End Screens and Debriefing for Surveys

End screens define what respondents see when they finish, screen out, hit a quota-full path, or need a debriefing message. In academic survey software, clear endings help protect participant experience and make survey flow easier to audit.

Create separate end screens for different endings instead of reusing one generic thank-you page. The wording should match why the respondent arrived there and what they should do next.

• Completion: thank respondents, give the next step, and include any completion code or redirect instructions.
• Ineligible: politely close the survey after screening without revealing more eligibility detail than the protocol allows.
• Quota full: explain that the study path is closed because the target group has enough responses.
• Debriefing: provide post-study information required by the research protocol, especially after deception or sensitive treatment material.
• Redirect: send respondents to an external completion or panel URL when appropriate, and test the outgoing link before launch.

1. Step 1: Add the end blocks. In Block Builder, create separate End Survey blocks for completion, ineligible, quota-full, and debriefing messages.

   Step 1: Add end blocks

   Block Builder: End Screens

   Four path-specific end screens: Completion (with code), Screen Out, Quota Full, and Debriefing. Each routes from a Flow condition.

   Survey Options

   Timing

   Record time per page

   Breaks

   Page break after every question

   Page break after every block

   Validation

   Require all questions

   Shuffle

   Shuffle all multiple choice questions

   Shuffle all grid and conjoint rows

   Randomly flip all sliders

   Flip consistency

   Use one random flip direction for selected flip-enabled questions.

   Randomize question order in all blocks

   reCAPTCHA

   Enable reCAPTCHA v3 (invisible)

   Data Collection

   Track browser information

   Records browser type, browser version, operating system, screen resolution, and user agent. Not shown to respondents.

   Track link clicks

   Question Names

   Simple Rename

   Simple assigns Ask1, Ask2… in full survey question order (including follow-ups).

   Multiple Choice

   Required

   Page Break

   Question text

   Multi-select

   Options

   Add QuestionPull Questions

   Add Another BlockPull Blocks

   Closing text

   Thank you for participating. Your completion code is DONE-2024. Please return to Prolific.

   Redirect (optional)

   Closing text

   Thank you for your time. Unfortunately, you do not qualify for this study.

   Redirect (optional)

   Closing text

   This study has reached its quota. Thank you for your interest.

   Redirect (optional)

   Closing text

   This study examined political attitudes toward healthcare reform. Your responses will help researchers understand public opinion on this important topic. Thank you.

   Redirect (optional)

   Survey Ends

   Trash0 items

   Trash is empty.

2. Step 2: Write path-specific text. Make each message match why the respondent reached that ending and whether they should close the page, copy a code, or follow a redirect.

   Step 2: Write path-specific text

   Block Builder: Content Block

   Add instructional text or embed a YouTube video as a stimulus.

   Content

   Page Break

   Question text

   Options

   Add QuestionPull Questions

   Closing text

   Example only.

   Redirect (optional)

3. Step 3: Open Flow. Use the Flow tab to connect screeners, condition arms, and quota-full paths to the right end screen.

   Step 3: Open Flow

   Block Builder

   Flow

   Preview

   Deploy

   Export

   Flow Canvas

   Interactive routing surface from the app, running in no-persist help mode.

   Consent and Study Intro

   1 question

   Political Knowledge Block

   2 questions

   Control Message

   1 question

   Treatment Message

   1 question

   Outcome Measures

   2 questions

   Survey Ends

   Anchors explicit end of survey

4. Step 4: Check Deploy settings. In Deploy, confirm any quota behavior or public launch settings that can send respondents to an end screen.

   Step 4: Check Deploy settings

   Block Builder

   Flow

   Preview

   Deploy

   Export

   Deploy

   Configure publishing, links, quotas, and theme from the Deploy tab.

5. Step 5: Preview each ending. Test every route that should end differently with Preview before publishing.

   Step 5: Preview each ending

   Block Builder

   Flow

   Preview

   Deploy

   Export

   Preview

   Walk through respondent-facing behavior in the same preview surface.

Debriefing text should match the study protocol. If a survey uses deception, sensitive topics, or treatment materials, confirm what the end screen must disclose before publishing.

• Compensation: include completion codes, course-credit instructions, or panel redirect steps only on the paths where respondents should receive them.
• Screen-outs: avoid promising payment, credit, or eligibility unless the recruitment plan supports it.
• Quota-full paths: make the message distinct from ineligible paths so fielding logs remain interpretable.
• Privacy: include contact information or withdrawal instructions when the consent process requires it.

• Consent and Screening in Research Surveys
• Branching and Skip Logic for Research Surveys
• Set Survey Quotas
• Publish and Share a Research Survey