What is the waitlist?
We use a waitlist system to manage new participant registrations. This helps us maintain high data quality by keeping the right balance of participants across different demographics and expertise, with fair access to Prolific for everyone. You may also be added to the waitlist if you don't meet Prolific's prescreening criteria, or if you reside in a country not supported by Prolific, such as a non OECD country.
This demographic-driven approach ensures that researchers have access to participants who best meet their study requirements.
When will I be invited off the waitlist?
Invites go out based on supply and demand within our participant pool's demographics and expertise, so some people get invited within hours, while others wait months or longer, depending on current researcher demand.
The waitlist isn't first come, first served. Because our demographic and expertise needs change frequently, we can't predict when you'll receive your invitation.
How do I join the waitlist?
Sign up here to join the waitlist. You'll fill out some personal information, and if invited, you'll receive an email to create your account.
Please note: you don't have a registered account on the platform at this stage, not until you receive an invitation email. Once a spot opens up for your demographic, we'll send you that invitation. Follow the instructions in the email to complete your account setup, create a password, and log in from then on using the standard Prolific login page.
Frequently Asked Questions
I can’t log in after joining the waitlist
If you're on the waitlist, you don't have a Prolific account yet, you'll need to wait for your invitation before you can register. Since no account exists at this stage, things like password resets and login attempts won't work.
Once you receive your invitation and start creating your account, use the standard Prolific login page to sign in going forward.
Heads up: Invitation links are used only once, and won't work again once your registration is underway.
Is there a way to check my progress on the waitlist?
Our waitlist isn't a queue, so your position doesn't change over time, and our support team can't give you a status update. When a space opens up, we'll send an invitation to your email. Selection is based on the supply and demand of participant demographics, so we can invite people in a way that keeps the platform balanced and diverse for researchers.
My partner is on the waitlist. Could they be invited so that we can participate in partner studies?
We're not able to fast track invitations for anyone on the waitlist. Your partner will receive an invite as soon as a space becomes available for their demographic.
What happens if I join the waitlist more than once?
We only allow one email address per person on the waitlist. If you've signed up more than once, contact Prolific Support using the chat icon in the bottom right of your screen and let us know which email you'd like to keep, we'll remove the others.
I'm seeing an error message when I try to accept my invitation
If you see an error like "PEC-WTV-0005: The invitation to register has already been accepted," it means that invitation link has already been used to create an account. Use the standard Prolific login page to access your account instead.