NOTE: This feature is only available with Advanced editions or above
Shared Locations in a Nutshell
What is it?
Shared locations are locations with “Available to Multiple Studies?” enabled on your Location Listings page. With Shared locations, multiple timeslots from different studies can reserve the same location for the same time. Essentially, Shared locations allow researchers to temporarily share timeslots across studies.
How does it work?
Shared locations can be reserved for multiple timeslots across different studies, but they can only be used by one. The difference between non-Shared and Shared locations is in how the system determines whose timeslot gets to have the reservation. If a location isn’t share, the first researcher to add a timeslot using that location gets it. For Shared locations, multiple timeslots can reserve the same location for the same time, so long as none of their slots are filled. Once a participant signs up for one of the timeslots, the others will become unavailable.
When should I use it?
The Shared location option is specifically designed for locations with high demand and/or limited availability. If researchers are competing to be the first to reserve time in a location, you want to be sure that this time is used well. Because actual signups determine which study’s timeslot remains available, this option ensures valuable resources aren’t wasted.
For details, examples, and more, please see below.
Adding & Filling Timeslots with & without Shared Locations
You can designate a location to be a Shared location by selecting “yes” to the “Available to Multiple Studies?” option on your Location Listings page. Of course, researchers can technically share any location, even those not listed. The question, however, is how a Shared locations work compared to non-shared. Shared locations change the way researchers can make the most out of (possibly too few) research locations as well as (potentially limited) available time in those locations.
The best way to understand this difference is to contrast the way the system handles scheduling conflicts with Shared locations vs. other listed locations. To make this easier, we’ve provided a side-by-side comparison versions of essentially the same process. Both versions start with a researcher trying to add a timeslot to their study when the time and location they want is already reserved, and end with how location type changes the way participant signups work:





