Contents:
1. Personal information policy at Prolific
2. How will I be able to identify legitimate studies collecting personal data?
3. What information can't researchers ask for?

This article focuses on personal information in studies conducted by researchers on Prolific, not the information in your account or 'About You' pages.

Personal information policy at Prolific

At Prolific, we take participant privacy seriously.

Selected researchers who have been approved by Prolific may collect personal data (personally identifiable information, or PII) in their studies, including inviting participants to take part in in-person studies.

Only this select group of researchers may collect PII—we do not accept such requests from other researchers.

Before you consent to participate, the study details page will clearly indicate if personal data collection or in-person participation is required. You'll see exactly what personal information you'll need to provide, allowing you to make an informed decision about participating.

Participation in these studies is entirely voluntary. If you're not comfortable, there's no obligation to take part. You can also return the study at any time if you change your mind during participation.

Returning a study or canceling a reservation will not negatively affect your participant account.

Most researchers on our platform are required not to identify participants. This means they should not request any personal data that could make you directly or indirectly identifiable.

How will I be able to identify legitimate studies collecting personal data?

Studies approved to collect personal data/PII will have a personal data collection warning in their study details.

The warning will appear in the format shown in the screenshot below.

If a study lacks this warning but requests personal data/PII in either the study description or the study itself, please return it and report it to our support team immediately.

What information can't most researchers ask for?

Here is a list of personal data that most researchers cannot collect through Prolific unless they have specific approval from us. This list isn't exhaustive.

• First and/ or last name

• Initials

• Date of birth

• Phone number

• Address

• 9 digit ZIP code or full UK postcode (researchers can ask for a 5 digit ZIP code or the first letters of a UK postcode.)

• Social media usernames, or links to social media accounts or posts (e.g. X, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok etc.)

• Gaming usernames (e.g. PlayStation Network ID, Xbox gamertag, Steam ID etc.)

• Personal Email Address (excluding your Prolific email address which will look like '594a5d31833f6d0001623f8a@email.prolific.co'.)

• Employer name and/or address

If submitting documents requested by researchers (such as screenshots), please ensure they do not contain any personally identifiable information.

Researchers are not permitted to collect financial / highly sensitive information under any circumstance. For example:

• Passport or other ID details
• Bank account details
• Any account log in details

Researchers not approved to collect personal data, should not attempt to re-identify any participant through the data provided by Prolific or any other data available to them (this may even be a criminal offence in certain areas).

If a researcher needs to contact you, we have a Prolific messaging and email system in place to ensure anonymity is protected. You can read more about our messaging system in this article: How can I contact a researcher?

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