If a participant tells you they can't access your study, the cause will usually fall into one of two categories:
They can't see the study on their Prolific dashboard
They can see the study, but the study link isn't working
If the participant can't see the study
There are several reasons why this might happen.
The study is already full
Sometimes participants will see a message that there are no places available when they try to reserve a place.
This commonly happens when a study has been reopened because one or more participants have returned their submission or timed out. In these cases, only a small number of places become available.
Because available places are offered to all eligible participants at the same time, study notifications may be sent to many people simultaneously. The remaining places can therefore be claimed very quickly.
The participant isn't eligible
If a participant can't see your study at all, first check that they're actually eligible to take part.
For example, verify that:
they're included on any allowlist you've applied
they meet any eligibility criteria or prescreening requirements
they haven't already taken part in the study (if repeat participation isn't allowed)
If you're using an allowlist and the participant should be able to access the study but still can't see it, please contact our Support team using the button at the bottom of the page for further assistance.
Don't send participants a direct study link unless they already appear in your Prolific submissions list (please see here for more details).
Participants who don't have a submission created through Prolific may not be eligible for your study. If their Prolific ID doesn't appear in your submissions list, you won't be able to review their submission, approve or reject it, pay them through Prolific, or access their Prolific demographic data.
If the participant can see the study but can't access it
If participants are reaching your external study but are unable to proceed, it's worth checking the study link you've provided.
Before making changes, verify that:
the study URL is correct
there are no typos or missing characters in the link
the destination page is publicly accessible to participants
any required parameters (such as participant IDs or completion codes) are being passed correctly
A simple typo or configuration issue in the study URL can prevent participants from accessing your study as intended.
If you've checked the link and the participant is still unable to access the study, review your external study platform's settings or contact our Support team using the button at the bottom of the page if you need further help.