PROLIFIC Study submission rejected.

DisablednProud

elsien said:

DisablednProud said:

My advice is not to bother with them. They recently featured on some TikTok video and got  bunch of new users, almost doubling their user base overnight. As a result researchers have reduced prices knowing they can get away with paying well below £3/ph and everything is over saturated. Prolific used to be a decent earner 2-3 years ago before people started finding out about it, but now it's just slave labour.

I’ve not had anything come up paying that low. There’s certainly less studies than there were but the payment rate is generally still ok. Nowhere near as much “slave labour” as some other survey sites. 

True.

I've been on Prolific for many years, and I guess unlike the newer users, I can remember what it used to be, and see what it's become over the years. I can say I was getting about 5x as much earnings in the years pre-COVID than now and it was a lot less effort. Researchers used to pay significantly more per hour. Also I'd NEVER find a survey full back then, in fact usually I could just check my emails once a day and get on all the surveys I needed, without having to jump onto things the moment they are posted.

I feel over the years, and with the new users, the researchers are getting increasingly more fussy, I spend over an hour on a £5 survey and was rejected because I apparently missed one of the many attention checks, almost felt like the researcher was trying to catch people out so they didn't have to pay out. On top of that there have been lots of surveys that have gone over the expected time for me. I feel the researchers are taking the mick more and more.

MalMonroe

DisablednProud said:

My advice is not to bother with them. They recently featured on some TikTok video and got  bunch of new users, almost doubling their user base overnight. As a result researchers have reduced prices knowing they can get away with paying well below £3/ph and everything is over saturated. Prolific used to be a decent earner 2-3 years ago before people started finding out about it, but now it's just slave labour.

That's not true and is just based on your own (incorrect) assumptions.

I've just completed two studies in a row - one is paying £4.35 and the other is paying £5.33. Both were long but not as long as they said. Worth it for half an hour's 'work'. 

All Prolific studies are voluntary - so no slave labour at all - and they are aimed at specific people - i.e. I'm in the older age group so wouldn't be sent studies to complete that were aimed at 18 year olds.

Although the researchers don't have any identifying information, Prolific does, out of necessity so they know where to direct the studies.

I've earned £20 since the end of July and I'm happy with that. If you want more, you'd probably have to get a 'proper job'. 

MalMonroe

Deleted_User said:

I hope this is the right place to ask.  (I've already received help on another forum about my Mobile Phone Contract and I am here hoping for more advice about a Rejected Prolific Study Submission, if possible, please.)

It is regarding "Study of emotion and arithmetic" on Saturday evening.  I successfully reserved a place then struggled to download the required document.  I found out really quite quickly (Google and YouTube helped) well within the time allowed, how to resolve this and was pleased to be able to download the document and continue with the study with the appropriate information and code etc.    It took over an hour and, although I was really glad to have the opportunity, it was hard going.  I was so pleased to be able to successfully enter my Prolific ID,  download the document, enter the required Paradigm Code, then start the remainder of the study which, although worthwhile, really was quite hard work, all the way through to the end of the study.

I was so pleased to actually complete the study and I entered the correct completion code.  I contacted the Researcher to explain and I thought that everything was in order.  I was so disappointed to receive this message from the Researcher today:

*"Dear participant, I am rejecting your submission to my study "Study of emotion and arithmetic" (https://app.prolific.co/studies/614448e551cef3f9f873f221). Unfortunately, despite you submitting the correct completion code, I cannot find any data associated with your Prolific ID in my dataset. I accept that this could be due to circumstances beyond either of our control, such as a technical issue. So please contact me if you wish to contest this rejection. Apologies and regards, "

In the circumstances I contacted the Researcher, thinking that the decision really was unfair, having spent so much time and significant effort, on this difficult study and having successfully completed the study entering the correct codes when required, including the completion code.

So far I have not recieved a reply from the Researcher but, so far, there is this awful bright red 'block' in my submission saying: 'REJECTED'.  I'm wondering if anyone, given that I am being truthful regarding all the information here and as submitted during the study all the way through to the received Completion code, if anyone thinks I am being unreasonable in expressing my disappointment about being rejected, please let me know.  I will be glad to hear any of your opinions and experiences if you have had what you believed to be a successful and fully completed long study, rejected for the reason such as the one I have been given  above.*

I think I'll have to accept it, if the Researcher insists on rejecting my submission, but I really struggle to believe that, with the information provided, I could be penalized through no fault of my own.  I was not 'timed out' and was able  to continue to the end of the study.

I'll be really glad to hear from you, thank you.

Crimson

I've also had my studies rejected and returned with a nasty red rejection banner when there's been a technical blip! It's awful but I was, like you, offered the opportunity to re-do. It's not the end of the world. And I think Prolific are pretty good. We can choose to participate or not since it's all voluntary. 

They don't offer ALL studies to every participant because sometimes they are aimed at people who are younger or older than we are or they are aimed at people with children, or with pets - not everyone gets every study. They are streamlined for individual participants.

I've decided to just do my best and if it's not good enough, so be it. It costs me nothing - except a bit of time, maybe - and I earn some money from it. £20 in the last two months. It's not much at all but it's fine. It's all extra income - still don't have to declare it either as I don't earn anything near the personal allowance! 

