Stevenson, R., Merrill, C. and Burn, P., 2021. Useful Biodiversity Data Were Obtained by Novice Observers Using iNaturalist During College Orientation Retreats. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 6(1), p.27. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.407

As part of an autumn orientation program, the Honors College at UMass Boston invited incoming students for a retreat on Thompson Island in Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. One of their activities was a three-hour bioblitz using iNaturalist. We reviewed data collected from three autumn orientations (2017–2019) to evaluate the quality of the data and to examine the hypothesis that first-time users can contribute useful biodiversity observations.