SONA Research Participation Information

SONA Research Participation Information for PSYC 1001 & 1002

What is the nature of this assignment?

If you are taking PSYC 1001, or 1002, you will have the opportunity to have an ‘up close’ look at the psychological research process by participating in research being conducted by our Psychology Department faculty and students. This opportunity is designed to foster an understanding of, and an appreciation for, the science of psychology. We feel that a very effective way to learn about Psychology is to take part in some research; you get to see what we do and get exposure to some of the process of research. And for certain types of studies, you also get a chance to interact with the researchers and chat about what they are doing and what it is like to be a researcher in psychology.

Research participation credits are worth up to 5%

We have allotted 4% of your course grade, plus a 1% bonus in this course for this research participation credit (that’s a total of 5% in 1001, and an additional 5% in 1002). Each study is worth a certain percentage based on the amount of time it would typically take someone to complete the study. You can select studies that are of interest to you – and you can choose to do as many or as few as you want (you can participate in as many studies as you want, but you can only earn up to 5%, not more than 5%, toward your course).

SONA Research Participation Information for PSYC 2001 & 2002

What is the nature of this assignment?

If you are taking PSYC 2001, or 2002, you will have the opportunity to have an ‘up close’ look at the psychological research process by participating in research being conducted by our Psychology Department faculty and students. This opportunity is designed to foster an understanding of, and an appreciation for, the science of psychology. We feel that a very effective way to learn about Psychology is to take part in some research; you get to see what we do and get exposure to some of the process of research. And for certain types of studies, you also get a chance to interact with the researchers and chat about what they are doing and what it is like to be a researcher in psychology.

Research participation credits are worth up to 5%

This research participation credit will be counted as a 5% bonus to your grade in this course (that’s 5% in 2001, and an additional 5% in 2002). Each study is worth a certain percentage based on the amount of time it would typically take someone to complete the study. You can select studies that are of interest to you – and you can choose to do as many or as few as you want (you can participate in as many studies as you want, but you can only earn up to 5%, not more than 5%, toward your course).

What are the different ways to participate for credit?

In-person lab studies
Online interactive studies
Online non-interactive studies
Reading and writing about research articles

Typically, some research is conducted in a lab (perhaps working at a computer station or working with other people), and some research is conducted online (filling out questionnaires). For on-line studies, some studies will be primarily questionnaire-focused, but other studies will be more interactive, perhaps engaging with the researcher and/or other participants through a web conferencing tool.

For a non-interactive questionnaire study that is conducted online (i.e., a series of questionnaires that the participant can fill out online on their own time), there will typically be a web link to the questionnaire directly from the SONA system. The SONA system is the web site that we use as a “sign-up board” for participating in research.

For an interactive study, which typically will involve interacting with either the researcher and/or other participants (either in-person or online), the description of the study in the SONA system will include a schedule of time slots for you to choose from. You would sign up for a time slot, and then follow the instructions provided to meet with the researcher at the appointed time either using a web conferencing tool (e.g., Zoom) or in person in their research lab.

How does participating in research work?

One way to earn research participation marks is by participating in psychology studies conducted by psychology professors, graduate students, and honours thesis students from Carleton University’s Psychology Department. To see a list of the available studies, you will need to log into the SONA system at: http://carleton.sona-systems.com

(Note: ensure you are using the Psychology Department’s SONA site)

For the 2025 – 2026 academic year, there are three types of studies that you can sign up for:

In-person lab studies
- Completed in person (e.g., in the researcher’s lab) with a researcher and/or other participant(s).
- Completed at a mutually agreed upon scheduled meeting time between the researcher and the participant(s).
Online interactive studies
- Requires face-to-face interaction in a virtual setting with the researcher and/or other participant(s).
- Conducted through video/web conferencing (e.g., Zoom).
- Completed at a mutually agreed upon scheduled meeting time between the researcher and the participant(s).
Online non-interactive studies
- Completed individually by the participant.
- Completed through various survey websites or online experiment software programs.
- Completed during a timeslot chosen by the participant from the range of available timeslots provided by the researcher.

Important Alerts

You can only earn up to 4% of the research participation credits from online non-interactive studies. The remaining 1% must be earned by participating in in-person lab studies or online interactive studies. Distance learners are exempt from this policy.
In-person lab studies and online interactive studies will be offered on a first come, first served basis! Sign up early! Timeslots are limited.

How are the credits calculated?

You earn research participation credits based on the time it typically takes a participant to complete a study. In addition, to account for scheduling/travel time, there is additional credit value allotted to in-person and interactive research participation. You aren’t being “graded” on how well you do in the study – you are just earning credit for your time. Being a participant in research helps you to learn about the research process – so we’re giving you credit for your time. If during a particular study, you are not comfortable with participating in the study, then you have the right to withdraw from the study with no penalty.

