What is a screener?
A screener is a brief, unpaid questionnaire researchers use to determine if you are a suitable candidate for a paid research study. Learn what screeners are, how they work, tips to qualify for studies, and why you might be disqualified even with a strong profile.
Are screeners paid?
No. Screeners are not paid. You’re paid only after you attend or complete the study and the researcher confirms your attendance.
How screeners work (step-by-step)
Find a study in Respondent and click “Start Screener”.
Answer the unpaid screener (2–20 questions).
The researcher reviews responses and decides whom to invite.
If invited, you schedule (for interviews) or complete tasks (for unmoderated).
How to pass a screener (do’s & don’ts)
Do’s
Be honest and specific (job title, tools you actually use, frequency, budgets, timelines).
Keep your participant profile updated so answers are consistent.
Read carefully for must-have criteria (e.g., region, company size, weekly tool use).
Don'ts
Don’t exaggerate or guess. Misrepresentation risks removal from the study/platform.
Don’t share sensitive info unless requested on-platform.
Double screening scenarios
For some projects run with a select group of trusted partners, you may be asked to complete a second screener off-site (on the partner’s platform) after your Respondent screener.
What to expect:
You’ll complete two screeners: one for the respondent and then one for the partner’s platform.
Both screeners are unpaid.
You can be not selected (“disqualified”) at either step if the criteria aren’t met.
The payment flow remains unchanged: if you’re invited and attend/complete the session, your incentive will still be issued by Respondent and delivered via Tremendous.
Safety tips:
Follow the links provided in your project thread or Respondent notifications.
Keep communications and payments on the platform; never pay fees to “qualify.”
If something appears to be incorrect, please report it (see Related articles).
Related Support articles
How to reach Respondent Support:
1. Start a chat with our Support Team directly from the chat support "bubble" in the bottom right hand corner of your screen (when logged into the Respondent platform). From there, our AI auto-help agent will immediately begin assisting you!
2. Our Support queues are monitored by real humans Monday through Friday, from 11:30 AM Eastern US until 7:30 PM Eastern US, excluding US federal holidays. Please allow more time for our assistance on Monday's and following US federal holidays, as we will be working to get caught up across all pending requests. There is no need to duplicate your outreach or send multiple follow ups, we will be with you as soon as we can!
3. In the event our AI auto-help agent is unable to resolve your issue, or answer your question, simply ask to speak to a human or select the "Talk to a Human" option at anytime and your thread will be escalated for a team member to review.
4. In the event the chat service is down or otherwise unresponsive, please email support@respondent.io as a backup option to reach our team. In order to keep queues organized and our follow up as efficient as possible, please only reach out via one method (either in-app Support Chat or email). Thank you!
We look forward to helping you! Thanks for being the best part of Respondent!