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Quality control

8.1 Pre-Survey Verification

8.1.1 Overview

When enabled, respondents must pass a verification screen before starting the survey. This screen can include reCAPTCHA bot protection and/or an audio device check.

8.1.2 Configuration

Go to Settings > Pre-Survey Verification section. Two options are available:

  • reCAPTCHA Verification (Bot Protection): Invisible bot protection powered by Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise. It automatically analyzes user behavior and assigns a risk score. No user interaction is required.
  • Audio/Video Device Check: Plays a test tone so respondents can verify their audio is working before starting the survey. Non-blocking -- the respondent can always continue.

8.1.3 How it works

  1. The respondent clicks the survey link.
  2. If verification is enabled, a verification screen appears before the first question.
  3. reCAPTCHA runs automatically in the background.
  4. For the audio check: the respondent plays a test tone and confirms they can hear it.
  5. The respondent clicks "Continue to Survey."
  6. If reCAPTCHA passes (score >= 0.5), the respondent proceeds to the survey.
  7. If reCAPTCHA fails, the respondent is blocked.

Notes: - Verification is skipped for respondents resuming a saved survey. - The verification screen only appears when the survey is in "Open" status (not in test/preview mode). - The reCAPTCHA site key is configured by the platform administrator.

8.2 Cross-Panel Deduplication

This feature detects and blocks respondents who attempt to complete the same survey from different research panels (e.g., TickPanel, Netquest, Cint).

8.2.1 How it works

The system uses FingerprintJS v3 to generate a unique browser fingerprint based on hardware characteristics (canvas, WebGL, audio context, installed fonts, screen resolution, etc.). When a respondent enters a survey, their fingerprint is stored. If the same fingerprint appears again for the same survey, the respondent is quality-terminated.

8.2.2 Configuration

Go to Settings > Entrance Filter Settings > enable Cross-Panel Deduplication (Browser Fingerprint).

Important: This option is mutually exclusive with "Same Computer Control" (cookies). Enabling one automatically disables the other, as they serve similar but incompatible purposes.

8.2.3 GDPR Considerations

  • Only the SHA-256 hash of the fingerprint is stored, not the raw data.
  • Data is linked to the survey, not to a persistent user profile.
  • Fingerprints can be deleted when the survey is closed.

8.3 Careless Attention

For complete documentation on careless attention, refer to the following document: Info related to Careless Attention.

8.3.1 Attention, We Are Recording Time

To inform users that response times are being recorded, you can add a warning at the top of the page. The following image shows the warning that will be visible for the entire duration of the step:

This warning can be configured per step. To include it in a specific step (e.g., Step 4), go to the "Survey structure" form and set the value "1" in the column with the header "Warning."

For "multiple choice" questions, you can display this message on specific cards rather than all cards. To do this, edit the desired questions and enable the "Visualizar dado" checkbox.

8.4 Quality Checks Report

A dedicated report displays quality check results and the reasons respondents were terminated. Access it via Results > Quality Checks.

The report shows: - Total respondents terminated by quality checks - Breakdown by reason: minimum time, maximum time, careless response patterns - Average time per step for completed respondents

8.5 Respondent Exit Scenarios

When a respondent exits the survey for any reason, they are redirected to the corresponding Exit URL configured in the survey settings (see Section 2.3.6 - Exit URLs). The following table summarizes the possible exit scenarios and what the respondent experiences:

Scenario Trigger Redirect URL Used
Survey Closed or Paused Respondent accesses a survey that is no longer in "Open" status. The respondent sees a message indicating the survey is not available.
Quota Full All quota slots are filled and no more completions are needed for the respondent's segment. Redirected to the Quota Full URL.
Early Screen Out The respondent does not meet the screening criteria defined by filters. Redirected to the Early Screen Out URL.
Quality Terminate The respondent fails quality checks such as minimum time, maximum time, or careless attention detection. Redirected to the Quality Terminate URL.
Already Completed The respondent has already completed the survey and attempts to access it again (detected via cookie or fingerprint). Redirected to the Already Done URL.
Successful Completion The respondent finishes all steps of the survey. Redirected to the Complete (Done) URL.

When distributing through research panels (Netquest, Cint, TickPanel, etc.), replace the default TickStat redirect URLs with the panel's own redirect URLs so that respondent status is properly communicated back to the panel.