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Prolific Integration

HyperStudy's Prolific integration allows you to seamlessly recruit research participants from the Prolific platform while leveraging HyperStudy's powerful experiment features. This guide covers everything you need to know about setting up and managing Prolific studies.

Overview​

The Prolific integration enables:

  • Direct participant recruitment from Prolific's global participant pool
  • Workspace and project management
  • Advanced participant filtering and eligibility requirements
  • Content warnings for sensitive studies
  • Automatic participant authentication and entry
  • Real-time recruitment monitoring
  • Automated completion code handling (including NO_CONSENT for declined consent)
  • Secure API key management per user

What's New​

Recent Updates​

  • Workspace & Project Support: Organize studies within Prolific workspaces
  • Content Warnings: Alert participants to sensitive or explicit content
  • Simplified Consent: Unified consent system for all participants
  • NO_CONSENT Code: Proper handling when participants decline consent
  • Advanced Filters: Comprehensive participant eligibility requirements
  • Per-User API Keys: Each researcher manages their own Prolific credentials

Setting Up Prolific Integration​

Prerequisites​

  1. An active Prolific researcher account
  2. A valid Prolific API key
  3. An experiment created in HyperStudy

Step 1: Configure Your Prolific API Key​

  1. In HyperStudy, go to User Settings (click your profile icon)
  2. Navigate to API Keys
  3. Click Add Prolific API Key
  4. Enter your Prolific API key
  5. Click Save

Your API key is encrypted and stored securely. You only need to do this once.

Step 2: Enable Prolific for Your Experiment​

  1. Open your experiment in the HyperStudy dashboard
  2. Navigate to Recruitment Settings
  3. Click on the Prolific tab
  4. You'll see the Prolific configuration interface

Configuring Your Prolific Study​

Basic Configuration​

Study Details​

  • Study Name: How your study appears to participants on Prolific
  • Internal Name: Your reference name (not shown to participants)
  • Description: Brief description of your study for participants
  • Estimated Completion Time: How long the study takes (in minutes)
  • Reward: Payment per participant (minimum $1.25 USD)
  • Total Available Places: Number of participants to recruit

Workspace and Project​

  1. Click Select Workspace/Project
  2. Choose your Prolific workspace from the dropdown
  3. Select or create a project within that workspace
  4. Click Save Selection

This helps organize your studies on Prolific's platform.

Content Warnings​

If your study contains potentially distressing content:

  1. In the Content Warnings section, select:

    • Sensitive Content: For studies involving trauma, violence, or distressing topics
    • Explicit Content: For studies with graphic language or sexual content

  2. Add Content Warning Details (optional):

    This study includes questions about traumatic experiences 
    that some participants may find distressing.

Content warnings help participants make informed decisions about participation.

Device and Technical Requirements​

Device Compatibility​

Select which devices can access your study:

  • Desktop/Laptop
  • Tablet
  • Mobile Phone

Peripheral Requirements​

Specify required equipment:

  • Audio/Speakers
  • Camera
  • Microphone
  • Download Software

Completion Code Settings​

Choose what happens when participants submit completion codes:

  • Automatically Approve: Instant payment upon completion
  • Manually Review: Review submissions before payment

Participant Eligibility Filters​

Click Participant Filters to set eligibility requirements:

Available Filter Categories​

  • Demographics: Age, gender, country, language
  • Participant History: Approval rate, previous studies
  • Work & Education: Employment status, student status
  • Technology: Device type, internet connection
  • Health & Lifestyle: Various screening criteria

Adding Filters​

  1. Click + Add Filter
  2. Search or browse for criteria
  3. Configure the filter (e.g., age range 18-65)
  4. Click Add

Example filters:

Age: 18-65 years
Country: United States, United Kingdom
Approval Rate: > 95%
Primary Language: English

Creating and Managing Studies​

Creating a Study on Prolific​

  1. Configure all settings as described above
  2. Click Save Configuration
  3. Click Create Study on Prolific
  4. Your study will be created in DRAFT status

Study Lifecycle​

Draft → Active​

  1. Review your configuration
  2. Click Publish Study
  3. Participants can now join

Active → Paused​

  • Click Pause to temporarily stop recruitment
  • Existing participants can complete
  • Click Resume to continue recruitment

Active → Stopped​

  • Click Stop to end recruitment
  • No new participants can join
  • Study is finalized on Prolific

Updating Studies​

For Draft Studies​

All settings can be modified:

  1. Make your changes
  2. Click Update Configuration

For Published Studies​

Limited updates allowed:

  • Internal name
  • Total available places
  • Some filters (restrictions apply)

HyperStudy's consent system now works seamlessly with Prolific:

