Study Participation

Your Rights as a Participant

Participating in a research study is always voluntary. Researchers typically provide a written or verbal description of the procedure, along with any risks and/or benefits associated with participation, so that you can decide whether to give "informed consent." If you do volunteer to participate, but change your mind for any reason, you can withdraw at any time without penalty.

If you would prefer not to participate in research studies, you can earn PRePP credit by submitting alternative equitable assignments instead. Please click the tab at the top of this page for more information.

Browsing and Signing Up for Available Studies

To browse studies, sign up to participate, manage your scheduled sessions, and track your credits throughout the semester, please go to the PRePP website and follow the instructions below.

• Under "Study Sign-Up," click "View Available Studies." A variety of studies will be posted at different times throughout the semester. New ones are sometimes announced in class or by email. If no studies are currently listed, please check again later.

• Click the name of a study to view more detail. To sign up for it, click "View Time Slots for This Study" and select a time that fits your schedule.

• Under "Course to Credit" you should see the course(s) that you identified when you set up your PRePP account for the current semester. You're responsible for indicating which one is to be credited for your participation in the selected study.

• Click "Sign Up." If it's an online study, you'll receive further instructions. If it's an in-person study, you'll receive a confirmation of your scheduled session including the time and place. Please update your calendar accordingly. Research sessions usually follow a tight schedule. If you don't arrive right on time, your session might be canceled to maintain the schedule for other participants (and you won't earn course credit).

Managing Scheduled Sessions

For a list of your scheduled sessions, look under "My Schedule & Credits" and click "View or cancel my study appointments."

To cancel a scheduled session, click the "Cancel" link next to it. Sessions can't be canceled too close to the scheduled time. If there's no "Cancel" link, the session is reserved in your name and can't be changed.

Please attend your scheduled sessions! If you miss one, you won't earn credit for it, and other students won't be able to sign up for it.

If you arrive at a scheduled session on time but the researcher isn't there to greet you, please wait at least 10 minutes. They might be completing an earlier session. If there's still no one to greet you, feel free to leave. You can email the PRePP coordinator (megan.mccarty@simmons.edu) to report your name, the title of the study, and the date and time of your scheduled session.

Tracking Your Credits

Visit the PRePP website for a summary of your earned, pending, and required credits.

Sometimes it takes a few days for researchers to post credits for completed sessions. If you're concerned about a missing credit, please email the PRePP coordinator (megan.mccarty@simmons.edu).