On your Submissions page, you'll see different statuses that show what's happening with your submission. This article explains the timed-out status.
Every study has a time limit. If you go over it, you won't be able to submit the study.
Why was my submission timed-out?
Before you start a study, hover over "intended completion time" on the study page to see the maximum time allowed.
If you exceed this time limit, your submission status will show as timed-out, and researchers typically won't pay for these submissions. This applies even if you completed the study but the timer ran out before you clicked submit — the submission still shows as timed-out, and it's up to the researcher whether to approve payment.
Our time-out feature makes sure studies wrap up within a reasonable timeframe, while still giving you enough time to finish successfully. It automatically times out participants who become inactive. A timed-out submission won't negatively affect your account standing or your eligibility for future studies. Researchers may also delete your response data from their external survey tool. Prolific then reopens the study spot for another participant.
To help you plan ahead, we show two key figures before you start each study: intended completion time and maximum time allowed:
Intended completion time
The intended completion time is how long the researcher expects the study to take.
Maximum time allowed
Prolific sets the maximum time allowed based on the intended completion time. This is the total time you have to complete the study. If you go over this limit, your submission will time out.
How timed-out differs from returned and rejected
It's easy to mix up timed-out with other submission statuses. Here's the difference:
Returned: You cancelled the study yourself before finishing it, or Prolific returned it on your behalf due to a technical issue. Either way, it won't affect your account standing.
Rejected: The researcher reviewed your submission and rejected it, usually citing a specific reason. Rejections don't come with payment, and multiple rejections can affect your account status.
Timed-out: You went over the maximum time allowed, so you couldn't submit the study. Payment is at the researcher's discretion, but a timed-out submission won't affect your account standing.
How to avoid timing out
A few tips to help you submit on time:
Check the maximum time allowed before you start a study
Only start a study if you can finish it in one sitting
Avoid starting a study if you're likely to get interrupted
Disputing timed-out submissions
If you believe your submission timed out as there wasn't enough time to complete it, follow these steps:
Contact the researcher.
Log in to your Prolific account.
Go to the "Submissions" section.
Find the study and click the envelope icon next to the submission status.
Clearly explain the issue, including the study title, any error messages, and your completion code.
Wait for a response. Give the researcher up to one week to review your submission and respond.
Escalate to Prolific Support. If the researcher doesn't respond, or the issue remains unresolved, contact Prolific Support using the chat icon in the bottom right of your screen. Include screenshots of your conversation with the researcher to help us investigate further. Prolific can't directly process timed out submissions, since studies are hosted on external platforms, and we don't have access to the researcher's external software to retrieve or process your responses.