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PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH ASSISTANT

HANDBOOK

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

FACULTY OF ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

FRANKI KUNG

CLAUDIA LABAHN

BO-YEE LAM

ROBIN LEUNG

TRUDIE TONG

© COPYRIGHT BY FRANKI KUNG OR AS CREDITED 2014

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

WATERLOO, ONTARIO

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PREFACE

Every term, researchers in the Department of Psychology hire new research assistants (RAs) to be a part

of their research groups. With the lack of a formal RA training program, research supervisors have had

to create their own individual training protocols and personally administer training sessions to their new

RAs at every term. With each supervisor having their own training protocols, there has been a lack of

information sharing, uniform understanding and systematic training for RAs in the department about

the general duties and expectations of being an RA. Supervisors must also spend a considerable amount

of time administering the same training to new RAs each term.

As a response to these issues, we have developed this RA handbook and an accompanying training

workshop to provide a clear and standardized instruction of the general tasks most RAs face in their

role. Workshops are run by one graduate student instructor each term, thereby alleviating the

redundancy of having each researcher provide general training themselves.

With the implementation of our training program, we are hoping to improve work efficiency and

productivity among researchers in the department as well as provide a more comprehensive and well-

rounded learning experience for newly-hired RAs.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We wish to thank numerous members of the Department of Psychology for their contribution to this

project. First, we want to express our deep gratitude to the Graduate Student Advisory Team – Justin

Brienza, Jeff Hughes, Yourie Kim, Jane Klinger, and Kevin Leung. This handbook and other training

materials could not have been completed without their thoughtful and valuable suggestions, thorough

editing and continuous encouragement throughout the handbook development process.

We would like to thank Michelle Manios, our REG coordinator, and Bill Eickmeier, our computer

systems manager, for their generous assistance and advice in refining the materials. We would also like

to thank Dr. Colin MacLeod, our department chair, for his support and constructive recommendations in

putting forward this project.

A special thank you to Alistair Kim for designing an incredible handbook cover and to Amrita-V

Mohammed for her assistance in formatting the content.

Last but not least, we would like to thank the Graduate Student Endowment Fund for supporting our

vision financially.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

General Orientation What to Expect 1

What is Expected of You 2

Other Tips from Senior RAs 3

Completing the Core TCPS Tutorial Certificate 3

Lab Keys 4

Room Equipment and Booking 4

Psychology IT Support 6

Printing 6

Photocopying 7

Pay Roll Information 7

SONA Guide for RAs Introduction to SONA 8

Logging In 8

Announcements 8

Important Details 8

Log In Area 8

First Log In 9

Features 10

How to Create/Edit Timeslots 11

Cancellations 14

Manual Sign-Up 17

Meeting Participants for a Lab Study 17

Granting Credits 19

Marking No-Shows 19

End of Term Maintenance 20

Important Things to Remember 20

General Lab Study Protocol Overview of Running a Study 21

Research Integrity 21

Ethics 21

Preparing for a Study 21

Running Studies 22

Consent Letter 22

Debriefing 22

Paid Studies 23

Important Things to Remember 23

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Qualtrics Guide for First-Time Users Logging In 24

Online Tutorials 24

Top 10 Functions You Need to Know Before Creating Your First Survey 24

Tips for Other Survey Options 32

Other Contact Information Department Staff Contacts 33

Contacts for Posting Posters 33

Display Booth Booking Procedure 34

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GENERAL ORIENTATION

What to Expect Research Assistants (RAs) are involved in a variety of administrative and research-related activities that

help carry out studies in the Psychology Department. Although most RA positions are voluntary, the

research experience you will gain is invaluable: you will develop new skills and discover your interests and

potential for doing research. You will also have an opportunity to network with faculty members who could

be potential supervisors for thesis projects or for full-time research positions, or be referees for

recommendation letters. Depending on the lab you join, you may assist psychologists with diverse research methods from surveys to

experimental laboratory studies. You may also help prepare findings for publication and assist in laboratory

analysis, quality control, or data management. Typical tasks may involve:

1. Research studies Participant pool management – using SONA, Qualtrics, etc.

Pre-study preparation – photocopying, printing, filing, setting up studies in Qualtrics

Conducting experiments – running studies or acting as a confederate

Data Management – data entry, data cleaning, coding, data analysis

2. Literature reviews

Conducting literature searches

Preparing reference lists

3. Recruiting participants

Posting study advertisements

Making phone calls

Contacting companies or organizations

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What is Expected of You The following table summarizes the duties of an RA as well as the skills and styles of thinking and working

that are required. For more detailed information, you can visit the following website:

http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/19-4061.00

WORK ACTIVITIES SKILLS WORK STYLES Analyzing Data or Information —

Identifying the underlying principles and

reasons by breaking down information

or data into separate parts.

