge, the BES journals are pleased to launch an open call for manuscripts for a Special Feature on citizen science.

The call for papers is open across the six BES journals: Journal of Animal Ecology, Functional Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology,  Journal of Ecology, Methods in Ecology and Evolution and People and Nature. Please read the journal aims and scope carefully before submitting. Note that for People and Nature submissions that simply use citizen science data are not sufficient. For more details of what People and Nature are looking for please read their blog.

Submit here

Manuscripts should be submitted in the usual way to the relevant journal. All submissions will be assessed by a relevant editor and sent for peer review if deemed appropriate. Pre-submission enquiries are not necessary, but any questions can be directed to the relevant journal editorial office. The deadline for submission is Monday 27 January 2020. Please ensure you mention the special feature in your covering letter when submitting.