Policies

Research Participation Pool

University of North Texas

Proposed Policies

RATIONALE: Psychology is a science. The principles that students learn from textbooks and in psychology courses were derived from scientific research studies. To enhance the students’ understanding of the research process in psychology, they are required to satisfy a research component as a part of General Psychology I (1630). The research component of the course will involve the participation in research-related pedagogy during the semester in which the student is enrolled in PSYC 1630.

DATES: The Research Participation Pool (RPP) will be effective for inclusive dates in each semester that it is a course requirement. No participation can begin before the start date of the semester and no credit will be given for participation after the end date of the semester. This policy is intended to allow the RPP Coordinator and associated personnel sufficient time to manage the Pool logistics at beginning and end of semesters. Participants must not participate before or after the designated dates, and Researchers must not arrange data collection sessions at any time outside of the designated dates. The inclusive dates for the RPP will be included in the syllabus of each section of the course and will be posted on the registration material and other RPP documents. Generally, participation will begin on the second Tuesday of each long semester and will end on the Wednesday of pre-finals week. Researchers must have all credits granted by that following Friday, Instructors can start to pull credit reports that Friday at 5pm, please do not pull credit reports prior to that time. It is the repsonsibility of the participant to assign credits to the courses prior to the Friday before exams so the credit reports can be pulled. For the summer session, participation will begin on the first Tuesday of the term and will end on the last Thursday of the term.

REQUIREMENTS: Students are required to earn ten (10) research credits in PSYC 1630 courses. The number of Credits may vary during summer semesters. Students may earn credit by any of the following means, in any combination: 1) The student may volunteer to serve as a research participant in an approved study being conducted by University of North Texas psychology faculty or students. The Institutional Review Board of the University of North Texas will have approved all studies offered through the RPP. Only participation in approved studies will be accepted for RPP credit. 2) The student may complete a written research summary of a published article from an approved psychology journal. All students attempting to fulfill the research component will have to register and request an account through the RPP Experiment Management System (EMS; unt.sona-systems.com).

Credits for research participation: Credits for research participation are determined by the time and effort students are asked to expend, not on the particular outcome of their participation in a study. Credits will be determined in advance by the researcher and posted for the student’s information. Only credits for which the student registers online may be used for research requirement credit. Credit will be assigned according to the following guidelines:

At least one (1) credit will be earned for each half (½) hour of participation at a single session.
If more than one session is required, the student will earn at least one (1) credit for each session.
One (1) credit can also be earned for special circumstances for any research project. Special circumstances include multi-session participation, recruitment of a cohort, activities performed outside of a formal research session, etc.

Credits for written research summaries: Four (4) credits will be earned for each satisfactorily completed article summary. You cannot receive partial credit for a completed summary. If your summary is missing information, you will receive 0 credits. Please keep this in mind and consult the instructions for writing summaries (below) when completing your research summaries.

Failure to complete requirements: Each research credit is worth 1% on your final class average. Since there are 10 required credits, completing all 10 research credits is worth 10% of your final class average.

Resolving Discrepancies: If, for some reason, there is a discrepancy between the number of credits recorded by the RPP EMS and the number of credits recorded by the student, the student should contact the RPP Coordinator as soon as possible in order to resolve the difference. The student should retain record slips from each research session in order to verify participation. Any discrepancies must be resolved before the course instructor submits grades.

Other uses of the RPP: Other courses in the department of psychology may, by the instructor’s decision, include a research requirement. These requirements may be satisfied by participation in the RPP. To do so, an instructor (in a course other than PSYC 1630) needs only to notify the RP Coordinator so that the course may be added to the EMS. The number of required credits may vary depending on the instructor, but all other requirements and policies apply to students in these courses.

The RPP may also be used as an extra credit vehicle. Instructors in courses wishing to use research participation as a means of extra credit also need to inform the RPP Coordinator at the beginning of each semester. The policies and procedures for students gaining extra credit through research participation differ from standard participation policies. The procedures and policies for extra credit participation are given in a subsequent section of this document.

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

Finding a research study in which to participate and signing-up: In order to be eligible for participation in the research studies the student must be at least 18 years old. If a student is not 18 years old, then the student must complete research summaries.

