SONA Tutorial - Researcher Studies

>> Hello, and welcome.

Thank you for viewing the SONA Systems
tutorial intended for researchers.

>> This tutorial will teach
researchers five primary things.

First, how to list a study in the SONA System.

Second, how to create time
slots in the SONA System.

Third, how to communicate with
participants to the SONA System.

Fourth, how to cancel appointments
in the SONA System.

And fifth, how to manage
attendance within the SONA System.

To create a study within the SONA System,
log on to your SONA researcher account.

Once logged in, click Add
New Study from your homepage.

Here, you will need to fill
out the following information.

The type of study being conducted, the
number of SONA credits being assigned

for any alternative payment options, if your
study will be conducted in person or online,

how many sessions are required of
your study, the name of your study,

a description of your study, a description
of eligibility requirements, and finally,

your IRB approval number and expiration date.

All of this information helps inform
students about your study and understand

if they are eligible for participation.

To manage time slots within the SONA System,
log onto your SONA researcher account.

Once logged in, click View, Add, or
Edit time slots from your homepage.

Find the study which you would like to make
changes to and select time slots found directly

on the right-hand side of your study.

To add a time slot, select Add a Time slot.

When adding a time slot, be sure to list
the date of your study, the start time,

the number of participants,
and the location of your study.

Please note that you will only be
allowed to use locations assigned

to the lab you're currently working under.

To edit a time slot that you've already created,

scroll down to the time slot you
would like to edit and select Modify.

Here, you will be able to change
information according to your needs.

To delete a time slot, note that no
participants can currently be signed up for

that time slot when attempting deletion.

If participants are currently signed up for
a time, you must contact the participant

and ask them to withdraw from the time
slot before you're able to delete it.

Once the time slot has no enrolled
students, delete the time slot by scrolling

down to the time slot you would
like to delete and select Modify.

Here, there will be a green
button titled Delete.

SONA will ask for a confirmation
when deleting time slots.

If you are certain you would like to delete
the time slot, select Delete Again to confirm.

To attempt contact with your participants,
starting from your homepage, click View, Edit,

or Add time slots, and select
the appropriate study.

Scroll down and click View, Administer
time slots on the left-hand side.

From here, select the time and date
which the participant will be attending.

To enter the messaging board,
click Contact All Participants.

This will allow you to send a one-way
message to the participant via email.

Please note that this message is one way so
there will be no way to establish direct contact

with the participant unless the student chooses

to email you using the email address
posted in your SONA researcher profile.

When canceling appointments, if you're
canceling 24 hours or more in advance,

you should do so within the SONA System.

Go to the Study sign in page and click Cancel.

If you're canceling less than 24 hours before
the study appointment, the student is entitled

to receive full SONA credit
associated with that session.

After officially canceling the session, award
credit to the participant on SONA and email them

to notify them of the cancelation.

If you did not hear confirmation from
the student, it would also be courteous

to leave a note on your lab door
on the day of the appointment.

Know that the student will not be able
to complete your study at a later date

because the SONA System will recognize
them as having previously participated.

If this is a multi-session study,
credit only needs to be awarded

for the first session and
not subsequent sessions.

Once your scheduled session has happened, you
will need to log attendance for all students

who are signed up for the session.

This includes granting credit
for those who attended,

and marking absent, those who did not attend.

To do this, start from your
homepage in the SONA System.

Click View, Edit, or Add time slots,
and select the appropriate study.

Scroll down and click View, Administer
time slots on the left-hand side.

From here, select the time and date
which the participant will be attending.

You have three option for attendance,
Participated, Excused, and Unexcused.

These distinctions are important because
the student will receive a warning

for each unexcused absence they incur.

Log a student as "Participated" if
they were on time for the study,

completed all study requirements, and
met all expectations of the study.

Log a student as "Excused" if they
were not on time to the study,

and were not able to participate, but did
show up, were not able to complete the study

or all study requirements, were not able
to meet all expectations of the study,

or contact the researcher after the study with
a legitimate excuse or reasonable explanation

that the researcher finds
fit for excusing the absence.

Log a student as "Unexcused" or "No
Show" if they did not attend the study

with no warning ahead of time,
did not cancel their appointment

within the 24-hour period prior to
the study, or contacted the researcher

after missing the study, but
did not provide justification

that the researcher finds
legitimate for excusing the absence.

All attendance decisions are at the
discretion of the researcher for the study.

Students who contact the SONA administrator

about attendance will be
directed to the study researcher.

Once you have selected the
participant's attendance status,

click Update sign-ups to confirm.

If you find the student is having
difficulty signing up for your study,

it is likely due to the requirements
set in the study description.

Most reasons why a student can't
sign up for your study has to do

with the criteria set up in the Study Info page.

Go there to review the requirements first.

A few common things to double-check
include the following,

has the student already completed your study?

Has the student done any of the
disqualifying studies proceeding to your study?

Has the student met all eligibility
requirements for your study?

Are there any other criteria that
qualify or disqualifies a student

from participating that may be occurring?

This concludes the research or
study training in the SONA System.

For any questions not answered by this video,

please check our FAQ sheet first
posted in the department website.

If you still have any questions
after reviewing the FAQ sheet,

you can contact the SONA administrator at --

>> [e-mail].

>> Thank you for watching.