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USDA citizen science project plan template

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United States Department of Agriculture
Citizen Science Project Plan
for [Name of your project] on the
[Name of your unit]
Forest Service
Unit Name
Month Year
Project Leads:
Name
Address
Address
Address
Phone No.
Name
Address
Address
Address
Phone No.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights
regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or
administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin,
religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status,
family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or
retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all
bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille,
large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET
Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a
letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy
of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW,
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
NOTES: Blue text in this template consists of instructions, examples, and guidance (references to
relevant sections in the Citizen Science Toolkit). It is intended to be deleted and replaced
with your own content. Be sure your project plan is written in plain language so that
everyone can easily understand it. Refrain from using acronyms and jargon, and define
terms. Ensure it complies with accessibility requirements (section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act) before sharing it with the public.
To update the Contents, put your cursor in the list and press F9.
This template borrows heavily from: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/201606/documents/quality_assurance_template_for_citizen_science.pdf
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Project Overview .......................................................................................................................... 1
Community Input ........................................................................................................................ 1
Project Plan ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Problem Definition ...................................................................................................................... 1
Project Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 1
Team Members ............................................................................................................................ 1
Project Timeline .......................................................................................................................... 2
Budget Break-Out ........................................................................................................................... 2
Project Design ................................................................................................................................. 4
Project Location .......................................................................................................................... 4
Existing Data............................................................................................................................... 4
Data Quality Objectives .............................................................................................................. 5
Sampling Design ..........................................................................................................................7
Data Users ....................................................................................................................................7
Volunteers and Training ................................................................................................................10
Specialized Experience ................................................................................................................7
Assessments and Oversight .........................................................................................................7
Data Management........................................................................................................................7
Project Evaluation.......................................................................................................................... 11
Reporting and Sharing Results ...................................................................................................... 11
How this Plan will be Updated ...................................................................................................... 11
Appendix A: Key Messages ............................................................................................................ 13
Appendix B: Communication Tools ............................................................................................... 14
Appendix C: Forms and Agreements ............................................................................................. 15
Appendix D: Project Organization Chart ....................................................................................... 16
Appendix E: References Cited ....................................................................................................... 17
Tables
Table 1. Primary points of contact ................................................................................................... 1
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Citizen Science Project Plan
Introduction
Project Overview
Provide the context and briefly describe who, what, where, when, why and how for your
project. Describe why citizen science is the best approach and the specifics of the project
location.
Reference Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.
Community Input
Describe how the community (public and partners) was involved in the development of the
project. Community engagement is iterative and it is important to recognize the need for
feedback loops and periodic adjustments to the plan over time.
Project Plan
Problem Definition
Clearly state the problem and environmental questions being addressed by the project.
State why this work needs to be done, identifying the reasons for conducting the work and/or
the lack of information relating to the project. Discuss any previous work or data that has
been collected as they relate to this project.
Project Objectives
Describe how the project objectives will answer the problem presented in the problem
definition above. Include information about meeting science or land management objectives,
potential benefits of the project for the Agency and partner organizations, how the project
will meet Forest Service and partner strategies and/or decisions, community engagement
and outreach goals, etc. Include the tasks that will be completed to provide or collect
information to address the problem.
Reference Chapter 2.
Team Members
Fill in the name, title, organization affiliation for key Forest Service, partner, and community
contacts in the table below. State what work/task each individual will be doing throughout
the project.
Reference Chapter 3.
Table 1. Primary points of contact
1
Project Name
Name
Title
Organization
Responsibilities
(specific to this
project)
Email Address
Phone Number
Project Timeline
In the table below, list all major project activities that will be performed during the course of
the project including major milestones. Provide estimates of the timeframe expected for the
activities to be conducted and/or completed.
Table 2. Project Activities and Timeline
Activities
Individual/organization
responsible for activity
completion
Timeframe work will be
done
Budget Break-Out
Break down the estimated costs for your project. Below is a table with some typical items to
be considered in a project budget. Listing the details of who paid for what, will also help with
your project evaluation and reporting requirements. Include in the Notes section, the
specifics of the estimated hours and cost/unit where applicable.