DisablednProud

DisablednProud said:

elsien said:

DisablednProud said:

My advice is not to bother with them. They recently featured on some TikTok video and got  bunch of new users, almost doubling their user base overnight. As a result researchers have reduced prices knowing they can get away with paying well below £3/ph and everything is over saturated. Prolific used to be a decent earner 2-3 years ago before people started finding out about it, but now it's just slave labour.

I’ve not had anything come up paying that low. There’s certainly less studies than there were but the payment rate is generally still ok. Nowhere near as much “slave labour” as some other survey sites. 

True.

I've been on Prolific for many years, and I guess unlike the newer users, I can remember what it used to be, and see what it's become over the years. I can say I was getting about 5x as much earnings in the years pre-COVID than now and it was a lot less effort. Researchers used to pay significantly more per hour. Also I'd NEVER find a survey full back then, in fact usually I could just check my emails once a day and get on all the surveys I needed, without having to jump onto things the moment they are posted.

I feel over the years, and with the new users, the researchers are getting increasingly more fussy, I spend over an hour on a £5 survey and was rejected because I apparently missed one of the many attention checks, almost felt like the researcher was trying to catch people out so they didn't have to pay out. On top of that there have been lots of surveys that have gone over the expected time for me. I feel the researchers are taking the mick more and more.

@MalMonroe as clarified here, I am a very old user of Prolific and my comments are in relation to what they used to pay, and the frequency of the studies, several years ago, versus now. Unfortunately the pandemic and lockdowns has seen a saturation of these types of websites. Prolific is now probably at the bottom of my list, in terms of how much income it brings me from online work/resources, there are plenty of resources out there that pay more right now.

Side note, not v. appropriate to tell any user to 'get a proper job' as you don't know their personal circumstances, many people here are unable to work and rely on these poorly paid websites, unfortunately!

c'est_moi

I average around £60 per month on Prolific. I would love to earn more, m=but at the moment there are not many surveys, or they fill up before I can get on them.

However, I think they do pay a fair amount - and I have had several 'topped up' after I have taken them. I also love the games ones where you can earn bonus money.

They key thing is that I really enjoy most of the surveys. They are interesting to do. I also do Qmee and they are sooo long and boring, and often decide not to pay up after spending ages on them. I earn a little more with them each month on average, but it is such a chore!

DisablednProud

I agree, the best benefit is that the studies are usually quite interesting, particularly the games-based ones. However, I do online income full time, and there are plenty of sites now that overtake Prolific per hour of time, and for the level of effort involved. I still check into Prolific now and then, but it's nowhere near as good as it used to be.

silvercar

DisablednProud said:

elsien said:

DisablednProud said:

My advice is not to bother with them. They recently featured on some TikTok video and got  bunch of new users, almost doubling their user base overnight. As a result researchers have reduced prices knowing they can get away with paying well below £3/ph and everything is over saturated. Prolific used to be a decent earner 2-3 years ago before people started finding out about it, but now it's just slave labour.

I’ve not had anything come up paying that low. There’s certainly less studies than there were but the payment rate is generally still ok. Nowhere near as much “slave labour” as some other survey sites. 

True.

I've been on Prolific for many years, and I guess unlike the newer users, I can remember what it used to be, and see what it's become over the years. I can say I was getting about 5x as much earnings in the years pre-COVID than now and it was a lot less effort. Researchers used to pay significantly more per hour. Also I'd NEVER find a survey full back then, in fact usually I could just check my emails once a day and get on all the surveys I needed, without having to jump onto things the moment they are posted.

I feel over the years, and with the new users, the researchers are getting increasingly more fussy, I spend over an hour on a £5 survey and was rejected because I apparently missed one of the many attention checks, almost felt like the researcher was trying to catch people out so they didn't have to pay out. On top of that there have been lots of surveys that have gone over the expected time for me. I feel the researchers are taking the mick more and more.

Anyone that rejects my survey, for attention seeking questions or technical reasons, gets a message withdrawing my consent for them to use my data.

I first send a polite message, explaining that I did the survey with all good intent and if by chance I failed one attention seeking question that shouldn’t invalidate my data. However, if you wish to reject my survey then I withdraw consent for you to use my data. 

ndf9876

silvercar said:

I first send a polite message, explaining that I did the survey with all good intent and if by chance I failed one attention seeking question that shouldn’t invalidate my data. However, if you wish to reject my survey then I withdraw consent for you to use my data. 

Failing a fair attention check is absolutely a valid reason for them to reject your submission - it does indeed invalidate your data, because without this measure, you could have been randomly clicking. Source : https://researcher-help.prolific.co/hc/en-gb/articles/360009092394-Reviewing-submissions-How-do-I-decide-who-to-accept-reject- and for more on what Prolific see as a fair attention check : https://researcher-help.prolific.co/hc/en-gb/articles/360009223553

When your submission is rejected, it is likely your data wouldn't be used anyway - but honestly, I think personally that there are a small minority of researchers who would reject you on spurious grounds and still use your data to avoid paying for it. When this has happened to me, when challenged, ultimately they paid up and reversed the rejection. Still, I quite like your approach explicitly withdrawing consent, I'll keep that one in the proverbial back pocket for now!