// SCREENING

How screening works

Screening on BIOME is designed to give researchers better signal with less manual work, while ensuring participants are evaluated fairly and anonymously.

The screening process

  1. 1.A participant applies to a study
  2. 2.BIOME calculates an eligibility status based on the participant's profile data and quiz responses (if the study includes a quiz)
  3. 3.BIOME surfaces the participant's reliability score based on their platform-wide track record
  4. 4.The researcher reviews the application in their screening dashboard
  5. 5.The researcher makes the final decision: approve, waitlist, or deny

Screening is researcher-driven. BIOME provides signals but does not auto-approve or auto-reject anyone.

Eligibility

Eligibility is study-specific. It compares the participant's profile against the study's inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria, age range, and eligibility quiz responses.

A participant marked as "Eligible" matches the defined criteria. A participant marked as "Not eligible" has one or more mismatches. In both cases, the researcher makes the final call — eligibility is advisory, not binding.

Reliability

Reliability is platform-wide. It reflects the participant's behavior across all studies they have participated in on BIOME:

— How many studies they have completed
— Their average compliance score
— Whether they have withdrawals, no-shows, or violations in their history

The reliability score uses a weighted formula:

reliability = (completion_rate × 0.6) + (min(studies_completed, 20) / 20 × 100 × 0.4)

A participant needs at least 3 completed studies for their reliability score to be meaningful.

Anonymity in screening

Researchers see the participant's pseudonym, identicon, region, age range, device capability, sample comfort, language fluency, and study history. They never see the participant's real name, email address, phone number, or government identification. All screening is conducted through anonymized profiles.