# Opportunities (https://terac.com/docs/researchers/opportunities)

Create, configure, and manage research opportunities on Terac.

Opportunities are the core unit of research on Terac. An opportunity defines what you need from participants, how they're screened, what tasks they complete, and how much they're paid.

## Opportunity Types [#opportunity-types]

Terac supports two types of opportunities:

| Type                | Best For                                                                    |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Unmoderated**     | A task each expert completes on their own time: a survey, activity, or link |
| **Human-moderated** | A live call each expert books with you through your scheduling link         |

Picking a type seeds the right steps and task defaults. Everything stays editable afterwards.

## Opportunity Lifecycle [#opportunity-lifecycle]

Every opportunity moves through a predictable set of stages:

Draft → Active → Paused → Completed

* **Draft** - the opportunity is being configured and has not been launched yet
* **Active** - recruitment is live and participants can apply
* **Paused** - recruitment is temporarily stopped; existing participants can still complete work
* **Completed** - the opportunity is closed and no new submissions are accepted

See [Opportunity Lifecycle](https://terac.com/docs/researchers/opportunities/opportunity-lifecycle) for the full breakdown of transitions and what each state means.

## What Goes Into an Opportunity [#what-goes-into-an-opportunity]

- [Screening](https://terac.com/docs/researchers/opportunities/screening): Define who qualifies with screening questions and auto-grading rules
- [Tasks](https://terac.com/docs/researchers/opportunities/tasks): Configure what participants need to complete
- [Research Guides](https://terac.com/docs/researchers/opportunities/research-guides): Build discussion scripts for AI-moderated interviews
- [Creating an Opportunity](https://terac.com/docs/researchers/opportunities/creating-an-opportunity): Step-by-step walkthrough of opportunity creation

## Key Concepts [#key-concepts]

* **Screening questions** - qualification questions asked during the application flow. Can be auto-graded or manually reviewed.
* **Filters** - demographic and geographic criteria that determine which experts see your opportunity.
* **Tasks** - the actual work participants complete (surveys, file uploads, interviews).
* **Submissions** - a participant's end-to-end journey through your opportunity, from application to completion.
* **Research guides** - structured discussion scripts the AI moderator follows during interviews.