Active Listening — Paying

attention to and understanding

what people are saying, asking

questions as appropriate, and not

interrupting at inappropriate

times.

Integrity —Being honest and

ethical.

Processing Information — Compiling,

coding, categorizing, calculating,

tabulating, auditing, or verifying

information or data.

Reading Comprehension —

Understanding written sentences

and paragraphs in work-related

documents.

Attention to Detail —Being

careful about detail and thorough

in completing work tasks.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers,

or Subordinates — Providing

information in written form, e-mail, or in

person.

Complex Problem Solving —

Identifying problems and

reviewing information to develop

options and implement solutions.

Analytical Thinking —Analyzing

information and using logic to

address work-related issues and

problems.

Getting Information — Observing,

receiving, and otherwise obtaining

information from all relevant sources.

Critical Thinking — Using logic

and reasoning to identify the

strengths and weaknesses of

alternative solutions, conclusions

or approaches to problems.

Dependability — Being reliable,

responsible, and dependable, and

fulfilling obligations.

Interacting With Computers — Using

computers (including hardware and

software) to program, write software,

set up functions, enter data, or process

information.

Writing — Communicating

effectively in writing as

appropriate for the needs of the

audience.

Independence —Developing one's

own ways of doing things, guiding

oneself with little or no

supervision and depending on

oneself to get things done.

Documenting/Recording Information —

Entering, transcribing, recording, storing,

or maintaining information in written or

electronic/magnetic form.

Speaking — Talking to others to

convey information clearly and

effectively.

Adaptability/Flexibility — Being

open to change (positive or

negative) and to manage

accidents and uncertainty at work

Interpreting the Meaning of

Information for Others — Translating or

explaining what information means and

how it can be used.

Active Learning — Understanding

the implications of new

information for both current and

future problem-solving and

decision-making.

Cooperation — Job requires being

pleasant with others on the job

and displaying a good-natured and

cooperative attitude.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and

Events — Identifying information by

categorizing, estimating, recognizing

differences or similarities, and detecting

changes in circumstances or events.

Judgment and Decision Making —

Considering the relative costs and

benefits of potential actions to

choose the most appropriate one.

Initiative — Job requires a

willingness to take on

responsibilities and challenges.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing

Work — Developing specific goals and

plans to prioritize, organize, and

accomplish your work.

Mathematics — Using

mathematics to solve problems.

Persistence — Job requires

persistence in the face of

obstacles.

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Other Tips from Senior RAs The following are some pointers on how to get the most of your RA position:

1. Communicate well and be responsive

Check emails daily and respond accordingly

Reply using the same email thread for related issues

Report to your supervisor on work progress and updates regularly

When in doubt, ask for clarification

2. Be organized, self-disciplined, and prepared

Master the tasks you are working on

Organize your work so you are ready to report your progress at any time

Make sure to put all materials back where they belong

3. Be proactive, learning-oriented, and motivated

Think, give suggestions, and share ideas

Treat every task as a chance to learn something new and practice your skills

Seek opportunities to learn

4. Be conscientious and considerate

Always use your UW email when corresponding about work and especially to staff because

they could then easily identify you by your UW userID.

Turn off the lights and electronics when leaving the lab

Make sure to lock the doors at all times when leaving the lab (even for a quick washroom

break)

Meet deadlines

Arrive early and start experiments on time

Completing the TCPS 2 CORE Tutorial All researchers in Canada running studies with human participants have a standardized code of ethics. You

must complete the ethics training tutorial before running any experiments. If you have not already done so,

take some time to go through it and obtain the online certificate. This animated training takes

approximately 2 hours. Upon receiving the training, make sure to send the certificate of completion to the

RA workshop trainer or your supervisor to obtain a SONA RA account.

Link to the TCPS 2 Core Tutorial: http://pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/education/tutorial-didacticiel/

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Lab Keys When requesting for keys, provide the following information to your lab manager or supervisor:

Full name (as appears on Quest)

UW student ID

UW email address

1. You will be notified to stop by the office of Mare Appleby (the Administrative Assistant) at PAS

3020 to sign a form to receive a key permit.

