• Overview
• Instructors
• Researchers
• Students

Students

• browse a list of currently available studies (some of which are laboratory-based studies, and some of which are online studies)
• schedule appointments to participate in laboratory-based studies
• cancel appointments to participate in laboratory-based studies
• check your list of scheduled appointments for laboratory-based studies
• participate in online studies
• assign research credits to particular courses in which you are enrolled
• check the number of credits you have earned

See tutorials and resources for more information.

You are responsible for understanding and implementing the instructions and information provided in the video described above. If you have any questions about this video, or about the Sona study management system in general, please contact Psychsona-group@uri.edu

2. Eligibility requirements

Studies listed on Sona may provide information about eligibility requirements (e.g., age, gender identity, etc.). If you do not meet the eligibility requirements for a particular study, you should not sign up for that study. You will not be able to participate, and you will not receive credit.

3. Laboratory-based vs. online studies

By signing up for a study, you are informing the researcher of your intent to participate. In the case of a laboratory-based study, you will schedule an appointment to be present at the specified location (i.e., the lab) at the specified date and time. In the case of an online study, you will respond to a series of questions online. You can complete online surveys from any computer with an internet connection. You are expected to complete the online studies before the deadline indicated in the sign-up page of the particular study.

4. Research credit

If you participate in a study (online or laboratory-based), you will receive research credit. The amount of credit that you receive will depend upon whether the study in which you participate is an online study or a laboratory-based study. The amount of research credit that a study is worth is listed on the Sona sign-up page.

• In-person studies: 30 minutes = 1 credit. These studies will have a designated meeting location and time, which will be specified in the study advertisement. For example, some psychology professors have research laboratories on campus (e.g., Chafee Hall in Kingston) and you will be expected to be there to participate in their studies.
• Online studies: 30 minutes = 0.5 credits. You can complete these studies on your personal computer or phone, ideally at a quiet location. You do not need to show up at a research laboratory.

5. Earning research credit for psychology courses

By participating in SONA studies, you may earn course credit, depending on the specific requirements of the psychology courses you are taking. Your instructor may or may not require you to earn research credits. Similarly, your instructor may or may not allow you to earn research credits for extra credit. Please read your syllabi carefully and talk with your instructor to clarify this issue.

6. Right to decline

You have the right to decline to participate in any study. As noted above, it is unethical for instructors to require their students to participate as participants in research. Thus, instructors who require you to earn research credit must also provide alternate assignments in order to fulfill any research credit requirements.

7. Right to cancel

You have the right to withdraw your participation anytime, for online or laboratory-based (in-person) studies. You have the right to cancel an appointment that you have scheduled to participate in a laboratory-based study. If you find that you are unable to attend the appointment, it is very important that you cancel your appointment with as much advance notice as possible but please try to give at least 24 hours notice.

There are two ways to cancel your appointment.

• You can login to Sona and cancel your appointment through Sona. This is the preferred method.
• You can email the researcher to let them know that you will not be able to attend. (The researcher’s email address is listed on the Sona sign-up page.)
• If you wish to cancel, you must do so prior to the start time of your appointment.

8. No shows

If you fail to attend an appointment for a lab study or if you fail to complete an online study on time, your failure to attend will be considered a “no show,” if you do not cancel your sign-up prior to the start of the appointment. If you “no show” twice, your Sona account will become limited and you may not be able to sign up again for any study.

9. Be on time

It is very important to be on time for laboratory-based studies. In most cases, participants who arrive late will not be permitted to participate in the Study. If you arrive late, and are not able to participate, you will be considered a “no show”.

10. Right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from any study. In the case of a laboratory-based study, simply inform the researcher that you wish to withdraw. In the case of an online study, simply exit the survey. Please note that, for both laboratory-based and online studies, if you withdraw prior to completing the study, you may not receive credit for the study.

11. APA ethics code

Please be advised that researchers in the Department of Psychology at URI must conduct their research according to ethical guidelines established by the American Psychological Association. If you wish to review the APA’s ethical guidelines with respect to research, please click on the following link: http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx#8

12. Informed consent

You have the right to receive sufficient information about a study, prior to participating in it, that you can make an informed decision about whether you wish to participate. According to the American Psychological Association, the elements of informed consent include the following:

• the purpose of the research, expected duration, and procedures
• their right to decline to participate and to withdraw from the research once participation has begun
• the foreseeable consequences of declining or withdrawing
• reasonably foreseeable factors that may be expected to influence their willingness to participate such as potential risks, discomfort, or adverse effects
• any prospective research benefits
• limits of confidentiality
• incentives for participation
• whom to contact for questions about the research and research participants’ rights. You should have the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers

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Tutorials and Resources

Sign up for studies

• View Video

Cancel study sign up

• View Video

Reassigning credits

• View Video