Contents:
1. Study distribution explained
2. Studies without prescreening
3. Targeted studies with prescreening
4. Custom sample recruitment
5. Balancing and representative sampling

Relevant topics:
I'm having issues with a study
Why are there no places available on studies?
How will I know when there are new studies?

Study distribution explained

Studies become available on Prolific in several ways, matching researchers' needs with your eligibility profile. Here's how studies are distributed:

Studies without prescreening

When researchers publish a study without specific prescreening criteria, it's available to all participants in the pool. These studies work on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning you can begin as soon as a study goes live.

To ensure fairness, we distribute studies evenly among all participants. If you've completed many studies recently, you may temporarily receive fewer invitations to new ones.

Targeted studies with prescreening

Researchers often seek participants with specific traits or backgrounds. They use prescreening filters that match the About You questions on your Prolific profile. These filters cover factors like age, location, and interests—ensuring only eligible participants can access and complete the study.

For instance, a study might be restricted to people living in a particular country or falling within a certain age range.

Custom sample recruitment

When predefined filters don't meet their needs, researchers can recruit a custom sample. This approach enables more precise targeting based on specific study requirements.

These custom samples let researchers combine multiple criteria to find ideal participants. If your profile matches their specialized requirements, you may receive targeted invitations to these studies.

Balancing and representative sampling

Researchers often aim for a balanced or representative group of participants to ensure their study data is valid and reliable. Here's how this affects which studies you see:

• Researchers can balance their studies by gender or other demographics.
  • For instance, they might seek an equal number of male and female participants.
• For more comprehensive balance, researchers use demographic balancing.
  • This method accounts for multiple factors like age, education level, and income.
• Some studies aim to match the demographics of specific populations, like those in the UK or US.
  • Using the representative sample feature, researchers ensure participants reflect the target population's characteristics. This means you'll see more study opportunities if you're part of a group they're seeking.

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