Introduction

Sensitive or disturbing content is generally acceptable on Prolific, but we prioritize the well-being of participants and ask researchers to provide advanced warning when their study contains such content. This is to allow participants to make informed decisions before taking part in studies that may contain distressing information.

With the Prolific API, you can easily add content warnings to your study at any point, from the initial creation to when the study is completed. You can also set warnings either at a content level or at the study level, depending on your needs.

Contents
Types of Content Warnings
Content Warnings via the Prolific API
How to Add a Content Warning

Types of Content Warnings

There are currently two types of content warnings available:

• "sensitive": For content that may cause discomfort or distress, such as violence, trauma, or emotionally charged material.
• "explicit": For content that contains explicit language, sexual content, or other highly graphic material.

These options allow researchers to provide clear warnings about the content their study may contain, ensuring participants are aware of what to expect.

At this time, only one warning can be selected for a study. However, we are planning to expand this in the future, offering a broader range of warning options.

In addition to content warnings, you can also categorize your study using study_labels. These labels provide context about the type of study and the tasks involved, such as:

• survey
• writing_task
• annotation
• interview
• other

Currently, only one label can be applied to a study, but this field helps researchers better define the nature of their work and will eventually be expanded to help participants filter studies based on their preferences.

Content Warnings via the Prolific API

When working with the Prolific API, you can add content warnings using the content_warnings parameter. This parameter accepts an array of strings, where each string corresponds to a different type of warning. The valid options for this parameter are:

You can also provide more detailed information for participants by adding a description via content_warning_details.

How to Add a Content Warning

Adding a Content Warning at Study Creation

When creating a study via the Prolific API, you can specify the content warning during the initial setup using the Create a Draft Study endpoint. This ensures that participants are aware of the study's content before they agree to take part.

Updating Content Warnings on an Active Study

If you need to update the content warning after the study has been launched (for example, if a participant reports distressing content), you can do so using the Update a study endpoint. This is especially helpful if you need to modify the warning after receiving feedback from participants or reassessing the content.

Here's an example of how you can add a content warning and other relevant details when creating or updating a study through the Prolific API:

{
    "study_labels": [
        "survey"
    ],
    "content_warnings": [
        "sensitive"
    ],
    "content_warning_details": "This study involves questions about events you may find traumatic."
}

In this example:

1. The study is labeled as a "survey"
2. A "sensitive" content warning is added to inform participants about potentially distressing material.
3. Additional details are provided to give participants more context about the study’s content.

For more information, please consult our API documentation and our related Help Center articles.

Please let us know if you have suggestions, questions, or feedback by getting in touch.