Contents:
1. How do I dispute a rejection?
2. Mediation
3. What are the possible outcomes?
If you receive a rejection reason from the researcher that you disagree with or find unfair, you can contest this rejection.
To learn about common reasons why your submission might have been rejected, see Why was my submission rejected?
How do I dispute a rejection?
- Contact the researcher with details about why you believe the rejection was unfair. Include specific information such as the study title and your reasoning. Allow the researcher seven days to respond. To do this, see How can I contact a researcher?
- If the researcher hasn't responded or hasn't adequately resolved your dispute within seven days, contact Prolific support. We will then provide you with a form to collect details about your dispute.
- Our team will review your dispute and contact the researcher if further investigation is needed.
- You won't receive a follow-up message about the outcome—any actions will be applied directly to your account. You can check on the status of your rejected submission on your Submissions page. See below for the possible outcomes.
If you're unsure whether to contest a rejection, contact us before returning the study. Our team will investigate the issue for you. We don't want unfair rejections to negatively impact your account, so please reach out to support if you're experiencing any difficulties.
Mediation
If your dispute requires further investigation, it will be passed to our mediation team. This team contacts the researcher to resolve issues such as:
- Underpaid studies
- Personal identifiable information concerns
- Inappropriate communication
- Unfair screen-outs
- Unfair rejections (such as technical issues and NOCODEs)
- Studies that violate our policies
The mediation process typically takes longer than a standard dispute since it involves communication between multiple parties.
What are the possible outcomes?
- Rejection Valid - If our investigation confirms that the rejection was valid, the rejection will remain on your account and will not be overturned
- Rejection Unfair - If our investigation determines that the rejection was unfair, we will remove the rejection from your account. Depending on the circumstances, you may also receive the expected study payment
- Underpayment - If we find that a study underpaid you or you didn't receive adequate compensation for work completed (such as screening-out), our team will credit your account with the additional amount
- Policy violation - Our mediation team works to educate researchers to ensure studies align with our policies. If there is a significant breach, we will take action on the researcher's account