Working with a new kind of team: harnessing the wisdom of the crowd in trial identification.

Background: At a time when research output is expanding exponentially, citizen science, the process of engaging willing volunteers in scientific research activities, has an important role to play in helping to manage the information overload. It also creates a model of contribution that enables anyone with an interest in health to contribute meaningfully and in a way that is flexible. Citizen science models have been shown to be extremely effective in other domains such as astronomy and ecology.