Community science, the enlisting of volunteers to collect biodiversity data, is now common and widespread. In theory, the benefits of this model are complementary: community science programs produce useful datasets while engaging the public in conservation. However, in practice there may be tradeoffs regarding data quality, economic cost, and public engagement, which are rarely quantified. This paper adds to a growing body of literature that suggests community science can increase scientific literacy and efficiently produce data of similar quality to technicians, particularly for common species.