2. Take this permit over to Key Control which is located in the General Services Complex (GSC)

near the Davis Centre – see map below:

You are responsible for keeping track of the expiry date of your key permit and returning your keys to the

Administrative Assistant when you are finished working for the lab. If you need to extend your key permit,

let your supervisor or lab manager know.

Room and Equipment Booking Each lab has their booking procedures for their own rooms/equipment: make sure to ask your supervisor

how it is done for your lab.

Some general points:

Verify that the room is empty at the time of the booking and book the room accordingly

Should there be multiple researchers using the same room for testing, or using the same

lab equipment, discuss with the other researchers about sharing, and come up with a plan

to coordinate bookings

Be considerate and do not pre-book excessively

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For booking other rooms in PAS or Arts buildings for research/lab meeting purposes

In order to book a room in PAS, you need to provide the following information and email it to Katy McEwen

at katy.mcewen@uwaterloo.ca or at PAS 3027:

Room Booking Request

Course/Event: _____________

Name/Lab: _____________

Date(s): _____________

Begin/End: _____________

No. of seats: _____________

Flexible with Date and Time: Y / N

Building: _____________

Projector in room: Y / N

Portable project needed: Y / N

Laptop needed: Y / N

Psychology IT Support and Requests Any IT requests (e.g., software requests/issues or hardware issues) can be sent to the Psychology IT

Request Tracker queue at PsychIT@uwaterloo.ca.

If you require further assistance, e-mail Bill Eickmeier (PAS 4008), at bee@uwaterloo.ca, Michael Wagoner

(PAS 4006) at mwagoner@uwaterloo.ca or Prath Balasingam (PAS 3030) at pbalasin@uwaterloo.ca.

Printing By default, when your Nexus account is created (the account to log in to school computers), you will have

access to a printer called q_arts which is down in the ACO area (PAS 1099) – there is a real money charge to

print to the q_arts printer.

Add a printer

Do not use the "Add Printer" wizard. Simply do the following while logged into a Nexus station in Psych:

1. Double-click on the "Psych Shortcuts" icon/folder on your desktop

2. Double-click "Printer Setups"

3. Double-click on the printer you would like to install

The printer name is usually on a yellow sticky on the top of the printer.

You can specify your default printer by going into 'Start/Devices and Printers', right-clicking on the

printer name and selecting 'Set as Default Printer'.

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If it asks you for a password at any point, when specifying your user ID, enter 'nexus\YOURUSERID' (all

lowercase) along with your Nexus password. Please ensure that you don't try to set up a printer using the

'Add Printer' wizard in Win7 as this may result in the printer being accessed with different drivers and

leaving it in a bad state due to "driver wars".

If you have problems printing

Computer related notices are in the top-right corner of the beeHive (http://beehive.uwaterloo.ca/). Check

there first if you have any printing or computer issues.

First ensure it is not a problem with the printer itself - turn the printer off, wait about 40 seconds, and turn

it on again. If the printer still does not work, try removing and re-adding the printer:

1. To delete a printer, from the Start Menu, select "Start / Printers and Faxes" and then right-click

on the printer you want to remove and select "Delete"

2. To add a printer, double-click on the "Psych Shortcuts" (on your desktop), then double-click

'Printer Setups' and finally double-click on the printer you would like to install. DO NOT use the

"Add Printer" wizard as you would for a home printer

a. If you want to change your default printer, go into 'Start/Devices and Printers', right-

click on the printer name and select 'Set as Default Printer'

Only faculty, staff, grads, RAs, or others associated with a group in Psychology will be able to browse the

"Psych Shortcuts" folder. If you suspect you are not part of an existing Psychology group, ensure that your

supervisor has sent your UW userID and full name to the Psychology IT Request Tracker at

PsychIT@uwaterloo.ca. The lab printers are for research purposes only. Please do not print any of your

personal course materials.

For information on how you can save files and how to recover things from backups, you may also refer to

the "Psych Nexus Notes" link on the beeHive (http://beehive.uwaterloo.ca/nexus/usernotes.html). You

can check the top-right corner for any computer-related notices. Also, please remember to leave the

computers on 24/7 and logout each night before you leave as nightly updates and backups must be carried

out.

