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Collecting data on a large scale is important to ensure an accurate picture, for any problem being studied at a local, national, or international level. Unfortunately, such large studies are often beyond the resources of any individual research group. By using networks in the wider research community to gather data (crowdsourcing), or enlisting interested non-professionals to help conduct experiments (citizen science), scientists are transforming the way that these big studies are conducted – and in doing so, making them more accessible. This collection represents some of our most recently published research in which the authors use collaborative techniques to explore their hypotheses.