Information for IRB applications

Recruitment

Populiva is an opt-in panel of adults in the United States. Participants sign up, confirm their email, pass device and network checks, and connect a PayPal account that PayPal has verified (verification level L2). Some studies require a government ID and selfie check (L3).

Eligible participants see a study on their study list or get an email about it, and take part first come, first served. Researchers choose eligibility criteria and quotas; the study's provenance report records them.

What researchers receive

Your survey or experiment collects the responses, in your own tool. Populiva passes three IDs in the study link: a pseudonymous PARTICIPANT_ID (different for each lab), STUDY_ID, and SESSION_ID. Researchers never receive names, emails, or contact details.

If your study asks for demographics with its data, participants see exactly which ones on the study card before they start. Each submission also comes with quality evidence (verification level, trust tier, plain-language flags).

Payment

Studies pay at least $10 an hour based on their estimated time. Approved rewards are paid through PayPal after a 72-hour hold. People screened out inside a study are paid a screen-out amount. Rejections need a stated reason, and participants can appeal them.

Consent and withdrawal

Participants accept Populiva's Participant Agreement when they join. Your study's own consent form still applies and should be the first page of your survey. Participants can stop at any time by returning the study, which doesn't count against them.

Documenting your sample

Every study can issue a signed provenance report describing how the sample was recruited, screened, and checked, in aggregate. Attach it to your IRB amendments or your paper; anyone can verify it.

Sample consent wording

Adapt this to your study and your IRB's template.

You're being invited to take part in a research study run by [lab or investigator] at [institution]. You were recruited through Populiva, an online research participant platform. Your participation is voluntary, and you can stop at any time by returning the study on Populiva.

We will receive an anonymous Populiva participant ID, not your name or email address. [If applicable: We will also receive the following answers from your Populiva profile: list.] [If the quality snippet is used: This survey records counts of activity on each page, such as time spent and pasting text, to check data quality. It does not record your answers or what you type.]

You will be paid [amount] through Populiva for completing the study, which takes about [minutes] minutes. Questions about the study: [contact]. Questions about your rights as a participant: [IRB contact].