Large amounts of printing

For large amounts of printing, for example consent forms, feedback letters, etc., contact Support Service

Assistant, Helen Simon (PAS 3017) at hsimon@uwaterloo.ca. Make sure to specify the specifics for

printing; for example:

“We would like to have everything printed by May 27th (Tue).

7 pages, 150 copes in total, single-sided, black & white, each copy collated & stapled”

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Photocopying There is a photocopier located on the 3rd floor (PAS 3023). You will need to enter your UW username, as

well as an access code and a password. Please ask your supervisor for these codes when needed.

Payroll Information (for Paid RA) Instructions for registering with Human Resources:

Go to the UW HR website for general information - https://uwaterloo.ca/human-resources/

1. Click on ‘Pay Administration’

2. Click on ‘Payroll Forms’:

https://uwaterloo.ca/human-resources/pay-administration/payroll-forms

3. Print and complete the following:

a. Casual new hire form

b. Direct deposit form

c. Federal TD1 form

d. Ontario TD1 form

Then attach a 'void' personal cheque and leave the forms with Katy McEwen (PAS 3027), the Research

Finance Coordinator.

The forms will be processed with Human Resources, and they will set you up on the payroll system and

issue you a Payroll ID# (process takes 2-3 days). You are responsible to look up your Payroll ID# by logging

on to myHRinfo (using your user ID and password). This # must be entered on future Casual Pay Request

Forms.

Submitting Casual Pay Request Forms

1. Check with your supervisor (graduate student or supervising faculty) regarding tracking hours

2. Print and complete Casual Payment Form (follow above instructions to find forms)

3. Once you have your Payroll ID#, you do not need to fill out your SIN and banking information

on these forms

4. Fill in the Dates, Department, Payroll ID#, Name, Dates Worked, Description of Work, Rate of

Pay, Number of hours Worked, and Gross amount

5. Your Faculty Supervisor must complete the Accounting Flexfield and sign the Authorization

portion of the form

6. Bring the completed form to the Research Finance Coordinator (PAS 3027)

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SONA GUIDE FOR RAS

Introduction to SONA SONA is the software researchers use to manage students signing up for studies for participation credits

towards their course grades. As an RA, you will likely be using this website to create and manage timeslots

for studies.

SONA website for the University of Waterloo: https://uwaterloo.sona-systems.com/

Important: Send your TCPS 2: CORE tutorial certificate to your trainer (i.e. your supervisor or the RA

training workshop instructor). Your trainer (not the RA) will contact Michelle Manios (PAS 3006), the REG

coordinator, with the certificate attached when requesting SONA account for you after the training.

Logging In The SONA log-in page has three parts:

Announcements

Important Dates

Log-in Area

Announcements Announcements should be checked on every login. There are different types of announcements, such as

announcements for participants, researchers, or RAs. Action must be taken if it is relevant to you.

Important Dates Important dates are listed as they occur throughout the term. Meeting dates and other notes will be listed

here as well. It is important that you take note of these dates. Here is a guideline of the important dates

pertaining to SONA:

SONA opens, Phase 1 (Prescreen & Mass Testing) – 8:30am, first day of lectures

SONA opens, Phase 2 (Credit & Pay Studies) – 10 days later

SONA closes (Credit & Pay Studies) – Midnight, last day of lectures

Log-In Area The log-in area is where you will input your User ID and password to gain access to the SONA system.

For graduate students, faculty, and staffFor all users (Graduate students, faculty,

undergraduate students, staff):

Quest User ID

E.g., j2smith

For undergraduate students:

researcher) you would like to use for that login session. The “role” will be listed in the top right corner of

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every page after you have successfully logged in for that session. To change “roles” you must log out and

log in again.

First Log-In When you first log in, you will see the Human Subject and Privacy Policy Notice. Read through this and, only

after completing your TCPS 2: CORE tutorial, you can acknowledge the policies at the bottom of the page.

After your first log-in, you MUST change your password using the temporary password provided in the e-

mail with your SONA researcher account information from REG admin. To do this, click “My Profile” on the

home screen or at the top of the page. You will then see this page:

Note: Make sure the alternate e-mail address is your uwaterloo.ca e-mail address. ORE requires only the

uwaterloo.ca address on SONA.

Use this form to

change your

password. Then

click “Update” at

the bottom of the

page.

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Features of SONA

There are many features on SONA. Here is a quick summary:

My Studies – Shows all the studies associated with your account (only APPROVED and ACTIVE studies are

visible to participants. If your study is NOT APPROVED or INACTIVE, advise your researcher.)

