Frequently Asked Questions

Click 'Sign Up' in the header, choose 'Participant,' and complete the registration form with your email and password. You'll receive a verification email - click the link to activate your account. Then, complete your profile with additional information to unlock signup bonuses and apply to studies.

Click 'Sign Up' and select 'Laboratory.' Complete the registration with your institution information. Our admin team will review your application within 3-5 business days. Once approved, you'll complete Stripe Connect onboarding to enable payments, then you can create and post studies.

Email verification is required for all users and is instant. Phone verification is optional but encouraged for participants (unlocks bonuses). Labs must complete business verification through Stripe Connect. ID verification may be required for high-value studies.

Yes! Participants receive a signup bonus after completing email and phone verification. This bonus is paid once per person - creating duplicate accounts is prohibited and will result in account termination. See our Terms of Service for details.

We implement multiple layers of protection: (1) Data masking - labs only see partial information until they approve you, (2) Explicit consent - you must consent before data is shared with each lab, (3) Encryption - all data is encrypted in transit and at rest, (4) Row-level security - multi-tenant database isolation, (5) Audit logging - every data access is tracked.

When you apply to a study, labs initially see masked information: partial name (e.g., 'John D.'), masked email (e.g., 'j***n@example.com'), masked phone (e.g., '+1 ••• ••• 4567'), and age range (e.g., '25-34'). Your full contact information is only revealed AFTER they approve your application. This protects your privacy while allowing labs to assess fit.

Yes! Before applying to any study, you must explicitly consent to share your personal information with that specific laboratory. You'll see a consent form with details about what data will be shared. This consent is logged for compliance purposes. You can withdraw consent at any time, though data already shared cannot be 'unshared.'

Yes! You have the right to download all your personal data (GDPR right to access). Go to Account Settings → Download Your Data. You'll receive a JSON file containing your profile, applications, payouts, and consent history.

Your information visibility depends on application status: (1) Before applying - only you see your full information, (2) After applying (pending) - labs see masked data, (3) After approval - the specific lab sees your full information, (4) Our platform team - limited access for support and compliance only. We NEVER sell your data to third parties.

Yes! We comply with GDPR (EU), CCPA (California), and other privacy regulations. You have rights to access, rectify, delete, and export your data. We implement data minimization (masking), consent management, and maintain complete audit trails. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Browse all available studies at /studies. You can filter by compensation amount, study type, duration, and eligibility criteria. Each study shows detailed information including description, requirements, time commitment, and payment. New studies are posted regularly!

Click on a study to view details, then click 'Apply Now.' You'll see a consent form explaining what data will be shared - you must check the consent box to proceed. Then, complete the application form (questions vary by study). After submission, the lab will review your application and you'll be notified of their decision.

The laboratory reviews applications showing masked data (partial name, masked email/phone, age range). If they approve you, your full contact information is revealed to them, and you'll receive an email with next steps. If rejected, you'll be notified and can apply to other studies.

After completing a study, the laboratory marks it as complete in the system. This triggers an automatic payout to your Stripe account. Payments typically process within 5-7 business days. You must have valid Stripe payment information on file. Minimum payout is $10 USD.

Yes, you can withdraw your application before it's approved (status: pending). Once approved and you've begun the study, withdrawal policies vary by study - check the study details or contact the laboratory directly. Withdrawing after commitment may affect your eligibility for payment.

Not all studies will match your profile - that's normal! Keep your profile updated with accurate information, browse regularly for new studies, and apply to multiple opportunities. Completing your profile fully (including demographics) helps match you with more studies.

Yes! Go to Account Settings → Email Notifications. You can enable/disable: (1) Application updates (status changes), (2) Payment notifications, (3) Marketing emails (new studies, platform updates). You can also change your password and manage your account from settings.

After your lab is approved and Stripe Connect is set up, go to Lab Dashboard → Create Study. Provide study details (title, description, requirements, compensation, max participants). Define custom application form fields for eligibility screening. Submit for admin approval - most studies are approved within 24 hours.

Labs must pre-fund their wallet before posting studies. Funds are held in escrow. When you approve a participant, the compensation amount is reserved. When you mark them as completed, the payout is processed automatically. This ensures participants get paid reliably. Add funds via Stripe Checkout in Lab → Wallet.

Privacy protection! We implement data masking based on GDPR data minimization principles. You see masked information for pending applications to assess fit without accessing full PII. After you approve an application, full contact details are revealed. This reduces your liability and protects participant privacy.

