What is Prolific?
Prolific is a platform that helps researchers recruit participants for their online research. We enable fast, reliable, and high-quality data collection by connecting diverse people around the world, while offering ethical pay to participants.
We give researchers a platform to post studies and recruit the right participants that they need, quickly and easily. At the same time, we give participants the chance to take part in these studies and earn a fair reward while helping to advance human knowledge.
You can read a little more about our values, and what we're trying to achieve here.
If you want to join Prolific, it's totally free to do so!
Researchers, start here. Participants, start here.
How does it work?
Researchers create a study and upload it to Prolific. They estimate the time, set a reward per hour and add participant criteria, which we call pre-screening. If you match the criteria, the study will be displayed on your Studies page and you can take it!
You complete the study, and submit it. The researcher will review your submission, approve it and pay you your reward. In some cases, researchers may reject submissions. You can read more on this in this article: My study submission was rejected, what can I do?
Frequently asked questions
How do I take part in a study?
Click the 'Start now' button on Prolific and a new window will launch. You'll be taken to an external study site of the researcher's choice. Popular ones are Qualtrics, Gorilla, Typeform.
You should see a consent/information form which you'll need to agree to, to take the study. Once you've agreed, you'll continue to the study questions.
Once you complete the study, you'll be directed back to Prolific. Depending on the way the researcher has set up the study, you may need to enter a completion code that the study will have generated for you. If not, this will be auto-recorded in the background.
Will I be notified if there are studies I'm eligible for?
Yes. We have a few ways of notifying you about new studies; the Studies page, Prolific Assistant, and occasionally by email. You can read more in the article: How will I know when there are new studies?
How much can I get paid?
You will be paid in line with our minimum reward per hour reward policy. This means you should be paid at least £6 GBP or $8 USD/per hour. You can read more about getting paid here
Top Tips
- Before taking a study, make sure you read the study description and decide whether or not you're happy to take part in it
- Check you're using the correct device. This will be shown on the study description
- It is important to remember that Prolific is not intended to be a full-time job, but rather a platform for occasional, fun studies
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