Prolific Assistant – Get alerted to new studies on Prolific

One of the biggest gripes in our Facebook Group about Prolific is the lack of studies, or missing out on studies. Unfortunately, Prolific doesn’t send emails alerting people of available studies, and they often fill up very quickly meaning that no matter how often you check in, you’re always just missing out.

There are various options out there to remedy this problem, but the easiest option on a desktop / laptop is the Chrome extension Prolific Assistant.

The Prolific Assistant is a plug in to the Chrome browser that alerts you either by an audible signal, a desktop alert, or a counter on the plugin icon, when there is a study available.

They say:

This is an extension designed to monitor https://www.prolific.ac/ for new studies and alert you when it finds them.

Features

– Displays your pending and available balance
– Desktop Notifications: Receive a desktop notification when a new study is found
– Icon Badge: Shows how many studies are available on the extension icon
– Check Interval: Will check for new studies every X seconds
– Announce: If this is enabled, a voice announcement will happen when a new study is found
– Last Checked: Shows the last time studies were checked

How do I install the Prolific Assistant?

First visit the Prolific Assistant page and click on Add to Chrome, top right:

When the pop up appears, click Add Extension:

The extension will install and a Prolific icon will appear to the right of your address bar:

Clicking on that icon will bring up this:

You can either leave the Check Interval at 5 minutes, or change it (I have mine set to 2) – leave Announce highlighted so that you will be alerted when there are studies:

When a study appears, simply click on it to be taken to the study page, where you can then apply to join.

It’s not foolproof, but we do think it’s worth having it installed as it gives you extra chances to see studies you may have otherwise missed.

We are still looking for viable options for Smartphones and we are testing out a couple of options – keep your eye on the Facebook Group for updates on this.

Not on Prolific? Join now for interesting studies from academics that pay anything from 50p to £20 and more.