Table 3. Budget Break-Out
Expense
Category
Expense Description
CitSci
Fund Cost
Personnel
Salaries and
Wages
Fringe Benefits
2
Forest
Service
Unit Cost
Partner
Cost
Citizen Science Project Plan
Stipend
Contracted
Services
Total
Personnel
Travel
Mileage
Per Diem
Total Travel
Equipment and Supplies
Communications
and Outreach
Total
Equipment
and Supplies
Technical Costs
Database
Development
App
Development
Data Analysis
Software
Training
Development
Total
Technical
Costs
Other costs
Total Other
Costs
Totals
3
Project Name
Total Project
Budget
Project Design
Describe the information collection design including protocols used, volunteer training, data
collection instruments, data management, quality assurance/quality control measures, data
analysis, and sharing of results. Describe available data and those being acquired that will
benefit the project.
Reference Chapter 4.
Project Location
Provide a description of the site and sampling locations and how they were chosen. Provide
the rationale for selecting sample locations and what is going to be sampled. Provide a map
showing the location and any other relevant information for the project. Tie this information
back to the goals and objectives of the project.
Existing Data
Identify all existing data that will be used for the project, and their originating sources.
Specify how the existing data will be used, and the limitations on their use.
• In the Existing Data section state what existing data you will use.
• In the Data Source section state where that data will come from.
• In the How Data Will Be Used section state the need for this data and/or what purpose it
will be used for.
• In the Acceptance Criteria section state what the requirements are for the data in order for
them to be used in the project. For example, if you are looking for temperature data for a
water body collected in July, then temperature data collected in June would not be
acceptable for the project. Data collected with a certain instrument or by a certain method
are also instances where the collected data may not be acceptable for the project.
Table 4. Existing Data Sources
Existing Data
Data Source
How Data will be
Used
4
Acceptance
Criteria
Citizen Science Project Plan
Data Quality Objectives
Use this template to develop the data quality objectives that define the type, quantity and
quality of data needed to answer specific questions, and support proper decisions. Fill in all
information appropriate for the project. Complete this template for field, existing data and
laboratory activities, if your project includes these components.
Precision
Precision is defined as the ability of a measurement to consistently be reproduced. Repeated
measurements are usually used to determine precision. In the case of repeated
measurements, one would see how close those measurements agree. If repeat measurements
will be taken state how close those measurements need to agree by.
Examples:
Field - Duplicate temperature profiles will be taken at all three sampling stations during
each sampling event. The temperature readings must agree within ±0.2°C.
Laboratory - Results for duplicate algae (chlorophyll a) samples must agree within 25%.
Existing data - Check to see that precision was checked during the original project that
produced the temperature data we are using.
Bias
Bias is defined as any influence in the project that might sway or skew the data in a particular
direction. Taking samples from one location where a problem is known to exist, instead of
taking samples evenly distributed over a wide area, is one example of how data can be biased.
State any biases that could potentially exist and how they will be addressed in the project.
Examples:
Field - All of our sampling locations are in the middle of the Twisting River. We may miss
temperature or algal dynamics near the banks of the river. Given the limits of the budget and
the screening level nature of the project, mid-point stream samples are sufficient.
Laboratory – Blank filters and calibration standards will be used. Calibration standards with
concentrations from 0.05μg/L- 200μg/L will be used. Resulting fluorometer readings must
be within 10% of the known concentration.
Existing data- The buoy is located upstream of the discharge point. Baseline temperature
data will only be used from that one location in the Twisting River. There is not any baseline
temperature data for areas downstream in our study area.
Representativeness
Representativeness is how well the collected data depicts the true system. Describe how the
collected data will accurately represent the population, place, time and/or situation of
interest.
Examples:
Field- We are sampling within a 1 km section of the river, upstream, at the discharge and
downstream to capture temperature and algae (chlorophyll a) in the Twisting River near
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Project Name
the Hot Pink Purple Spotted Hippo power generation plant. We are only assessing during
April – October. Therefore, data is not meant to be representative of conditions during
winter months.
Existing data-The temperature data from the buoy records temperatures upstream of the
discharge point from the power generation station and should provide representative
baseline temperatures of the Twisting River.
