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How to Add and Invite Participants to a Study

Use this article to add and invite participants to a study in Recollective.

Who can Add Participants and Send Invites in Recollective?

Analysts and moderators will be able to bulk import or manually add participants and send out participant invites.

To accept invitations and enter the Study, Participant Access must be started and the Study must be in an OPEN state.

If you need to add and invite participants without uploading personally identifiable information (PII) to Recollective, refer to our article on importing participants without PII.

Step 1: Prepare the Import Spreadsheet

Create a new spreadsheet using an application like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. The columns required for participant onboarding depend on whether email addresses will be included in the upload. Recollective supports onboarding without Email Address and other Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

  1. Set Up Required Columns

    • If Email Addresses are included:

      1. Email Address — List each participant's email address in its own row.

      2. Password — Assign a simple temporary password for each participant (e.g., Research123!).

    • If Email Addresses are not included:

      1. External ID — List each participant’s unique identifier in its own row

      2. Username — List each participant’s username in its own row. The Username and External ID may share the same value, but must be listed as separate columns within the import file.

      3. Password — Assign a simple temporary password for each participant (e.g., Research123!).

  2. Add extra columns to import additional demographic data or custom participant details (e.g., First Name, Last Name, Gender, Age).

  3. Save the spreadsheet.

Note: Recollective cannot read password-protected files. Ensure password protection is disabled before uploading.

Step 2: Bulk Import the Spreadsheet to Recollective

To add the participants to Recollective:

  1. Navigate to Study Admin > Add Participants in Recollective.

  2. Locate the Bulk Import a Spreadsheet pane and click Start Import.

  3. On the import page, click Select File and choose your prepared spreadsheet.

  4. Review the detected column information and assign the data type for each column:

    • Standard Fields labeled Email Address, First Name, Last Name and Password are automatically detected and validated.

    • Assign additional columns based on data type:

      • For columns containing binary data (e.g., 1 or 0), select New Segment.

      • For columns containing non-binary data (e.g., Age, Region, Department) select New Profile Field.

  5. Once each column has been validated, click Continue.

  6. Review the validated data for any errors or missing information.

  7. Click Start Import.

Screenshot of a bulk import spreadsheet with three columns highlighted. The "Gender" column is highlighted in orange with the label "New Profile Field Type: Poll". The "Age" column is highlighted in pink with the label "New Profile Field Type: Number". The "Brand A Consumer" and "Brand B Consumer" columns are highlighted in blue with the label "New Segment".

Screenshot of the Bulk Import column review page with 3 column review fields highlighted. The "Gender" column is highlighted in orange, with the "New Profile Field: Poll: Single" settings configured. The "Age" column is highlighted in pink with the "New Profile Field: Number" settings configured. The "Brand A Consumer" and "Brand B Consumer" columns are highlighted in blue with the "New Segment" option configured.

Once the import process completes, each participant listed in the file will have an account created on the site and be assigned to the Study.

Screenshot of the green banner that displays after a successful bulk import. The banner reads "Bulk import successful. Send email invitations"

Step 3: Send or Schedule Email Invitations

After completing the bulk import, navigate to the invitation setup screen:

  • Click Send email invitations immediately following the import validation screen.

  • Alternatively, you can compose an email broadcast and select the "added but not yet invited" recipient option

Customize Invitation Content (Optional)

You can customize the Subject Line, Message, and Email Signature before sending.

Option A: Send Invitations Immediately

  1. Click Preview Message to review your email design and content.

  2. Confirm the details and click Send Now to queue the invitation emails for immediate dispatch.

Option B: Schedule Invitations for Later Delivery

  1. Click Preview Message.

  2. Click Send Later.

  3. In the Send Later modal, select the desired date and time for delivery.

  4. Click Save.

Invitations will send automatically when the scheduled date is reached.

Warning: Do not send or schedule email invitation delivery for a date or time prior to Participant Access starting. Participants can only accept invitations when Participant Access is active and the Study is in an OPEN state.

Still Have Questions?

🗣️ If you still have questions or need further assistance, contact support at helpdesk.recollective.com.

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