Information about opportunities to participate in research studies will be posted on the EMS website. Students must request a user account at the EMS website. Students may then logon to the website to view timeslots for available research. Information on the website will describe the research study, specify the qualifications for volunteering (such as only seniors, college athletes, etc.), the nature of the research, the number of credits offered, the approximate length of time it will take to participate, and the researcher and faculty sponsor of the research.

Once a student has decided to participate in a particular study, the student will sign-up for the study by clicking an available timeslot. An email is then sent to the student as a record of the sign-up. The researcher may either post predetermined time slots from which students may choose or may contact students with available times. Students MAY NOT sign up for a study more than once, unless the study description explicitly states they may do so. Students will NOT receive credit for redundant participation.

Notices of research opportunities will be posted during the course of the semester as the researchers become prepared to conduct the studies. Therefore, students should expect that there would be fewer offerings at the start and at the end of the semesters. If there are not enough research studies available, or research opportunities are not available when a student can participate, the student may write research summaries to earn their required credits, or propose an equivalent alternative.

Information about each current research study will be posted on the EMS website. Information for each study includes the title, time, location, number of credits offered, and researchers’ contact information. Students may consult website if they need to contact the experimenter or find when research sessions will take place.

No-Shows: If a student signs-up to participate in a study, and then fails to show up for said study, the student will receive a no-show for that session. Once a student accumulates 3 no-shows, their account will be permanently disabled. This is 3 no-shows over the length of the account, NOT per semester. When an account is permanently disabled, students may no longer use the SONA system to sign up for research studies. Any credits that have already been earned will still count, students are only banned from further use of the system. As an alternative, students may complete Research Summaries for SONA credits.

Cancellation: If it becomes necessary for the student to cancel participation because of unforeseen circumstances, the student should contact the researcher as soon as possible, so that another participant may be scheduled. Students should call or e-mail the researcher at the phone number or e-mail address posted on the website. Students also have ability to cancel a session through the EMS website. Students can review studies for which they have signed-up. Students can then cancel the session by clicking a button on this page.

Credit for participation: After participation in a study, the researcher will record the students’ credit on the EMS website. Students may check their credits against this posting and immediately report discrepancies to the RPP Coordinator. The RPP Coordinator will resolve the discrepancy by consulting the student and researchers involved. The decision of the RPP Coordinator will be final.

Complaints: In the advent that a researcher fails to attend a session, that a student believes he has been treated unfairly by a researcher, or that the participants have concerns about any aspect of research participation, the student may submit an official complaint to the RPP Coordinator. The Participant Complaint Forms are available from the RPP Coordinator or online at the psychology department webpage.Complaint forms must be submitted in original handwriting and signed by the student. In the event that a researcher is absent from a group participation session, only one student needs to submit a complaint form.

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCHERS

The following guidelines are in place to protect the rights of the participants and must be strictly followed by each researcher using the RPP. Deviations from these guidelines may result in suspension of RPP privileges for the offending researcher and/or the researcher’s supervisor. The RPP Coordinator will correct some minor violations of the guidelines. In such cases, the researcher will be notified. Repeated violations will result in written warnings to the researcher. Accumulation of warnings on the part of a researcher will result in suspension of RPP privileges. Suspension of a researcher is at the discretion of the SONA Coordinator. All researchers should be aware that participation ends on the Wednesday of pre-finals week each semester. To ensure accurate reporting of credits to instructors, researchers must have all credits granted by that Friday.

Before collecting data:

Each research study must first be approved by the IRB.
Once IRB approval is secured, the researcher must submit a copy of the approval letter to the faculty SONA advisor, Dr. Kelly (kimberly.kelly@unt.edu). When the letter and application is submitted, Dr. Kelly will assign the researcher an IRB number. The researcher will enter this number into their SONA study where it says "IRB code:" The researcher will use this number for the duration of the approval period. If the IRB protocol changes, the researcher must submit the new letter and receive a new experiment number. The experiment number is used on all SONA Forms including the SONA website.
The researcher should then contact the SONA Coordinator at untsonarep@yahoo.com to set up a researcher account if he or she does not have one already. Provide the SONA Coordinator with a username and password, and they will establish a user account with which the researcher will set up the study.
When setting up the study on the SONA website, researchers should determine how much time their study takes. Pilot testing may be needed to determine how long it takes the average participant to complete a study. Participants from the SONA may not be used for pilot testing. For each ½ hour of participation, participants are awarded one (1) credit. Researchers will report the duration of the study in SONA and will report the appropriate number of credits that will be awarded for each participant.
The researcher should include in their SONA study any restrictions to participation. Restrictions can be included in the pretest required of each participant when the participant establishes an account of the SONA website. Also, complete the Study Description page on the SONA website to advertise your study and recruit participants. No incentive statements (such as “fun experiment” or “only takes 20 minutes”) may be included in the study description.
Once the researcher has completed creating the study on the SONA website, he or she should submit the study for approval by the SONA Coordinator. The SONA Coordinator will indicate any problems that need addressing, and will then approve the study when it is ready.
At this point, the study is active and the researcher can post timeslots for participants to sign up for the study.
After timeslots are posted, the researcher should monitor the SONA website daily to determine whether you are successfully recruiting participants.

