Diary Studies Overview and Set Up – Help Center

A Diary Study is a qualitative research method that captures participants' experiences over a defined period. Participants complete structured missions and tasks, sharing their experiences through text and media in their own context and language. Use a Diary Study when you want to understand behavior, habits, or experiences as they unfold over time, rather than relying on recall after the fact.

A Diary Study is organized into missions and tasks. Each mission groups a set of related tasks for participants to complete and submit entries for. You define the structure, entry rules, and timeline. Participants receive a link to join and complete the study from their own device. Participants are notified by email when they are invited to the study, and they receive notifications when new missions become available or when there are important changes to missions or tasks. This helps keep participants informed and engaged throughout the study.

As a researcher, you will:

Define study details and participant-facing instructions.
Create one or more missions, each containing one or more tasks.
Set unlock dates and entry rules for each mission.
Launch the study and share a link with participants.
Monitor progress and review responses from the study dashboard.

Set Up the Study

From the dashboard, select Create Study.
Choose Diary Study as the study type and select Continue.
Enter the following study details:
- Study Name — shown to participants
- Study Description — shown to participants
- Study Due Date — the target end date for the study
Select Continue for Mission Setup. Use Save as Draft to finish later.

Add Missions

Missions define the phases or themes of your study. Each mission contains one or more tasks for participants to complete.

In Mission Setup, select + Add to create a mission.
Enter the mission details:
- Mission Title — shown to participants
- Instructions — an overview of what participants are expected to do, visible before they join
- Unlock Date — when the mission becomes available. Set the same unlock date for all missions to launch together.
Set mission-level entry rules:
- Minimum entries per task — the minimum number of entries a participant must submit to complete the task
- Maximum entries per task per day — caps daily entries per participant for each task.
To add more missions, select + Add again.

To speed up setup, click the ellipsis menu on any mission header to duplicate it. You can also hide a mission at launch and make it visible later, revealing tasks progressively as the study evolves.

Add Tasks

Each mission needs at least one task.

On a mission card, select Add Task.
Select a task type:
- Video — participants record or upload a video
- Image — participants take a photo or upload images
- Audio — participants record an audio response
- Open Text — participants type a written response
- Single Choice or Multiple Choice — participants select from options you define
- Rating — participants submit a star or number rating
Write the task question and add an image if you want.
Enable task-level rules to set unique entry limits for specific tasks.
Repeat to add more tasks.

Preview tasks in the right panel, or use Full Preview for the entire study.

Task Type Reference

The table below describes participants' experiences with each task type and the key limits that apply.

Task Type	What participants do	Key limits and behaviors
Video	Record using the camera or upload from their gallery.	The camera enforces the maximum recording duration you set. Gallery uploads enforce a file size limit — uploading a file that exceeds the limit shows an error. Supported formats - mp4
Image	Take a photo with the camera or upload from their gallery. They can select multiple images at once when uploading.	The number of images per entry is capped at the limit you set. Once a participant reaches the daily entry limit for the task, the option to add more photos is disabled. Supported formats jpeg, png, svg, gif.
Audio	Grant microphone access, then record their response. Before submitting, they can review the recording and replace it if needed.	Standard minimum and maximum entry rules apply.
Open Text	Type a written response after creating an entry.	Standard minimum and maximum entry rules apply.
Single Choice / Multiple Choice	Select from the answer options you define.	Standard minimum and maximum entry rules apply.
Rating	Submit a star or number rating.	Standard minimum and maximum entry rules apply.

For all task types, once a participant reaches the daily entry limit, the create entry option is disabled, and they see the message “Daily entry limit reached.”

Launch the Study

Once your study has at least one mission with at least one task, click Launch the Study.
A confirmation modal appears with a shareable link. Click Copy Link to copy the link, or Copy Participant Message to copy the link with an introductory message.
Share the link with participants. Close the modal to return to the study dashboard.

Important Note: To make changes after launch, update the study, then click Update Study. Editing missions or tasks doesn't remove existing data, but may impact ongoing progress. Participants will see updates and new or modified tasks when they next join. Removed mission or task data remains accessible in the dashboard. Notify participants of significant updates in advance to minimize confusion.

Monitor Participants and Review Responses

Once the study is live, manage it from the study dashboard. Each participant row shows:

Percentage of the study completed
Number of mission entries submitted
Current status: Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Late, Needs Review, Dropped, or Deleted

Search and filter participants by status. Click View Details to see an overview of a participant’s missions and tasks. Click View Response to open their detailed responses. Responses are organized by mission and task and grouped by submission date. For media responses such as video, image, and audio, you can download files or generate a shareable link. Public links are accessible to anyone with the link. Private links require the recipient to be logged into Fuel Cycle. To help maintain participant privacy, consider using private links when sharing sensitive media files, as public links can be accessed and shared outside of the study. Always review and follow your organization's privacy guidelines when distributing media responses.

Close a Study

Closing the study can help you manage timelines and ensure you only collect entries within your desired period. To close a study, go to the study dashboard, select your study, and choose the Close Study option. Closing the study immediately stops participants from accessing or submitting any new entries. All previously collected data remains available in the dashboard for review and analysis, but participants will no longer be able to join or add to the study.

Important

You cannot launch the study until you have added at least one mission containing at least one task.
The study due date is not a hard deadline. Participants can continue to submit entries after the due date unless you close the study.
Daily entry limits are enforced in real time. When reached, participants cannot submit more for that task that day and see “Daily entry limit reached.”
Task-level rules override mission-level rules. When you set entry limits at the task level, those limits take precedence over the mission-level settings.
Hiding or deleting a mission after launch triggers a notification to participants.
Participants marked as Dropped lose access to the study immediately, but any data they've submitted remains in the dashboard for review and analysis. This maintains data integrity and reporting.