What is the waitlist?
We use a waitlist system to manage new participant registrations. This helps us maintain high data quality by ensuring we have the right balance of participants across different demographics and expertise with fair access to Prolific. Participants may also be added to the waitlist if they do not meet Prolific’s prescreening criteria or reside in countries not supported by Prolific, such as non-OECD countries.
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 are sent based on supply and demand within our participant pool demographics and expertise. The process ensures demographic balance and diversity, with some participants receiving invites within hours while others may wait months or longer, depending on current researcher demand.
This targeted, demographic-based strategy helps align participant availability with the specific needs of ongoing research projects.
The waitlist isn't a first-come, first-served queue. Because our demographic and expertise needs change frequently, we cannot predict when you'll receive your waitlist invitation.
How do I join the waitlist?
You can join the waitlist by signing up here. You’ll fill out some personal information and then if invited, you’ll receive an email to create an account.
At this stage, you do not yet have a registered account on the platform until you receive an invitation email. Once a spot becomes available for your demographic, Prolific will send you an invitation email. Follow the instructions in the email to complete your account setup, create a password, and log in 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. Because 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. Invitation links are one-time use and won't work 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 won't be able to give you a status update. When a space opens up, we'll send an invitation to your email. The selection process 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?
Unfortunately 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.
What happens if I join the waitlist more than once?
Prolific only allows one email address per person on the waitlist, so if you've signed up more than once, just let us know which email you'd like to keep and we'll remove the others.
I'm seeing an error message when I try to accept my invitation
If you encounter an error like “PEC-WTV-0005: The invitation to register has already been accepted,” it means the invitation link has already been used to create an account. Use the standard login page to access your account.