During and after the data collection session:

Researchers must give participant the informed consent form (if applicable) to sign and offer them one to keep, as well.
Researchers must retain a list of all participants.
Researchers will immediately after the study (or at the first convenient opportunity), log-on the SONA website and grant credit to the participant(s). Credits will be inspected weekly to be sure the researchers are updating the SONA records. Failure to promptly record credit is considered a violation of SONA policy.

Researcher cancellation:

If a researcher must cancel or reschedule a session, the researcher or appointed agent must notify the participant(s) as soon as possible. Notification can be completed through the SONA website. Cancellation must be made 24 hours in advance of the scheduled session. If a cancellation is made within 24 hours of the research session, participants are entitled to credit for the session.
If the cancellation is made within 24 hours of the scheduled session, the researcher or appointed agent must complete a cancellation form. This form is available from the SONA Coordinator.
The cancellation form should then be posted on the door of the room where the research session was to take place.
Students will put their names on the form as they arrive at the session. The researcher will remove the form and submit it to the SONA Coordinator. There should be enough spaces posted in order to allow each participant that signed up to put his name. The form must be collect as soon as possible.
The researcher may also want to notify the SONA Coordinator.
Researchers may also attempt to contact participants before the session to reschedule the session (if possible) instead of canceling the session.

RESEARCH PARTICIPATION COORDINATOR RESPONSIBILITIES

The SONA Coordinator is the authority for all procedures associated with research participation. The specific responsibilities of the SONA Coordinator in facilitating research participation are listed here.

Assign experiment numbers to researchers.
Maintain user accounts and study information on the SONA website .
Distribute forms to researchers and students. All SONA forms will be available in hard copy from the SONA Coordinator. In addition, all forms are available online at www.psyc.unt.edu The SONA Coordinator will maintain the website for SONA.
When a student receives a grade of ‘I’ in a course due to a failure to complete research requirement, the SONA Coordinator will supervise the completion of the grade. Once the student completes the required research credits, the SONA Coordinator will submit a grade change form to the student’s course instructor.
At the beginning of each semester, the SONA Coordinator will attend each PSYC 1630 course to inform the students of the requirements and procedures for research participation.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUMMARY OF JOURNAL ARTICLE

FOR SUMMARY DUE DATES, click here.

NOTICE: Journal article summaries must not be plagiarized. Plagiarism is a form of cheating. If a student is suspected of plagiarism, the RPP Coordinator will investigate the manner. If it is established that the student plagiarized, a penalty will be assessed according to University policy, and the Center for Students’ Rights and Responsibilities may be notified.

Materials: The student must select an article from a scholarly journal in psychology. Articles should meet the following criteria:

The articles should come from PRIMARY sources.
- An acceptable article presents original research conducted by the author(s). The article should contain all the information necessary for a reader to replicate the research (e.g. how many participants were used, the materials or apparatus used, the statistical analysis) so that the study’s scientific merit can be judged by the reader.
- Acceptable articles should NOT be a second printing of the research in a review article, a book, a text, or some other summary form (This would be termed a secondary source).
- Students must NOT use information from popular press books or magazine (NO Psychology Today articles).

The articles must have been refereed.

This means that experts in the field reviewed the article and found it to be (MOSTLY) free of false or misleading information and found the authors to have used appropriate methodological and statistical techniques, and to have drawn reasonable conclusions from the data.
The journals listed subsequently as ACCEPTABLE are refereed. If a student is unsure whether a journal is refereed, the journal should have a section entitled "Instructions to Authors" or something similar that discusses the criteria for accepting articles. It should say that the articles are refereed or reviewed. Do not use articles for which the only criterion for publication is that the author pays the journal. The student should ask instructors if you are unsure of source acceptability.

