General Psychology

Research Participation System

The Experiment Management System provides an easy method for you to sign up for studies and track your progress throughout the term. Everything is done through the software’s web-based interface (to sign up scroll to the bottom of this page), so you can access the system at any time, from any computer, with a standard web browser.

Getting Started

Near the beginning of the semester, you will receive an email (to your university email account) with your login information.  You will be assigned a default password, which you can change after your first login. Once you login, you will be asked to review and acknowledge your organization’s human subject policy for research. You may also be asked to participate in a prescreening. After you complete these tasks, you will see the Main Menu.  Your login (also known as a session) will expire after a certain period of inactivity, usually 20 minutes. This is done for security purposes. If this happens, you can always log in again.

If you would like to change your password or other information about yourself, choose My Profile from the top toolbar. If you would like to change your password, type your new password (twice, for confirmation) in the provided boxes. If you change your password, please be sure to select a password you do not use on any other systems or websites. This is good computing practice, and especially important as in some cases, your password may be sent over email. If you have forgotten or do not have your password, then you can have your password emailed to you by selecting this option on the front login page. 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.

Signing up for a Study

With the system, you may view studies and sign up for those that interest you and where you meet any special eligibility restrictions. To view a list of studies, click on Studies from the top toolbar. You will see a list of studies that includes a brief description of each study and any special requirements that may restrict your eligibility to participate in a study.  Only studies that currently have available participation times (timeslots) will appear.  Studies that do not have any upcoming timeslots or for which all timeslots are full will not be visible.  If no studies have available timeslots, you may want to logon to the system a few days later to see if new timeslots have been added.  To sign up to participate in a study, click on the study name for more information. You will see a list of any special restrictions or eligibility requirements, as well as a contact person if you have questions about the study.  Once you have determined you meet all the requirements, click on View Timeslots for This Study and you will see a list of available timeslots. Choose a timeslot that is convenient for you, and click Sign Up. After you click Sign Up, you will see information displayed confirming the time and location of the study you plan to participate in. You will receive an email confirmation as well. You are now signed up for the study.

  • Some study restrictions are automatically enforced by the system (such as studies you must not have participated in to participate in this study). If you have signed up for a study with another study listed as a disqualifier study, then you will be prevented from signing up for the other study, since it is a disqualifier for a study you are currently signed up for.
  • Some studies may have other restrictions listed as Eligibility Requirements (for example, “Left-handed people only”).  The system does not enforce these restrictions, but you should only sign up for the study if you meet this restriction. If you sign up for the study and do not meet the restrictions, you will likely not receive credit for the study, and could face a penalty.
  • Some studies are two-part studies, where you must sign up for both parts of the study at once, and the two parts must be scheduled a certain number of days apart. These studies will be clearly marked as two-part studies.
  • Some studies require a special password (known as an Invitation Code) to sign up. If this is the case, the researcher will provide eligible participants with an invitation code based on whatever criteria are relevant for that study.  Participants will need to enter an invitation code before clicking the Sign Up button for a timeslot.
  • You may see some studies that are online studies. You should read the details of these studies closely, but generally you may participate in them online. It is usually assumed you will participate in the study shortly after you sign up for it, though you have until the Participation Deadline Date to participate.  You will receive credit for completing online studies about as quickly as participation in regular studies.

 

Canceling a Sign-Up

If you need to cancel a timeslot you have signed up for, you can do this from the My Schedule and Credits option from the main page. You will see a list of all the studies you have signed up for, including those you have completed.  Studies you have signed up for, and that you are allowed to cancel, will have a Cancel button next to them. There is a time limit for when it is too late to cancel participation in a study (usually sometime within 24 hours of the study).  This restriction may be listed at the bottom of the page, or can be found by clicking on the study name and viewing the study details.  Once you click Cancel to cancel your sign-up, you will see a confirmation page. You will also be warned if your cancellation might affect your ability to participate in other studies you have signed up for, due to pre-requisite restrictions. If the cancellation will affect your ability to participate in another study you are signed up for, it is your responsibility to deal with this issue (usually by canceling the depending study as well). Click Yes to cancel your sign-up, and the sign-up will be cancelled immediately.  If you cancel the first part of a two-part study, the second part will also be cancelled. If you cancel the second part of a two-part study, the first part will not be cancelled, but you will need to ask the researcher to sign you up for the second part again, if you would like to participate in it at a later date.

Tracking Your Progress

You may track your progress at any time by choosing the My Schedule/Credits option from the top toolbar. When you view this page, you will see at the top a list of the number of credits you are required to earn, and how many you have earned so far. Below that, if you have signed up for any studies, those are listed as well. In the list of studies, you will see information about your credit status.  If you failed to appear for a study, it is possible you were assessed a penalty. That will be displayed in your progress, and the penalty (if assessed) will be deducted from your current credit earnings. It is possible you might end up with a negative value for the number of credits you have earned. Next to each credit or penalty, you can also see any comments the researcher left regarding the study and your credit for it. Non-study credit is also listed, which is usually granted for writing a research review paper.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Immediately after I login, as soon as I click on any menu option, I am taken back to the login page and I see a message that my authentication has expired. What does this mean?

Your web browser is not properly configured to accept cookies. You should turn on cookies in your web browser, use a different web browser (for example, Firefox if you are using Internet Explorer), or try a different computer. Detailed instructions can be found if you go to the site and enter the url “cookie_help.asp” in place of “default.asp” in the address bar of the browser, when you are on the front page of the site.

I participated in a study, but I have yet to receive credit. How do I receive credit?

The researcher must grant you credit. This is usually done shortly after your participation. If it has been some time and you have still not received credit, contact the researcher.

Who can see the information about my sign-ups? I don’t want everyone to know which studies I signed up for.

Only the researcher of the study may see that you have signed up for it, along with the subject pool administrator.  No other users, including other researchers or your instructor, may see this information.

I wrote a paper instead of participating in studies. How do I know I have completed my requirements?

View the My Schedule and Credits page and any non-study credit will also be listed there. See the Tracking Your Progress section of this documentation for more information.

I noticed that with some studies, I can sign up for them again even if I participated before, while others don’t allow for this. Why is this?

Researchers can choose if their studies allow you to participate more than once. Not all studies allow you to participate more than once.

I attempted to sign up for a study, and I was prevented from doing so because the study I was trying to sign up for is a disqualifier for another study I am scheduled to participate in. Why is this?

If you have signed up for a study that has disqualifiers (studies you must not have participated in to participate in that study), you may not then sign up for the studies that are listed as the disqualifier studies. You are allowed to sign up for the disqualifier studies if the disqualifier study will take place after the study with disqualifiers, or if you have already participated in (and received credit for) the study with disqualifiers. The easiest way to sign up for both studies is to schedule the disqualifier study at a time later than the study with disqualifiers.