> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.myresearchlab.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Your first study

> Build, preview, publish, and run a study end to end.

## 1. Start a study

From **Studies** (or an **Explore** use-case card), click **Start building**. You get a blank draft and land in the **Builder**. To start from existing work instead, **Replicate** a public study from [Browse](https://myresearchlab.app/browse) or use a Library **template**.

## 2. Add blocks

The Builder is a list of **blocks** — each is one screen or measure a participant sees. Add blocks from the picker: instructions, Likert scales, multiple choice, open text, stimuli (text/image/video/audio), timers, and more. See the [block catalogue](/builder/blocks).

Reorder by dragging. Edit a block's wording and options inline. Everything autosaves as your **Draft**.

## 3. Branch and compare (optional)

* [**Conditions**](/builder/conditions) show or hide blocks based on earlier answers — for screening, branching, and randomized arms.
* [**Variants**](/builder/variants) define version-level arms (e.g. an A/B of two stimuli) so participants are split across versions.
* [**Themes**](/builder/themes) control the look participants see.

## 4. Preview

Click **Preview** to take the study exactly as a participant would — one screen at a time, with live validation and branching. Nothing you do in Preview counts toward results.

## 5. Make it runnable

To collect real data, freeze a version:

* **Publish** — freezes a runnable version (good for pilots/exploratory work).
* [**Preregister**](/methodology/preregistration) — freezes a version *and* timestamps your plan on the OSF (the open-science path).

## 6. Run

On the **Run** stage, **open recruitment** to get a participant link, or connect [Prolific](/integrations/prolific) to recruit a balanced sample. Watch responses land on the study **Dashboard**; export the dataset any time.

## 7. Share

Make the study public so peers can read the record, cite it, and **replicate** it — and turn on your [public profile](https://myresearchlab.app/settings/account?tab=profile) so your work is discoverable.