I think the idea behind citizen science IS to test things empirically, but with homebrew parameters. The controlled lab experiment that can reveal something important about yeastay also be completely inapplicable to a 5 gallon batch of beer. At the same time, without tightly controlled parameters, what one homebrewer does may also not be reproducible by another. So it's less "science" in the true sense of the scientific method, but more of a practical application of scientific thinking.
I agree with you and that's kind of the point. Careful application of the word science prevents confusion. Some "experiments" being conducted in the homebrew world don't really show anything conclusive yet are touted as doing so or being revelatory.
Two examples of citizen science done right and done wrong are:
1.) The RIGHT - an experiment testing whether a certain method can save time and give the same benefit. As an example: an experiment that tests if a 60 minute Boil can suffice in place of a 90 minute Boil and not impact flavor in a negative way. Here all things are equal except the time required to perform the steps. If the results are indistinguishable from a flavor standpoint then people can save 30 minutes. That's a big win for citizen science.
2.) The WRONG - the HSA experiments at Brulosophy. Here they are testing beers that are both oxidized. The stipulation that one is more "highly" oxidized is irrelevant because they are both subjected to oxidation beyond a certain threshold. A true test here would be say, a Low Oxygen pale ale, and a "normal" pale ale. Here the differences in color, hop flavor, etc. would be drastically different.
In short, using citizen science as a way to determine whether small changes in process and recipe yield noticeable results is important I think. Why waste time on something if you don't have to?
On the other hand, as the gap between the beers being evaluated widens, subjectivity needs to be applied. If two beers are compared and are apples and oranges, you need to use common sense and say, "Something is going on here" and dig into the hard science and find out why.