Comparability
Comparability is defined as the extent to which data from one data set can be compared
directly to another data set. The data sets should have enough common ground, equivalence
or similarity to permit a meaningful analysis. State if the data is intended to be compared to
other data sets and how this will be achieved.
Examples:
Field- We are using a YSI sonde and standard methods so our data will be comparable with
data from other studies.
Laboratory – We are using standard EPA Method 445.0 so our data will be comparable
with data from other studies.
Existing data- Our YSI sonde reads temperature to the same sensitivity as the XYZ
University Buoy. So we will have comparable baseline temperature data.
Completeness
Completeness is the amount of data that must be collected in order to achieve the goals and
objectives stated for the project. State how much data will need to be collected in order for
the project to be considered successful. This can be stated as a total number of samples or a
percentage of data collected.
Examples:
Field- We will collect and analyze 100% of algae (chlorophyll a) samples, 42 samples and 14
duplicates throughout the project. If weather or other issues impede a sampling event, the
event will be rescheduled.
Existing data-Temperature data from the buoy from April-October for the past 4 years will
be used in this study. If the buoy was not functioning properly during any period of that
time, that data will not be used.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity is essentially the lowest detection limit of a method, instrument or process for
each of the measurement parameters of interest. State the sensitivity needed for the
instruments, methods or processes used for the project in order to obtain meaningful data.
Examples:
Field- The YSI sonde has a sensitivity of 0.1°C for a temperature range of -5°C to 95°C.
Depth measurements will be made in cm.
Existing data- The temperature sonde on the buoy has a sensitivity of 0.1°C.
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Citizen Science Project Plan
Laboratory- Method 445.0 has a method detection limit of 0.05μg chl a/L
Sampling Design
For this section, describe and justify the data collection activities. Include location specific
information, such as GPS coordinates or landmarks, for the data collection locations. Provide
information about the frequency of sampling and the collection of quality control samples.
Include information about your plans for sample identification and transportation.
Specialized Experience
If any individuals have specialized experience that will be utilized by the project complete the
specialized experience table. State who the individual is, what specialized experience they
have related to the project and their years of experience.
Table 6. Specialized Experience
Person
Specialized Experience
Number of Years of
Experience
Assessments and Oversight
Assessments and project oversight include various reviews to identify shortcomings or
deviations from the project. For each type of assessment, describe procedures for handling
quality assurance and project deviations encountered during the planned project
assessments. Fill in all necessary information.
Table 7. Data Quality Assessments and Oversight
Assessment
Type
Frequency of
Assessment
What is Being
Assessed
Who will
Conduct the
Assessment
How Issues
or Deviations
will be
Addressed
On-Site Field
Inspection
2 weeks into
sampling season
and
mid-season
Undergraduate
and
high school
volunteers
XYZ University
against
QAPP/SOP
Ms. Brooke Trout
Re-train if
necessary
Data Management
Describe the data management processes used throughout the life of the project. Data
management includes: recording and transcribing field notes, logging and retrieval of
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Project Name
instrument data, transmittal of automated field and laboratory results, data transformation
and reduction procedures, compilation of survey results, and data storage, retrieval and
security uses throughout the project. Describe the way data handling errors will be controlled
(i.e. spot checks for transcription and calculation errors).
Create a table, or provide a narrative statement in response to these questions.
Data Management Process
How will you manage data so that it may be traced from planning through sampling and analysis
to assessment to final use and storage?
Data Management Procedures
Do you have existing standard operating procedures (SOPs), such as for record keeping,
document control, storage and retrieval of data, that you will reference? If not, how will you
describe the procedure(s)? Make sure through either SOPs, tables, text, etc., you include data
management of all phases of your project, including, as appropriate, planning, field, lab,
assessment, storage and retrieval, project planning, data from other sources, etc.











Field & Laboratory Data Management Table
How will all data be recorded?
Will data be transcribed from datasheets to an online database?
What percent of data will be checked for accuracy and transcription errors?
Who will check for discrepancies in data entries, How?
How will lab results be delivered and by whom?
How will data that did not meet the QC requirements of the lab be qualified?
Will data once received be entered into the electronic database? By whom?
If applicable will electronic files be backed up daily?
How will original data be stored and for how long?
How will you correct raw data for QA and QC?
