The Hub publishes four content types: project reports and case studies, protocols and methods, tools and resources, and educational materials. All Hub submissions should be written for someone with general scientific knowledge and an overall awareness of community science. Please include any specific information about the community involved and context necessary for the reader to understand the project and its outcomes.
Project Descriptions
These narratives tell the story of a community science project. Project descriptions include reports and case studies and should include:
- A description of the community involved,
- A summary of the relevant science and community knowledge contribution to the project,
- A list of the key project personnel and the roles they played,
- The project goals, methods (organizational, scientific), key personnel involved, any adaptations made over the course of the project, scientific and community outcomes and results, reflections, lessons learned, or broader impacts of the project, and next steps or future directions.
Project Descriptions can be submitted as longer or shorter stories and can include photos and links to accompanying multimedia. Only primarily text-based media not previously published elsewhere will receive a DOI.
Protocols and Methods
Protocols and methods describe how you and your team have done community science work. They may range from overall approaches for designing and carrying out a community science project (e.g. a guidebook for communities who want to engage in community science) to specific protocols for particular activities that are part of community science (e.g. a sample community agreement or IRB, or a description of a process for co-creating an IRB). A protocol or method focuses on processes, while a tool or resource (below) is something you might use in that process. Submitted protocols and methods should include:
- A description of the method, where it fits into a project lifecycle, and evidence of its effectiveness,
- Who was involved in creating the method,
- Evidence of community and scientific engagement in creation,
- Tips for use and/or guidance on potential misuse (optional),
- Published examples of its use (optional).
Tools and Resources
The Hub hosts descriptions of tools and resources for doing community science, including of data sets, visualization tools, or apps. Tools and methods should have been used successfully in a community science project. Submissions should include:
- Description of the tool or resource and how it draws on community and scientific knowledge,
- Contributors to the development of the tool or resource,
- Instructions for use, including any context or cautions,
- Evidence of successful use,
- How to access the tool or resource.
*Where possible, tools and resources should be hosted in a stable location, such as a data repository or similar site, to guarantee permanence of access.
Educational Materials
Educational and instructional materials are those explicitly designed for use in education or training in community science. Examples could include handouts, textbooks or textbook chapters, online instructional materials, curricula, and guidebooks. Submissions should include:
- A description of the resource,
- A list of contributors to the resource,
- A guide to using the resource effectively, including the educational audience it is intended for and any evaluative information, if applicable.
- Tips for use and/or guidance on potential misuse (optional).
Other
The Hub is an evolving and open framework. If you have questions about these article types or have a community science input, product, or artifact that doesn’t seem to fit into one of these categories, please email communitysci@agu.org.