In-person lab studies and online interactive studies: For each 30-minute block you spend participating in an in-person lab study or an online interactive study, you will earn the following credits:
- (up to) 30 min interactive study = 1.0%.
- 31-60 min interactive study = 1.5%.
- 61-90 min interactive study = 2.0%.
- 91-120 min interactive study = 2.5% … etc.
Online non-interactive studies: For each 30-minute block that you spend participating in an online non-interactive study, you will earn 0.25%.
- (up to) 30 min non-interactive study = 0.25%.
- 31-60 min non-interactive study = 0.5%.
- 61-90 min non-interactive study = 0.75%.
- 91-120 min non-interactive study = 1% … etc.
Multiple-Part Research Studies: On occasion, researchers will post multi-part studies that require participation in the same study across multiple timepoints. In these instances, the researcher may offer more credit than the standard rates. The amount of research credit will be clearly stated in the SONA recruitment notice.

How do I get the 5% credit?

When you visit the SONA website, you will see a list of studies that are currently available and seeking participants. You can sign up for any studies that are available. Studies will appear on the SONA system regularly throughout the semester, and then they will be removed once they are full. You will likely need to take part in several studies to reach your 5% credit total. You can exceed the 5% total in terms of your research participation, but your credit for the course will max out at 5%. If you make a point of visiting the SONA site early and often, then you should not have a problem reaching your 5% credit. However, if you leave this until the end of the semester, then it is likely that you will not be able to find enough available studies to achieve your 5%.

How can I find out about, and sign up for, these studies?

The Psychology Department uses the SONA system as an online portal allowing participants to sign up for studies (a link will be provided on our course web site). Look for research participation information on our course website and in our syllabus. The deadline for participation in research is the last day of classes at 5:00 pm. Do not wait until the end of the term to find studies in which to participate, as there may not be space available at the end. You should be checking the SONA system regularly throughout the semester as new studies appear all the time but then will disappear once they fill up.

The SONA system can be accessed at: http://carleton.sona-systems.com

Note: There are different SONA systems for different departments in the university. Psychology students must use the Psychology SONA system.

More information: http://www.carleton.ca/psychology/undergraduate/current-students/sona/

For any additional questions about the SONA system, you can contact the SONA Administrator at sona@carleton.ca. This information can also be found at the bottom of the SONA login page.

How do I sign up for a study in SONA to earn Research Participation Credits?

Where do I get my SONA login information?

As a student in this course, you are automatically assigned a SONA account. During the first week of classes, the SONA Administrator will send you an email with your login information. If you registered late for your course, you might not receive this email. If that is the case, please contact the SONA Administrator (sona@carleton.ca) to request your login information.

If at any point during the semester your login information doesn’t work (or if you forget), you may try doing a password reset. Go to the SONA sign-in page (https://carleton.sona-systems.com) and click the “Forgot Password” link. After following the prompts, you should receive an email with your login details. If this doesn’t work, please contact the SONA Administrator (sona@carleton.ca).

Where can I see the credits that I've earned?

Your credits for your research participation are stored in the SONA system (during the term, you can see your credits by going into the SONA system). After the last day of classes, the SONA Administrator will close the site and process all the credits. She will then email the credits to me, and I will enter the credit information into our gradebook in our Brightspace web site. This will take a few days, but it will get done.

I participated in a study and have not been granted credit. What do I do?

If you participated in an interactive study, the researcher should grant your credit within 24 hours of participation. If you have been waiting longer than 24 hours for your credit, please contact the researcher of the study directly to let them know.

If you participated in a non-interactive (questionnaire) study, the researcher should grant your credit within one week of participation. If you have been waiting longer than one week for your credit, please contact the researcher of the study directly to let them know.

Can I carry over extra credits to next semester?

SONA credit can only be applied in the semester it is earned. This means that the credit you earn this term can only be applied to the course you are taking this term. If you decide to drop this class and retake it in a new semester, you cannot transfer your SONA credit to your new course.

What should I do if I can no longer attend a scheduled study?

Cancellation Policy. If you are unable to attend a scheduled appointment (either an in-person or online interactive study), inform the researcher conducting the study as soon as possible (and ideally not less than 24 hours before the scheduled appointment). Cancel through the SONA system or by contacting the researcher directly using email.

Important Alerts

If you receive two “non-excused no-shows” in the SONA system you will be automatically barred from the SONA system.
What is a “non-excused no-show”? If you fail to show up to your pre-determined research appointment (for in-person lab studies or interactive online studies) and you do not notify the researcher that you wish to cancel, you will be granted a “non-excused no-show.” Students who are banned from the SONA system may appeal by contacting the SONA coordinator (shelleybrown@cunet.carleton.ca).

What if I cannot participate in research (or don't want to)?

If you cannot participate in research, or if you are not comfortable with the idea of participating in research, then there is a Written Alternative to Research Participation (WARP) assignment. Details about this alternative are available from your instructor. This writing assignment is an alternative to participating in psychological research (an alternative way to earn the 5% credit). In addition, some students may choose to earn their 5% credit by doing a combination of some research participation and some writing. For this writing assignment, you will select an article (from a pre-set list – refer to the WARP assignment instruction document on our course web site), retrieve the article from the Carleton library, and answer a set of questions about the article. Each article is worth 2.5%, and you can do one or two articles.

Note that the Written Alternative assignment is a graded assignment. If the assignment is done poorly or incorrectly, you may earn a zero, or a partial grade, for your work.