How will you ensure access to data by appropriate parties in various stages of
processing (e.g., raw, under QA review, final)?
Data Handling
Will data be generated by hand (such as in the field), collected from literature or other
sources (existing data), from computerized equipment or instruments and/or computer
generated (such as in the lab or during review of the data)?
Management Requirements
Do you plan for your data to be used by or incorporated into Forest Service or other Agency
databases? List those here and how and when you will add your data to these systems.
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Citizen Science Project Plan
Data Review and Usability
Include in this section the types of checks that will be performed during and at the end of the
project to determine if the data collected is usable for achieving the objectives of the project.
Although data verification, validation, and usability are typically conducted sequentially, it
may be beneficial (and more cost effective) for many projects to combine steps. For example,
the entity conducting the verification could also conduct the first step of the validation
process concurrently.
Create a table, or provide a narrative statement in response to these questions.
Data Review Procedure
Describe the overall methods or procedures you will use to review the data, including
verification and validation. If issues are found, who will resolve them and how? How will you
communicate the results and any qualifications to the user(s) so they understand them?
Data Review
List the kinds of data checks you will perform, such as: deviations from the QAPP or SOPs;
reviews of calibrations; transcription and calculation errors; and missing data.
Data Review Criteria
Describe the criteria you will used to determine whether to accept, reject or qualify data. (For
example, some data may be outside acceptable limits, but may be used and will be considered
“qualified”.)
Data verification
Describe your verification process. You should address completeness goals, correctness and
conformance of collected data against the planned methods and/or procedures. Examples of
records commonly included in the verification process include: field logs; chain of custody
forms (field and laboratory); laboratory receipt records; refrigerator and freezer logs;
certificates for standards or solutions; instrument logs or bench notes; instrument readouts
(raw data); calculation worksheets; quality control (QC) results; and internal laboratory
checklists.
Data validation
The validation process should address the analytical quality of collected data. Data validation
is usually performed by people independent of the activity being validated. Validation
typically occurs after verification and ensures that the data and information used in decision
making are of appropriate quality for their intended use. It is, unfortunately, possible for the
plans to have been followed meticulously, but the end results not suitable for meeting the
project objectives. The most usual cause for failure in validation is that the circumstances
that led to the collection of data may have changed during the project’s life-time.
Validation should address:

how the sample collection, handling, field analysis, and analytical laboratory project
data were performed;

the specific method used to produce data for each analytical group, matrix, and
concentration level;
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Project Name

the procedures and criteria used for data information operations, which may include:
the electronic or manual transfer, entry, use, and reporting of data for computer
models, algorithms, and databases; correlation studies; and data plotting;

how field sampling, handling, and analysis activities are documented (such as QC
signatures in field logs and QC checklists); and

the name of the person, identified by title, responsible for data validation.
Data Usability
Data usability is determined following the verification and validation processes. How will
you reconcile your project’s final results with your original objectives? How will you examine
the data to see if there are differences between the results and the original objectives or
expectations? How will you document and communicate with the data user any differences
or limitations on the use of the data?
Data usability is the final inspection of the data and discusses previously identified analytical
methods that will be used to analyze the data to identify possible anomalies or departures
from assumptions established in the planning phase of data collection. These departures
should describe how reconciliation with user requirements will be documented, issues
resolved, and how limitations on the use of the data will be reported. Any potential
limitations of data interpretation should be documented in the metadata records associated
with these data and included in the final project report.
Data Analysis
Identify who will analyze the data and describe what data will be analyzed and under what
timeframe. Describe how the data will be summarized or analyzed (e.g., qualitative analysis,
and descriptive statistics, or inferential statistics) to meet project objectives. If descriptive
statistics are proposed, list how the data will be summarized (e.g., mean, median, standard
error, or minimum and maximum values). If an inferential method (which allows you to
apply sampling results to a general population) is proposed, an indication of what is
specifically proposed (hypothesis test, confidence interval, or confidence limit) should be
indicated.
Data Users
State who will use the data and what decisions or conclusions will be made based on the data.
Include any action levels or standards to which the data will be compared.