All Studies – Displays all currently active studies (including studies with other researchers)

Add New Study – Only used by researchers

Prescreen Results – Only useful for researchers

My Profile – To change your password, lab room, or phone number

Frequently Asked Questions – Researchers and research assistants

You can quickly access these features either from the home page or at the top menu bar of every page.

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How to Create/Edit Timeslots

For LAB studies:

You have two options: 1. Create multiple consecutive timeslots, or 2. Copy timeslots from one week to

another.

1. Create multiple consecutive timeslots

a. Click on “My Studies” from either the home page or the top menu bar

b. Find the active and approved study you would like to create timeslots for and click on

“Timeslots”

or use the “Study Menu” drop down list and select “View/Administer Time Slots”

c. At

the

upper

right

side of

the

page,

click

“Add

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Multiple Timeslots”

d. Fill out the following form:

i. Number of Timeslots – This is the number of consecutive timeslots to be posted

ii. Date – Day of the timeslots to occur

iii. Start Time – The time the first timeslot is to occur

iv. Free Time between Slots – If needed, you can add free time between timeslots

(Therefore a timeslot duration = study duration +/- free time)

v. Number of Participants – Maximum number of participants for each timeslot

vi. Location – Where the participant meets the researcher/RA. It is important to see

FAQ #1 for the approved location text. This can be accessed from the top menu bar

under “FAQ”

vii. Researcher – Name of the researcher/RA running the session. The researcher for

each timeslot can be updated later

e. Click “Add>>”

i. Click “Add Selected Time slots”

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2. Copy timeslots from one week to another

a. Click on “My Studies” from either the Home page or the top menu bar

b. Find the active and approved study you would like to create timeslots for and click on

“Timeslots”

c. At the upper right side of the page, click “Add Multiple Timeslots”

d. Scroll to the bottom of the page, until you see this:

e. Make your selections on which week to copy to and from

f. Click “Add>>”

g. All timeslots are shown, not just your own. So in “Add this study?”, click “No” to all

timeslots but your own

For ONLINE studies:

a. Click on “My Studies” from either the Home page or the top menu bar.

b. Find the active and approved study you would like to create timeslots for and click on

“Timeslots”

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c. At the upper right side of the page, click “Add a Timeslot”

d. Create a timeslot for multiple participant sign-ups and set the final participation date

(the deadline to complete the online study)

Note: There are two different deadlines for credit and paid studies at the end of the term, and usually the

deadline for credit studies comes earlier. Make sure you do not book credit timeslots after the credit study

deadline (5 pm on the last day).

Cancellations If at all possible, avoid cancelling timeslots! Alternatives to cancelling timeslots can be to find another RA to

run your timeslot and contacting the participant earlier to reschedule their timeslot. Below are instructions

on how to cancel a timeslot depending on whether participant(s) already signed up.

Empty timeslots

If the timeslot is empty, with no participant signed up, you can cancel the timeslot by following these steps:

a. Click on “My Studies” from either the Home page or the top menu bar

b. Click on “Timeslots” under the study that the timeslot being cancelled is for

c. Click on “Modify” for the specific timeslot to be cancelled

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d. Click on “Delete” and confirm the deletion when SONA prompts you to do so

Participant has signed up

If the participant has signed up but cancels…

1. …more than 24 business hours before the timeslot is to occur:

a. Click on “My Studies” from either the Home page or the top bar

b. Click on “Timeslots” under the study that the timeslot to be cancelled is for

c. Click on “Modify” for the specific timeslot to be cancelled

d. Click on “Cancel”.

e. You MUST enter a message to participant. This is MANDATORY

i. Explain, apologize, offer help in rescheduling if needed.

2. …less than 24 business hours before the timeslot is to occur:

Note: This is to be followed only as a last resort and you will have to grant the participant

credits. The best solution is to find another researcher to run the study instead

a. Click on “My Studies” from either the Home page or the top bar

b. Click on “Timeslots” under the study

c. Click on “Modify” for the specific timeslot

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d. Click on “Contact” for the participant signed up.

e. Click “Participated” to grant full credit for the study

f. In the comments, write “Study cancelled, credit granted”

g. Explain, apologize, and notify that the credit will be granted

Exceptions

There are certain exceptions to cancellations (if there are, your supervisor will let you know), such as dyadic

studies, where you only have one participant signed up and you need two participants to run the study. In

this case, try to contact the participant ahead of time to reschedule them. If the participant agrees to be

rescheduled, you do not need to grant the credit even though it is done less than 24 business hours ahead.

