Prolific Academic Survey Alerts

Cordie

Do you use the app for the identification process?  As I have always used a desktop it is not something I have ever downloaded.

elsien

I just used prolific in the browser on my phone. Saved faffing around with transferring photos.
it took me to the system that they are using for ID verification and I didn’t need to download anything. 

fly-catchers

Hate doing these photo ID checks. Had to do one yesterday to install my Nationwide account on a new tablet. Had to remove glasses and follow on screen instructions which I couldn’t read as my eyesight is awful! Had to give up eventually but thankfully was able to use my card reader instead. So was dreading the Prolific one today. Thankfully this worked ok first time!

LilacPotato

lou-rose said:

elsien said:

I’ve just been asked to verify mine again as well. I might be getting confused when with when they were asking for the tax information, but I’m sure I’ve had to send them documents before. Perhaps it’s the camera bit that’s new now.

Yeah this is a new one. From what I've seen elsewhere they seem to be working through the older members who joined before photo ID was a requirement of joining

And generally, I've just checked the help center and it seems it's best to do within an hour of the notification otherwise we have to go through onboarding again

https://participant-help.prolific.com/en/articles/445076-why-have-i-been-asked-to-recheck-my-identity

"How does the check work?

• Notification: You'll receive an in-app notification after completing a submission that triggers the verification requirement

• Time limit: You'll have 1 hour to begin the verification process, and another hour to complete it once started

• Process: The verification involves a simple face scan that confirms your identity

• Completion: Once completed successfully, you'll regain full access to your account

What happens if I don't complete the check?

If you don't complete the verification within the given timeframe, your access to new studies will be temporarily frozen. You'll need to re-complete all verification steps (phone number, ID, and onboarding study) to regain access."

The 1 hour thing is from when you click start verification. I'd got the request for verification but had no photo ID. I renewed my passport at that point so it was probably 2 weeks before I started the actual process.

elsien

I am currently laughing at the AI study which is telling me if I don’t wear appropriate clothing I may not be paid. The mind boggles.

snowwhyte

It's one of those things where you know something must have happened for them to add the warning in there. 

lou-rose

The 1 hour thing is from when you click start verification. I'd got the request for verification but had no photo ID. I renewed my passport at that point so it was probably 2 weeks before I started the actual process.

That's reassuring for me as someone who's probably on a similar time frame (I was worried how long they'd let you leave it), thank you

Februarycat

fly-catchers said:

Hate doing these photo ID checks. Had to do one yesterday to install my Nationwide account on a new tablet. Had to remove glasses and follow on screen instructions which I couldn’t read as my eyesight is awful! Had to give up eventually but thankfully was able to use my card reader instead. So was dreading the Prolific one today. Thankfully this worked ok first time!

fly-catchers -  I am the same when I remove my glasses I can not see what they want you to do, I did manage the Prolific one in the end but took a few attempts 

ElsieElliot2025

elsien said:

I am currently laughing at the AI study which is telling me if I don’t wear appropriate clothing I may not be paid. The mind boggles.

It's potentially a serious ethical and even legal problem if participants aren't decently clothed. It's a problem for researchers if they're found to have a database full of footage of young women in their underwear, for example, or for participants if they suddenly realise someone has video of them in boxer shorts and want their video removed from the internet.

Considering a lot of participants are doing these studies at home and on the spur of the moment, it might not occur to everyone that they need to make sure they're covered up.

Think about the problems the human race had when everybody started working from home during the pandemic. There was always that one guy who didn't realise people could tell he was using Zoom from the toilet.

Goldiegirl

I tried to sign into Prolific today, after a break of 2 weeks, and had the request for the ID check.

On balance, I've decided not to bother. Prolific has been useless for me for some time now. I don't get a lot of surveys that are short and interesting. Instead I get offered long and boring surveys or ones that want access to my camera or microphone etc, which I'm not interested in

I had already become disenchanted with Prolific, and this is the final nail in the coffin for me. I only wish I'd cashed out the £10 that I had in there, before all this happened! 

Prolific was good for a long time, and I used to make about £30 a month with minimal effort.  The £10 that I had in my account took me two months to earn.  Unfortunately it's not longer worth it for me