Volunteers and Training
Reference Chapter 5. Describe your communication and outreach efforts, how volunteers will
be on-boarded and involved throughout, volunteer retention, recognition, mentorship, etc.
In this section, state any required training that an individual involved with the project would
need. Also include any refresher trainings that may be conducted.
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Citizen Science Project Plan
• In the Personnel/Group to Be Trained section, state who will need the specific training and
how many people will be trained.
• In the Description of Training section, state who will perform the training and what kind of
information the trainee will learn.
• In the Frequency of Training section, state how many times the training will be conducted
during the project.
Table 5. Volunteers and Planned Training
Personnel/Group to be
Trained
Description of Training
Frequency of Training
Project Evaluation
Define qualitative and quantitative methods for measuring success of your project, based on
the objectives described earlier. Include metrics to evaluate success related to the science and
information gathered, the volunteer involvement and experience, partnership objectives.
Describe how the information collected was used for land management or other application,
and how much your actual costs deferred from your estimated project costs.
Reference Chapter 6.
Reporting and Sharing Results
Describe how you will share your results with the volunteers, community, and anyone locally
that will benefit from learning the outcomes of your effort. Consider if you will publish the
results in a scientific paper, technical guide, on data.gov, in a Forest Plan or in some other
form. Describe your science delivery plan and how you will make the science available to a
broad audience. Include how you will report your accomplishments to the Forest Service.
Reference Chapter 7.
How this Plan will be Updated
Describe how and when you will evaluate your strategy based on your objectives and
timeline, and how it may need to be adapted over time so identified processes are improved
upon when needed. Share how input from partners, stakeholders and at-large public or
external factors will be considered. Consider describing what the milestones of public
participation are.
11
Project Name
Appendix H provides an example of how you might consider tracking the results and
outcomes of public participation at various key steps. Documenting how public involvement
contributed to the development of a plan is required (FSH 1909.12, sec.21.43).
Table 2. Project Plan Updates
Version
Date
Changes Made
v.1
v.2
v.3
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Citizen Science Project Plan
Appendix A: Key Messages
Use this appendix to describe the key messages that will be part of your communication and
outreach to the public during the planning process.
13
Project Name
Appendix B: Communication Tools
Use this appendix to describe the tools for reaching internal Forest Service stakeholders
(staff at the local unit, Regional Office, and Washington DC Office) as well as external
individuals and entities (groups, agencies, others). Consider communication tools that are
required and tools that will be used when adequate resources are available. Ensure any
communication tools are approved for agency use.
Some examples:
Mailing Lists and Listservs; Meetings / Workshops – Forest Service hosted; Meetings/
Workshops – Group hosted; Press Releases; Public Notices Stakeholder / Cooperating
Agency Letters; Webpages; Interested Parties Briefings / NGOs updates; Outreach briefings
to Community Contacts; Working Groups; Workshops; Roundtables; Open Houses; VTC /
Conference Calls; Webinars; Podcasts; Talking Points; PowerPoint Presentations; Briefing
Papers; E-Bulletins; Calendars; Newsletters, People, Places and Things; Blogs and
Organizational Newsletters; Brochures; Fact Sheets; approved Social Media tools such as
Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube; Speeches; Videos; Brown Bags; Advertisements or Public
Service Announcements; Newspaper Editorials; Radio Spots in English and Other
Languages; Ranger in the Classroom Programs; Online open houses; listening sessions; Fairs
and Festivals; Annual Days (e.g. Get Outdoors Day).
Consider developing a list of social media accounts, internal and external blogs and
newsletters, popular forums or meetings, and local newspapers or magazines.
Describe any resources you will use to reach audiences where English is their second
language or to make your documents and media 508 compliant. Include a description of
which communities will most likely need these resources translated and any other
information about how they will be developed and distributed. Include the contact
information for the businesses or organizations you are using as resources.
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Citizen Science Project Plan
Appendix C: Forms and Agreements
Include volunteer forms, photo release forms, job hazard analysis, partnership agreements, and
any other relevant form for the project.
Reference Chapters 3 and 4.
15
Project Name
Appendix D: Project Organization Chart
An organization chart shows the lines of communication and reporting for the project. Fill in the
names of the individuals and their titles.
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Citizen Science Project Plan
Appendix E: References Cited
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