You open a survey, answer a few questions, and get told it is not for you. If that happens a lot, it can feel like the survey was designed to waste your time. It was not, although the way it is handled is often worse than it should be.
ResearchDart connects panels and rewards apps to research studies. We see the outcome of every session but not your answers, and we do not run your panel account. This page explains what each outcome means.
"This survey was looking for a different profile"
Most studies need a specific group: people planning to buy a car this year, IT managers at larger companies, parents of young children. The first questions, the screener, check whether you are in that group. If you are not, the survey ends. That is called a terminate or screen-out.
It is the most common way a survey ends, and it says nothing about whether your answers were good. Most people do not qualify for most surveys.
"This survey has enough responses from your group"
Here you did qualify. But studies set limits, called quotas, on how many people they need from each group, such as a certain number of women aged 18 to 34 in one region. Once that group is full, anyone else from it is turned away. That is an over quota.
Quotas exist so the results reflect the population the study is about. They are also the most annoying outcome, because you did nothing wrong. Opening invitations soon after they arrive helps, since groups fill over time.
"We could not accept this response"
This is a quality terminate. It happens when a response cannot be used, for example because:
- the study was already started from the same panel account or the same device;
- the survey was finished far faster than the questions can be read;
- attention-check questions were answered incorrectly;
- the connection appeared to come from outside the country the study is for, or from a VPN or data centre.
If you were flagged by mistake, for example because someone in your household took the same survey on a shared computer, or you were travelling, contact the panel that invited you. They can see the outcome recorded for your session.
Why a "Preparing your survey" page sometimes appears
Some studies check the connection before the survey opens, to keep automated software and duplicate accounts out. You may see a short page for a few seconds. You do not need to do anything. If a privacy extension blocks the check, the study decides whether to let you continue.
Why screening questions come first
It would be kinder to know before starting. Panels try: they use what they know about you to send you studies you are likely to fit. But profiles go out of date, and many studies need details only a screener can check. Asking a few questions up front is still better than letting someone answer for fifteen minutes and then discarding it.
How to qualify for more surveys
- Keep your panel profile current. Job changes, moves, children and new cars all change which studies you fit.
- Answer honestly. Guessing what a screener wants usually gets caught later by quality checks, and panels close accounts that do it repeatedly.
- Open invitations promptly, before groups fill.
- Read the questions. Attention checks exist to catch people who click without reading.
Rewards
Rewards are paid by the panel or app that invited you, under its own rules. Many give something for screen-outs as well as completes. If a reward is missing, contact that panel's support team with the reference number shown on the end page.
Your data
When you pass through ResearchDart, we handle the participant ID your panel assigned you, timings, technical data such as your IP address, and the outcome of the session. Your survey answers go to the research team's survey platform, not to us. More on our help page for survey takers and in our privacy policy.