The following journals are psychological journals published in the U.S., which cover many topics within the discipline. All of them ARE acceptable sources for papers:

American Journal of Psychology, Behavior Therapy, Child Development, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Animal Behavior, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Journal of Experimental Psychology, Journal of Personality, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory/Learning, Memory, and Cognition, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Psychology, Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Journal of Social Relationships, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, Memory and Cognition, Perception and Psychophysics, Perceptual and Motor Skills, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Professional Psychology, Social Psychology Quarterly, Journal of Health Psychology.

Others may be acceptable. The student should obtain permission from the instructor or the RPP Coordinator for any journal not listed.

Writing the summary: All summaries must be typed written, be in prose (not outline form), and conform to proper grammar. Each summary should be 2-4 double-spaced pages. Use 12 point font and double spacing. The student must include a photocopy of the COMPLETE original journal article.

Each summary must include the following information:

On a cover page or in the upper right-hand corner of the first page include: Student’s name, student's email address, student’s id number, the course for which the student will get credit including the course number and section number, the day/time for the course, and the course instructor’s name. This information is required in order to record credits.
Author(s), Date, Title of Article, Journal Name, Volume, Pages
Introduction: What basic question(s) were the researchers trying to answer? What was the general problem area? Why was the study being done, or why is the study important?
Method:
- Describe the research participants.
- What task did the participants perform, or what tests did they take, or what characteristic were observed or measured?
- How were the data gathered? Naturalistic observation, participant observation, cross-sectional study, longitudinal study, survey, interview, archival, meta-analysis? (the student should include all that apply; and cite evidence to support the claim)
- If it was an experimental or quasi-experimental design:
  - Were there different groups? If so, the student should describe what distinguishes them and how participants were assigned to groups.
  - How was the independent variable manipulated? How was the dependent variable measured?
- If the article was a correlational or descriptive design:
  - What variables were measured and how were they measured?
  - Did one variable precede another in time?
Results:
- What were the results of the study? (e.g. Did any groups differ, or were variables related?). Note: Students do NOT need to provide precise statistical data; it is more appropriate to give a summary.
- Did the results support hypotheses (if any were given)?
Discussion
- How are the results important (e.g. Can they be applied to solve social or individual problems, do they change the way other studies are interpreted, do they support one theory over another, do they summarize a diverse body of literature?)
- What were any problems with the study identified? In other words, what were the limitations of the study?
- What were the author(s)' suggestions for future research?

Submitting the summaries: Summaries may be submitted at any point in the semester before the last deadline. Please refer to the handout for students on the undergraduate research page for official summary due dates. For summer semesters and other short semesters, summaries are due at 5:00 p.m. the Monday of the last week of class.

Students may submit summaries and research article directly to untsonarep@yahoo.com. If the summary is satisfactory, the student’s credits will be sent to the corresponding professor and student. The student should keep a copy of the summary until grades are received in case there is a discrepancy in the records. If a student’s summary is unsatisfactory, the student will be notified, and the student must resubmit the summary after appropriate revisions. Resubmissions are also due on given date.

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PARTICIPATION FOR COURSE EXTRA CREDIT

Students gaining course extra credit through research participation are subject to restrictions on their participation through the RPP. Likewise, the procedure for acquiring credit differs from that for students completing mandatory course requirements.

Students seeking extra credit through research participation will follow the same guidelines for signing-up as other research participants. Refer to the Guidelines for Research Participants section of this document for specific procedures.

Showing-up and participating in the study: If a student signs-up to participate in a study, the student is asked to show-up on time and be prepared to stay for the posted length of time. If the student is late (even by a few minutes), the study may have begun and the student will not be permitted to enter the experimental session. These students should notify the researcher that they are seeking extra credit so that the researcher will not include their name on the credit form. If an individual seeking extra credit becomes a chronic NO-SHOW, the RP Coordinator will approach the student’s instructors to discuss possible sanctions including exclusion from research participation. Refer to the Guidelines for Research Participants section of this document for other specific procedures.

Cancellation: Students seeking extra credit through research participation will follow the same guidelines for canceling research appointments as other research participants. Refer to the Guidelines for Research Participants section of this document for specific procedures.

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