As of October 2025, you may notice something new on Prolific called “Projects”, which is a collection of related studies. Initially, this feature will be available only to a small number of researchers and will gradually roll out over the coming months.
What are projects?
Projects allow researchers or organizations to group related studies that explore the same overall topic. They give you more insight and choice by showing when studies belong together, helping you understand their purpose, and letting you decide which topics or research groups you want to contribute to. There’s also a dedicated project page that explains the overall research.
For example: An AI company might run a series of tasks where participants label images, rate model responses, and complete short surveys, which are all part of one broader project to improve how their model understands human preferences.
While each study within the project differs slightly, together they form a single, ongoing research effort.
Why are projects useful?
Projects help you understand the bigger picture of what you’re taking part in. Instead of seeing a set of unrelated studies, you’ll know when they’re part of the same wider research or development project. This means you can:
Get more context: See how each study fits into the overall goal of the project.
Choose what interests you: Participate in more studies on topics you enjoy from the same research team.
Build trust: Easily identify and follow studies from researchers or organizations you're familiar with.
Enjoy a smoother experience: Linked studies often use similar instructions and formats, making participation easier and more consistent.
How can I find projects/What does this look like for you?
On the 'Studies' page in Prolific, you'll now see a menu on the left-hand side where you can switch between 'Surveys and research' and 'Projects'. If you're using a mobile phone, you can switch between the 'Studies' and 'Project' tabs.
Click on individual projects to learn more about them and view available studies.
Next to each study, click ‘View Study’ to see further details.
You can then choose ‘Take part in this study’ or ‘Not interested’, just as with regular studies.
Do I have to complete all studies within a project?
It depends. For most projects, you can choose how many studies you want to participate in. However, certain types, such as longitudinal studies, require participation in all studies within the project. When this is the case, it will be clearly indicated. Remember that participation in any study is always completely voluntary.
Will I still have access to regular, individual studies?
Yes, nothing will change in this regard. A large proportion of researchers will continue to publish individual studies. You can switch between them using the menu on the left-hand side or at the top of the screen, if you’re using a mobile.
Why has a project or study disappeared?
Studies within a project will remain visible as long as they have available spaces and you meet the eligibility criteria. If you select "Not interested," the study will disappear from your view. Studies will also disappear when they fill up or when your eligibility status changes. Studies you've already completed will remain visible in the list.
Projects will remain visible in the left-hand navigation menu under 'Studies', and will only disappear as and when the researcher marks the project as completed. Projects will remain visible regardless of whether you choose to participate in a study within it or not, and even when there are no more available studies within it. It will only be removed once the researcher completes the project. We're exploring ways to give you more control over this in the future.