It's a two-way street: Improving the quality of ecological research with citizen scientists

What is it like to maximize engagement with citizen scientists on a research project? What are the measurable, positive effects of putting in more of your time and effort to know who your citizen scientists are, to figure out why they want to be a part of the project, and to understand what they want to get out of this endeavor with your research? Our general expectations for what the public could reliably and effectively do in the name of science could be transformed with greater engagement with citizen scientists.