import { MdxImage } from "@/components/MdxImage";

import CopySurveyLink from "./copy-survey-link.webp";
import CreateStudy from "./create-study.webp";
import HiddenFields from "./hidden-fields.webp";
import PreviewComplete from "./preview-complete.webp";
import PreviewStudy from "./preview-study.webp";
import AddRedirectUrl from "./redirect-url-formbricks.webp";
import RedirectUrl from "./redirect-url.webp";
import ScreeningOut from "./screening-out.webp";
import UrlParameters from "./url-parameters.webp";


export const metadata = {
  title: "Creating a Research Panel with Prolific",
  description:
    "Formbricks surveys can be integrated with Prolifics participant panel easily. This tutorial walks you through the steps on how to access a pool of over 200.000 participants for your research.",
};

#### Research Panel

# Creating a Research Panel with Prolific

You need a lot of research participants that match your target audience fast? 

Formbricks integrates well with Prolific. Prolific provides a pool of over 200.000 research participants you can choose from. Run market research with Formbricks within hours, not days.

<Note>
  Prolific is a paid service. You need to fund your account to access the pool of participants. The cost depends on the number of participants you want to reach and the demographics you're targeting. You can get an estimate of the cost with the [Prolific price calculator](https://www.prolific.com/calculator)
</Note>

## Purpose

External research panels are useful when:

- You don't have access to enough people who match your target audience
- You want to reach a specific demographic
- You want to reach a large number of people quickly

## Steps to Follow

### Step 1: Add hidden fields to the Formbricks survey
To be able to attribute a completed answer to a research participant, you need to add hidden fields to your Formbricks survey. To do so, edit your survey and scroll down to the Hidden Fields card. 

Add three fields with the IDs `PROLIFIC_PID`, `STUDY_ID`, and `SESSION_ID`.

<MdxImage
  src={HiddenFields}
  alt="Hidden fields added"
  quality="100"
  className="max-w-full rounded-lg sm:max-w-3xl"
/>

### Step 2: Create an account on Prolific
Go to [Prolific](https://app.prolific.co/) and create an account.

### Step 3: Create a study on Prolific
Once you're logged in to Prolific, create a new study.
<MdxImage
  src={CreateStudy}
  alt="Create a study on Prolific"
  quality="100"
  className="max-w-full rounded-lg sm:max-w-3xl"
/>


### Step 4: Copy the Formbricks survey link to the Prolific study
We connect the Formbricks survey with the Prolific study by copying the survey link from Formbricks and pasting it into the Prolific study:

<MdxImage
  src={CopySurveyLink}
  alt="Copy the survey link"
  quality="100"
  className="max-w-full rounded-lg sm:max-w-3xl"
/>

### Step 5: Choose URL parameters for attribution
To attribute responses to the correct participant, you need to add URL parameters to the Formbricks survey link. The parameters are `PROLIFIC_PID`, `STUDY_ID`, and `SESSION_ID`, exactly like the hidden fields you added.
<MdxImage
  src={UrlParameters}
  alt="Adding URL parameters to the survey"
  quality="100"
  className="max-w-full rounded-lg sm:max-w-3xl"
/>

### Step 6: Update the Formbricks Redirect URL
To ensure that participants are redirected back to Prolific after completing the survey, add the redirect URL provided in the Prolific study setup (e.g. `https://app.prolific.co/submissions/complete?cc=I2PWSFRG`)

Copy from Prolific:
<MdxImage
  src={RedirectUrl}
  alt="Copy redirect URL"
  quality="100"
  className="max-w-full rounded-lg sm:max-w-3xl"
/>

Set it up as Redirect URL in the Response Options in Formbricks:
<MdxImage
  src={AddRedirectUrl}
  alt="Add redirect URL to Formbricks"
  quality="100"
  className="max-w-full rounded-lg sm:max-w-3xl"
/>

### Step 7: Preview the study
Preview the study using Prolific's [Preview-functionality](https://researcher-help.prolific.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360009222853-Previewing-your-study)

<MdxImage
  src={PreviewStudy}
  alt="Preview study"
  quality="100"
  className="max-w-full rounded-lg sm:max-w-3xl"
/>

Got to the success screen? Then you're ready to publish your study!
<MdxImage
  src={PreviewComplete}
  alt="Preview complete"
  quality="100"
  className="max-w-full rounded-lg sm:max-w-3xl"
/>

### Step 8: Publish the study
After you've published the study, you'll get the first responses within a few hours.

<Note>
  Prolific is a paid service. You need to fund your account to publish your study.
</Note>

### That's it! 🎉
Once you've published the survey, you can sit back and watch the responses come in. Prolific will take care of the rest.