# Submissions (https://terac.com/docs/researchers/results/submissions)

Track participant submissions from application through completion, with filtering and status management.

A submission represents a single participant's complete journey through your opportunity, from the moment they apply to final approval or rejection.

## Submission States [#submission-states]

Each submission moves through a series of states:

Screening → Not started → In Progress → Work review → Approved

These are the stages you see as tabs on the Submissions table.

| State                | Description                                                                |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Screening**        | Screening questions or screening interview in progress                     |
| **Terac review**     | Screening complete, being reviewed by Terac before you see the applicant   |
| **Applicant review** | Waiting on you to review screening responses and decide who can start work |
| **Not started**      | Applicant qualified but has not begun the task yet                         |
| **In Progress**      | Participant is working on the task                                         |
| **Work review**      | Task submitted; waiting on the review decision                             |
| **Approved**         | Work accepted; payout triggered                                            |
| **Not selected**     | Did not qualify at screening                                               |
| **Rejected**         | Work was reviewed and turned down                                          |
| **Returned**         | Sent back to the participant to redo                                       |
| **Abandoned**        | Participant left without completing                                        |
| **Timed Out**        | Participant ran out of time                                                |
| **Cancelled**        | Submission cancelled by you or by Terac                                    |

> **Not selected** and **Rejected** are different. Not selected means the person
> did not qualify at screening and no work was done. Rejected means work was
> submitted, reviewed, and turned down.

**Applicant review** is your decision before an applicant starts work, not a review before their initial invitation. Terac's internal view calls this same stage **Customer review** to distinguish it from **Terac review**.

## How Completion Is Detected [#how-completion-is-detected]

For tasks completed inside Terac, such as file uploads and activities, Terac knows when a participant finishes and advances the submission to **Work review**. It goes straight to **Approved**, and the participant is paid, only when the task's review type is `self_report` (**Expert approves** in the task builder). `auto_approve` does not approve work done inside Terac: it pays automatically only on a `completed` redirect from a third-party tool, and on any other task it waits in Work review like `manual_review`. Review type is set per task, not per opportunity, so one opportunity can mix them.

For tasks hosted on a third-party tool (your own survey, product, or usability platform), Terac depends on a **redirect URL** to learn the outcome. When the participant finishes, your tool redirects them back to Terac with their submission ID and a result, which advances the submission.

> **Warning**
>
> If a participant reaches a third-party task and no completion callback is
> received, their submission stays **In Progress**, or waits in **Work review**
> for you if they clicked **I completed the task** on Terac. Configuring the
> completion redirect is what prevents qualified participants from sitting
> there. On the small number of opportunities where Terac has enabled
> redirect-URL auto-resolution, a submission in Work review with no callback is
> auto-rejected after 6 hours instead. See [External Surveys & Redirect
> URLs](https://terac.com/docs/researchers/integrations/external-surveys).

## Submissions Table [#submissions-table]

The Submissions tab in each opportunity shows all submissions with:

* Participant name and profile link
* Current state
* Screening status
* Task completion status
* Submission date
* Review actions

### Filtering [#filtering]

You can filter submissions by:

* **State** - show only submissions in a specific state
* **Date range** - filter by submission date
* **Screening result** - passed, failed, or pending

### Sorting [#sorting]

Sort by submission date, participant name, or state to find what you need.

## Submission Details [#submission-details]

Clicking a submission opens the detail view where you can:

* See the participant's profile and demographics
* Review their screening answers
* View their task submission (files, survey responses, interview recording)
* Approve or reject the work
* Add notes or feedback
* Rate the participant's quality

## Exporting [#exporting]

You can export the submissions in the current view to CSV from the Submissions tab, for analysis or for merging with data from your own tools.

Approvals and rejections are made one submission at a time so each decision is deliberate. If you have a large volume to work through and want help, contact your Terac contact.

## Submission Counts [#submission-counts]

The funnel tabs across the top of the Submissions table show live counts by stage, giving you a quick picture of your opportunity's progress:

* How many participants are in screening
* How many are working on tasks
* How many are awaiting your review
* How many have been approved or rejected

## What's Next? [#whats-next]

- [Reviewing Work](https://terac.com/docs/researchers/results/reviewing-work): Learn the approval workflow
- [Opportunity Lifecycle](https://terac.com/docs/researchers/opportunities/opportunity-lifecycle): Understand opportunity states
- [Finance](https://terac.com/docs/researchers/finance/credits): How approvals affect your credit balance