Instructions for Signing Up for Research Participation in Psychology Studies
Please Follow Instructions Carefully To Ensure You Receive Extra Credit
Step 1: Go to http://phillypsych.sona-systems.com On the bottom left hand corner of the screen click on “Request a new Account.” (If you already have an account, please just log-in with your username and password and skip to step 5. You will be asked to update your courses.)
Step 2: Fill out the required information. To ensure that you receive extra credit, enter your Drexel email username when it asks for your user ID. For example, if your email address is aaa11@drexel.edu, your user ID would be aaa11. When entering your email address, please enter your Drexel University email address. Also, be sure to choose the correct course and section number that you are enrolled in for the current term. If you are enrolled in more than one course that is offering extra credit through Sona Systems, press down the “Ctrl” button and click on all courses you are enrolled in. If you need to add a course after you have created an account, please do so after logging in (steps 3 & 4). Click on “My Profile” and at the bottom of the page, you can add or remove courses.
Step 3: Check your Drexel email account and retrieve your password. Go back to the Sona Systems website listed in step 1 and login. (After logging in, you can change your password by going to “My Profile.”).
Step 4: After logging in, read through and review the IRB human subject policy for research. Note that a phone number is provided if you have any questions.
Step 5: Click on “Study Sign-Up.” Click any of these studies to read more about them. Be sure to pay attention to eligibility requirements and any sign-up deadlines that might be listed.
Step 6: If you meet all eligibility requirements, follow appropriate instructions. You may be asked to do one of the following things:
- Participate in an online study directly through Sona Systems
- Participate in an external online study in which the researcher will ask you to click on a web link that will send you to their survey outside of Sona Systems.
- Sign up for a time to meet the researcher in person to complete the study. Choose a time slot that is convenient for you, and click Sign Up. A researcher will be waiting for you so if you cannot make your appointment, please be sure to cancel it or email the research coordinator of the study to reschedule if it’s too late to cancel on the system.
- If these options are not available, call or email the researcher if you are interested in participating in their study.
**Please note that if your instructor provides you with the option of receiving extra credit by signing up for studies, you must complete studies by the end of Week 10 to ensure that you will receive credit**
Step 7: Upon completion, the researcher of the study will record your extra credit points in the system. You can track your extra credit points by clicking on the “My Studies and Credits” link on the main page. There are a few instances in which you may not see credit until after the last week of classes. You should see all credits earned in Sona Systems by the first day of Finals Week. However, if you have any questions or concerns about receiving credit for any particular study, please contact the researcher directly.
*Also please note that if you are enrolled in multiple courses, you can click on “My Schedule/Credits” and assign the extra credit points to a particular course. The same extra credit points earned cannot be assigned to multiple courses.*
Step 8: When you are done using the system, choose Log Out from the toolbar on the left side to log out. You are now logged out. It is always a good security measure to close all your browser windows as well, especially if you are using a computer that is shared by others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: There is an invitation code that is required to participate in a study. What is an invitation code? How do I get one?
A: An invitation code is set up by the researcher so that only specific invited participants can access their survey. If you are interested in one of these studies based on the description and would like to see if you might be eligible to participate, please contact the researcher directly.
Q: I forgot my password, what do I do?
A: Go to http://phillypsych.sona-systems.com and on the bottom left corner of the screen, you’ll see a link you click that says “Lost your password? Click here to retrieve it.”
Q: I am having trouble logging-in and figuring out how to use Sona Systems. Who should I contact?
A: If you have any questions or concerns regarding Sona Systems, please do not hesitate to contact phillypsych@gmail.com with your specific questions. Someone will contact you to further assist you. If your question is in regards to a specific study, please contact the researcher directly. Their contact information will be listed under the study description.
Q: It’s the end of the term and I still have not received extra credit points. I don’t think my extra credit points were added to my grade.
A: Your final extra credit points should be available to you in Sona Systems by Monday of finals week. You can check your extra credit points by logging in and clicking on “My Schedule and Credits.”If you still believe your extra credit points were not added on to your final course grade, please check to make sure that you are registered in Sona Systems under the correct course. To do so, login and click on “My Profile” at the top. At the bottom of this page, you can view which courses you signed up for on Sona Systems. If you need to update these courses, please do so in this section by clicking on the “Change Course” link at the very bottom. Be sure to hold down the “Ctrl” button to sign up for multiple courses you might be enrolled in. Email phillypsych@gmail.com to notify us of the changes you have made. We will do our best to ensure that you receive extra credit for the studies that you participated in.