SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Teacher Education
Citizen science projects related to Chemistry and Biology education: a systematic review
Provisionally accepted
Carmen Viviana Basantes-Vaca*
Luis Alberto Mera-CabezasPaulina Fernanda Parra-AlvarezEstefanía Nataly Quiroz-CarriónCelso Vladimir Benavides-Enríquez- National University of Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador
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Citizen science is a participatory approach that enables the general population to collaborate in scientific research projects. In many cases, it is connected to Chemistry and Biology to address environmental, health, and educational challenges. This study aimed to analyze how these disciplines are applied in citizen science projects, identify participant profiles, explore their contributions to social issues, and recognize challenges in teaching and learning. A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA methodology, including 84 primary studies selected based on relevance, timeliness, and methodological rigor. The results showed that most projects focus on Biology topics such as ecology, biodiversity conservation, environmental studies, and phenology, while Chemistry applications are mainly centered on water quality, pollution, and physicochemical food analysis. The predominant participants are high school and university students. These projects contribute to the collection of valuable data for environmental and health problems, promote hands-on learning and critical thinking, and face challenges related to limited resources, teacher training, and the management of complex data. This analysis highlights the potential of citizen science as both an educational and social tool, while also identifying opportunities to expand its application and strengthen Chemistry and Biology education in diverse contexts.
Keywords: Biology, Chemistry, Citizen participation, citizen science, Educational projects, scientificcompetencies
Received: 13 Nov 2025; Accepted: 26 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Basantes-Vaca, Mera-Cabezas, Parra-Alvarez, Quiroz-Carrión and Benavides-Enríquez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Carmen Viviana Basantes-Vaca
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