Prolific Academic Survey Alerts

[Deleted User]

We posted at the same time, willowcat27 - I had six studies all at the same time and all full - so one more than you.  I didn't even stare - I very quickly clicked on them and, as explained above, every single one was full!

Crimson

willowcat27

Wow - weird isn't it.  Funnily enough I've just managed to complete one on environmental policies.  I think that also had 1 place left but for the first time ever I got the place.  It was only a quick one but I was just pleased to get in.  Think I may sit here for a bit longer to see what else comes up!

[Deleted User]

I've just had an unusual experience.  I reserved a place and started immediately, just about 20 minutes ago, on:

"Beliefs about control, health and causes of death"

This was my very first 'successful' study today, all the others had been full, and I answered all the questions fully.  On completion, when I clicked at the end of the study, a notice came up "Study Full."  I didn't know what to make of it at all.  When I checked my submissions the study was there with a completion code and "Awaiting review."

It is a bit of an odd day for me on Prolific.

Crimson

olliebean

Deleted_User said:

I have had study notifications a number of times throughout the day and all have been full.  The worst was approximately half an hour ago when six studies became available all at the same time and every single one was full - even though I clicked on them as quickly as possible. I have never had six studies at the same time when all were full - it's discouraging.

I don't know what the problem is but, today, I really have lost count of the total number of full studies and not one with a place available to start.

Crimson

That's the worst, when you get several at once like that - there's always the feeling that maybe if you'd clicked on them in a different order, you might have got onto one.

I've had a pretty good day, managed to get onto half a dozen studies (including that "causes of death" one), worth a total of just over £9. I missed quite a few as well, though.

[Deleted User]

I'm glad you have had a good day, olliebean.  Although it was a bit odd getting 'Study full' then a completion code for the 'causes of death' one, I was just pleased to get one study today. 

Crimson

olliebean

olliebean said:

Defence Against Speech Synthesis Attack

By Aziz A

7 places

£0.67 • £11.33/hr

3 mins

This researcher certainly likes to make things difficult. There was an information sheet and a consent form, both accessed not via the study but via links in the description and password protected. The password given for the information sheet was incorrect, so I couldn't read it. Then I saw in the next bit of the description that the study requires WhatsApp, which I don't use. By this time I'd already spent the 3 minutes trying to access the information sheet, so I gave it up as a bad job. Complete waste of time.

All they seem to be doing, from what I can work out from the description, is collecting recordings of people reading a passage of text given in the information sheet. Why they have to make it such an awkward process, I don't know.

This one's back, but now with an average completion time of 17 minutes, making it significantly underpaying. Best avoided, based on my and Deleted_User's experience.

[Deleted User]

Although I have already Returned this study - it keeps popping up as: "New study available ... ."  I thought that once a study had been Returned there was no subsequent opportunity to participate. It is still showing as available for me.

As olliebean  agrees,  as well as being a complicated study, involving WhatsApp, it is underpaying.  I would be interested to hear if anyone has completed this study and what their experience and time involved  were like, thank you.

Crimson

silvercar

Academic study with individual and group tasks

By Andreas Roider

pays £4 for 40 minutes. I've started this study at least 4 times. I end up having to return it because it reaches a point where 4 people are meant to be able to see and hear each other, at which point at least one person decides it isn't for them and disappears. What is meant to happen is that you return the study and the researcher pays a bonus of £1.50 based on the wasted time. Half the time the researcher doesn't pay and so it is a real waste of time. 

yupiteru

A study about hiking destinations

By tulane.edu

0 places

This study consists of two parts. The first part will ask you to recall a specific time. The second part will ask you to imagine a specific scenario and state your preferences and feelings.

£0.32 • £2.95/hr

6 mins

It has been so slow today study wise that when this appeared I grabbed it immediately and managed to secure a place without looking at the reward.

I have started using a stopwatch to gauge the timing, bearing in mind that I am quite slow on the keyboard.

Took me ten minutes to complete and only when returning to the completion page, did I see the payment of £0.32 • £2.95/hr!

Reported as underpaying after completion, but on recent experiences doing the same, I do not expect much to happen.

Researchers are understandably more valuable than participants to Prolific, but why shout about a minimum payment if it is very rarely enforced?

MollyR

This was a weird one, but didn't take me more than about three minutes.  The pictures that it showed of "hiking destinations" were far more like mountaineering and so totally irrelevant!