  1. Enable Consent: In the Consent tab, toggle "Enable consent form"
  2. Configure Content: Add your consent form text (supports Markdown)
  3. Automatic Flow:
    • Participants see consent BEFORE entering waiting room
    • Must agree to proceed
    • If declined, receive NO_CONSENT code and return to Prolific
# Consent Form Title

## Study Information
This research study examines...

## What will you do?
You will be asked to...

## Risks and Benefits
[Describe any risks and benefits]

## Confidentiality
Your data will be...

## Voluntary Participation
You may withdraw at any time...

When a Prolific participant declines consent:

  1. They receive a NO_CONSENT completion code
  2. They're redirected back to Prolific
  3. Their submission is automatically rejected
  4. They receive no payment (only spent time reading consent)
  5. The slot becomes available for another participant

Participant Flow​

For Prolific Participants​

  1. Click study link on Prolific → Redirected to HyperStudy
  2. Authentication → Automatic using Prolific token
  3. Consent (if enabled) → Must agree to proceed
  4. Waiting Room → Matched with other participants
  5. Experiment → Complete the study
  6. Completion → Receive code and return to Prolific

Completion Codes​

Different codes for different outcomes:

  • SUCCESS: Normal completion
  • TIMEOUT: Exceeded time limit
  • TECHNICAL: Technical issues
  • NO_CONSENT: Declined consent (no payment)

Monitoring and Management​

Real-Time Monitoring​

The Prolific Monitor shows:

  • Study status and controls
  • Recruitment progress
  • Active participants
  • Completion statistics
  • Individual participant details

Participant Details​

View for each participant:

  • Prolific ID
  • Status (active, completed, failed)
  • Start/end times
  • Performance metrics
  • Completion code issued

Managing Submissions​

Access the Submissions tab to:

  • View all participant submissions
  • See completion codes used
  • Check submission times
  • Handle edge cases

Best Practices​

Study Setup​

  1. Test First: Run a small pilot (n=2-5) before full recruitment
  2. Clear Descriptions: Be specific about what participants will do
  3. Accurate Time Estimates: Overestimate rather than underestimate
  4. Fair Payment: Follow Prolific's payment guidelines

Content Warnings​

  • Use content warnings for any potentially distressing material
  • Be specific in warning details
  • Consider your participant pool's sensitivities
  • Keep consent forms concise but complete
  • Include all IRB-required elements
  • Use clear, accessible language
  • Test consent flow before launching

Device Requirements​

  • Only require devices actually needed
  • Consider mobile compatibility for wider reach
  • Test on all allowed devices

Filters and Eligibility​

  • Don't over-filter (reduces available participants)
  • Use Prolific's built-in demographics when possible
  • Save complex screening for within the study

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

"Workspace not found"​

  • Ensure your API key has access to the workspace
  • Try refreshing the workspace list
  • Check Prolific directly for workspace access

Participants can't access study​

  1. Verify study is published on Prolific
  2. Check experiment is active in HyperStudy
  3. Ensure no conflicting filters
  4. Review device compatibility settings

Completion codes not working​

  • Verify study status on Prolific
  • Check automatic approval settings
  • Review participant's actual completion status
  • Look for technical errors in browser console

Filter validation errors​

  • Some filters have specific requirements
  • Age ranges must be valid (min < max)
  • Some filters conflict with others
  • Review Prolific's filter documentation

Getting Help​

For integration issues:

  1. Check browser console for errors
  2. Review the Prolific API response
  3. Contact HyperStudy support with:
    • Experiment ID
    • Error messages
    • Steps to reproduce

Security and Privacy​

API Key Security​

  • Each researcher uses their own API key
  • Keys are encrypted at rest
  • Never share API keys
  • Rotate keys periodically

Participant Privacy​

  • No personal data stored in HyperStudy
  • Only Prolific IDs used for identification
  • Secure token-based authentication
  • All communications encrypted

Data Protection​

  • Compliant with GDPR and data protection laws
  • Participants can withdraw at any time
  • Data deletion available on request

Advanced Features​

Multi-Session Studies​

  • Create multiple linked experiments
  • Use Prolific's allowlist feature
  • Track participants across sessions

A/B Testing​

  • Create multiple experiment versions
  • Use URL parameters for assignment
  • Track metrics by condition

Bonus Payments​

  • Currently manual through Prolific's interface
  • Track performance in HyperStudy
  • Process bonuses based on your criteria

API Limits and Quotas​

Be aware of Prolific's API limits:

  • Study creation: Limited per day
  • Updates: Rate limited
  • Participant queries: Cached for performance

Support Resources​

Documentation​

Community​

  • Prolific Researcher Slack
  • HyperStudy Forums
  • Research Methods Communities

Contact​

Last updated: [Current Date]