Glossary
The words they use
Research platforms have their own vocabulary. Here it is in plain English, so a first task does not feel like a first day at a new school.
- Screener
- A short set of questions before a study to see whether you fit. Being 'screened out' is normal and usually unpaid; a good platform keeps screeners short.
- Incentive
- Research-speak for the payment you receive for a study. The word exists because academic ethics boards approve 'incentives', not 'wages'.
- Panel
- The pool of people a platform can invite to studies. Joining a panel is free on every legitimate platform.
- Attention check
- A question inside a study designed to catch people clicking at random. Fail it and the study is usually rejected. Read every question.
- Unmoderated test
- You record your screen and voice while using a website or app on your own, following written tasks. Nobody is watching live.
- Moderated session
- A live interview or test over video with a researcher. Pays more, requires a booked time slot and a quiet room.
- Payout threshold
- The minimum balance before a platform lets you withdraw. Low thresholds are a good sign; high ones trap small balances.
- Rejection / return
- A study you completed but the researcher would not pay for — usually for a failed attention check or off-topic answers. Good platforms let you dispute it.
- Trading allowance
- The UK's £1,000 a year of tax-free trading income. See our Tax & status page for the detail and the £3,000 myth.
- Self Assessment
- The UK system for reporting income HMRC does not already know about. You register once and file once a year.
- Homework scheme
- The UK advertising code's term for paid work done from home. Rule 20.4 forbids a new scheme from forecasting earnings — which is why Fieldnote publishes none.
- 'Up to'
- The two most expensive words in this market. Regulators read 'up to £X' as 'you will probably get £X' and demand proof that people actually do.
Seen the market. Now ask us anything.
One message opens a chat with a person. Nothing to pay, no account to create, and you can leave at 'hello'.