# Missing Prolific participant data when downloading files

**URL:** <https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/missing-prolific-participant-data-when-downloading-files/26741>\
**Category:** Online experiments\
**Tags:** data, pavlovia\
**Created:** [January 10, 2022, 1:05pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/missing-prolific-participant-data-when-downloading-files/26741 "2022-01-10T13:05:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sdrake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@sdrake](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/sdrake)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 1:05pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/missing-prolific-participant-data-when-downloading-files/26741/1 "2022-01-10T13:05:02Z")

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URL of experiment: [Sign in · GitLab](https://gitlab.pavlovia.org/sdrake/impexp3fixnc)

I’m using Prolific to recruit participants, and have used the tools to collect their participant ID/session/studyID through a URL query, and have Pavlovia automatically redirecting back to Prolific at the end of the study. I have Pavlovia set to not collect incomplete data.

I’m missing data from two participants that seem to have completed my study based on the time they spent on Prolific and their completion code: they took the amount of time I expect participants to take and have the correct completion code, but their data isn’t in either the downloaded zip of the data or in the data repository on gitlab.

Any ideas what might be happening?

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**Author:** ![Becca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.psychopy.org/becca/32/34260_2.png) [@Becca](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/Becca)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 1:54pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/missing-prolific-participant-data-when-downloading-files/26741/2 "2022-01-11T13:54:00Z")

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> [@sdrake](#):
>
> based on the time they spent on Prolific

Hi There,  
Is the “time spent on prolific” a timestamp comparison of when the participant clicked the pavlovia link to the time they were redirected back to the site on completion? or is it indicative of the time spent on prolific in a “background tab” i.e. not related to being redirected back to the site? My reason for asking is that if the participant did not click “OK” in the green thankyou message (and therefore were not redirected back to prolific) it is possible that they prematurely closed their pavlovia tab.

Thanks,  
Becca

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**Author:** ![sdrake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@sdrake](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/sdrake)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/missing-prolific-participant-data-when-downloading-files/26741/3 "2022-01-12T15:53:09Z")

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Hi Becca,

I’m not exactly sure how Prolific works in this respect. Since it’s a platform that exclusively recruits participants for online studies (and doesn’t host the studies itself), I think either of those explanations for how the timer works is reasonable, and I don’t know for sure which it is. It seems reasonable that they may have closed their pavlovia tab prematurely. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![wakecarter](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.psychopy.org/wakecarter/32/5753_2.png) [@wakecarter](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/wakecarter)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 4:42pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/missing-prolific-participant-data-when-downloading-files/26741/4 "2022-01-12T16:42:21Z")

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Do you have any ideas about how your participants could get back to Prolific at the end of your study without clicking on OK in the “thank you for your patience” message (which activates the Completed URL)?

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**Author:** ![sdrake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@sdrake](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/sdrake)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/missing-prolific-participant-data-when-downloading-files/26741/5 "2022-01-14T14:06:26Z")

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I don’t entirely know—I think the pavlovia link opens in a new tab, so if they’re able to get out of full screen and then exit the tab before clicking on the OK, that could be how. I’m not sure how prolific works or looks from the participant end.

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**Author:** ![wakecarter](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.psychopy.org/wakecarter/32/5753_2.png) [@wakecarter](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/wakecarter)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/missing-prolific-participant-data-when-downloading-files/26741/6 "2022-01-14T14:48:17Z")

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My [VESPR Study Portal](https://moryscarter.com/vespr/portal/admin/) allows researchers to bookend a study with participant information and a debrief and offer a Prolific return link only to those who reach the debrief.