Contents:
1. When should I approve a submission?
2. When should I reject a submission?
3. When should I ask a participant to return a submission?

Helpful resources:
1. Submission statuses explained
2. Submission approval rules and timeframes
3. How do I approve and pay a participant?
4. Who should I reject?
5. How do I reject or return a submission?

Once a participant has completed your study, it is up to you as the researcher to review their data and decide if that participant should be approved and paid, rejected and penalised, or returned.

See the Submission approval rules and timeframes article for further details on when you should pay a participant and auto-approvals.

What are Prolific’s approval, rejection, and return guidelines?

At Prolific, we have particular criteria for accepting and rejecting participant submissions.

When should I approve a submission?

Participants should be approved and paid if they have completed your study and provided data, unless they meet specific rejection criteria.

See How do I pay participants? for guidance on how to approve and pay submissions.

When should I reject a submission?

On Prolific, you have the option to reject participant submissions. However, please think carefully about whether the rejection is justified, and try to keep rejections to a minimum. Participants are penalized for rejections, and if they receive too many, they will be removed from the platform entirely. Please review all submissions holistically and remember that participants have spent time and effort taking your study.

See How do I reject or return a submission? for guidance on how to reject a submission or request a return.

When should I ask a participant to return a submission?

When a submission is returned, that spot opens back up in your study so that another participant can take part and you don't miss out on getting all the data you need.

You may request that a participant return their submission if:

• They only completed part of your study (and didn't finish it)
• They encountered technical problems (in which case, please consider awarding partial payments)
• They withdrew their consent (in which case, please also delete any data that you have from that participant in your external software)
• You feel they should be given the opportunity to return their submission for another reason rather than being penalized with a rejection

See How do I reject or return a submission? for guidance on how to request a return.

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