Go to Lab → Applicants and click 'Export Approved (X)' to download a CSV file with full information for approved participants. This export is logged for compliance. Only approved/completed participants are included - pending applications are not exportable.

Your dashboard shows: (1) 'People Helped' - total approved participants across all studies, (2) Total applications, (3) Approval rate, (4) Wallet balance and reserved funds, (5) Study performance metrics. These help you track ROI and impact.

Admin review typically takes 3-5 business days. We verify your institution, check credentials, and ensure compliance with our policies. Once approved, you'll complete Stripe Connect onboarding (takes 10-15 minutes) before you can post studies.

All payments are processed through Stripe. Participants receive payouts via bank transfer, debit card, or other Stripe-supported methods based on their country. Labs deposit funds via credit/debit card or bank transfer. All transactions are PCI DSS compliant.

For participants: No fees - you receive 100% of the stated compensation. For labs: We charge a service fee on each transaction (detailed in your lab agreement). Stripe also charges payment processing fees (~2.9% + 30¢). All fees are transparent and disclosed before transactions.

Payouts are processed automatically when labs mark studies as complete. Stripe typically transfers funds within 5-7 business days. You can track payout status in Participant → Payouts. If a payout is delayed, contact support with your payout ID.

First, check Participant → Payouts for status. Ensure your Stripe payment information is correct and verified. If the status shows 'paid' but you haven't received it, contact Stripe support. If the status is stuck on 'pending,' contact us at support@clinics-arm.com with your payout ID.

Yes, all compensation is considered income and may be taxable depending on your country. You are responsible for reporting and paying taxes. We may issue tax forms (1099, etc.) if you earn above certain thresholds. Consult with a tax professional for advice specific to your situation.

Each person is allowed exactly one account. Creating multiple accounts to claim duplicate signup bonuses or circumvent our policies is fraud and strictly prohibited. We detect duplicates using email/phone normalization, device fingerprinting, and other methods. Violations result in permanent ban and forfeiture of all payouts.

Your personal information is immediately anonymized (name becomes 'Deleted User', email becomes 'deleted_[id]@deleted.com'). However, to prevent fraud, we retain normalized identifiers. If you received any payouts, you CANNOT create a new account with the same email/phone. This prevents users from claiming duplicate signup bonuses. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for details.

We detect and normalize email aliases. For example, 'user+test@gmail.com' and 'user@gmail.com' are treated as the same account. This prevents duplicate account creation. The same applies to phone number variations. Our fraud prevention system is very sophisticated - attempting to bypass it will result in permanent ban.

If you deleted your account and never received payouts, you can create a new account with the same credentials. If you received payouts and have a legitimate reason for a new account, contact support@clinics-arm.com with details. We can manually approve exceptions in rare cases (e.g., name change, family member account).

Go to Account Settings → Change Password. You'll need to enter your current password, then your new password (minimum 8 characters). For security, we'll verify your current password before allowing the change. If you forgot your password, use the 'Forgot Password' link on the login page.

Go to Account Settings → Delete Account. Read the warnings carefully - this action is permanent! You'll need to type 'DELETE' to confirm. Note: If you have pending payouts, you must wait for them to complete first. If you received payouts, you cannot create a new account with the same credentials (fraud prevention).

Yes! Simply stop applying to studies. Your account remains active and you can return anytime. You can also disable marketing emails in Account Settings if you want to reduce notifications while keeping your account active.

Go to Account Settings → Personal Information. You can update your name, phone, date of birth, gender, ethnicity, and address. Some fields may require re-verification after changes. Keep your information accurate to match with appropriate studies.

We support the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. For the best experience, keep your browser updated. Mobile browsers are supported but some features work best on desktop.

Not yet, but our website is fully mobile-responsive. You can use it on any smartphone or tablet browser. A native mobile app is on our roadmap for future development.

Email: support@clinics-arm.com (we respond within 24 hours on business days). For urgent issues, use the contact form on our website. For privacy questions: privacy@clinics-arm.com. For legal/terms questions: legal@clinics-arm.com.

For bugs: email support@clinics-arm.com with details and screenshots. For security vulnerabilities: email security@clinics-arm.com. We take security seriously and may offer bug bounties for valid reports. Never exploit vulnerabilities - report them responsibly.

Yes! We use TLS 1.3 encryption for all connections (look for the padlock in your browser). All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. We're hosted on enterprise-grade infrastructure (Vercel, Supabase) with 99.9% uptime guarantees.