Make sure you still enter a message to the participant saying “Rescheduled – (New Date and Time)”. When

in doubt, always write a message to the participant and add a comment. REG admin reads these messages

and this will properly communicate to the REG admin what you are doing.

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Manual Sign-Up This is for rescheduling or creating timeslots to accommodate participants’ special requests, etc.

Participants may request a day/time that is not offered in the current timeslots, or you may need to

reschedule someone who you cancelled, or replace the “registration” timeslot with the actual timeslot, etc.

Manual sign-up allows you to create a timeslot and help a participant sign-up for it, to prevent someone

else from signing up for it.

To do this:

a. Create the timeslot following the steps from “How to Create/Edit Timeslots”

b. Click on “Modify” for the specific timeslot to manually sign-up a participant

c. Scroll down to “Manual Sign-Ups”

i. For the “Username” option, enter participant’s Quest User ID

ii. For “ID Code” option, enter participant’s Sona ID (6-digit number)

Note: Very few participants know their Sona ID. It is different from their regular

student ID (8-digits)

Meeting Participants for Lab Study Go to the designated location, waiting area/lab room, on time.

If the participant is there, confirm their identity on SONA by:

a. Confirming their SONA ID number

b. Or confirm other contact information (click “Modify”, then “View Prescreen” on SONA)

such as:

i. Name

ii. Phone number

iii. E-mail

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Note: If the participant does not match the information that you tried to confirm, do NOT run your study

with them. They are not your participant and another researcher should be expecting them. If they have

been waiting for more than 10 minutes, try and help them find their study by:

i. Letting them log into their SONA account in your lab

ii. Send them to see REG Coordinator (PAS 3006)

iii. Ask them to complete a “Researcher Not Found” form

If the participant is less than 10 minutes late, you must either:

Do the above, run the participant and grant full credit or

Do the above, dismiss the participant and grant full credit (e.g., if your study does not allow

participants to be 10 minutes late)

If a participant arrives more than 10 minutes late, see marking no shows (on p.19).

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Granting Credits You must grant credits on the day of participation.

Full Credits

Full credits are granted on one of two conditions:

1. Upon completion of the study

2. Upon withdrawal from the study

If participants start the study and after a while say the study/task/topic is bothering them,

upsetting them, or is too difficult for them, they are allowed to withdraw and receive full

credits (unless the study is approved for a pro-rating system, see below)

With withdrawals, participants must do more than just show up and sign the consent form.

They must have demonstrated some attempt to do the study. If they say they are tired or

unwell, ask them to reschedule

Pro-rated Credits

Upon approval from the ethics committee, some studies have a pro-rating system in which participants will

get the amount of credit based on how much time or the number of tasks they have completed. Check with

your supervisor about it before giving pro-rated credits.

Partial Credits

If a study runs over time for any reason, grant 0.5 extra credits. Reasons can be that the participant arrives

on time, but the lab/program/RA is not ready to start, or that the participant takes longer than the posted

time to complete the tasks.

Marking No-Shows If a participant arrives more than 10 minutes late, and you could not run them OR they contacted you later:

a. Click “Modify” for the timeslot

b. Select “Excused” under “No-Show” column (at least they eventually showed up)

c. Add in a comment “Arrived too late to participate”

d. Click “Update Sign-Ups”

If a participant arrives more than 10 minutes late (without contacting you) or not at all:

a. Click “Modify” for the timeslot

b. Select “Unexcused” under “No-Show” column

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c. Click “Update Sign-Ups”

d.

Note: If a participant contacts you to explain/apologize within 24 hours, you may (if you wish) excuse their

no-show. After 3 “Unexcused No-Shows”, SONA will deny the participant access to studies; however,

“Excused No-Shows” do not count. REG Coordinator will track participants who are taking advantage and

will shut them down.

End-of-Term Maintenance Before SONA closes, for both Credit and Pay studies:

All LAB and ONLINE timeslots must be closed out

Notify REG Coordinator if you are finished with your RA account, or anytime you change/

add labs

If you intend to continue RA work, keep your account active

Important Things to Remember Check the front page of SONA frequently for announcements and act upon them if required

Proper format of the location for the study

Grant credits within 24 hours upon study completion

Avoid last minute cancellations

Participants have until 9pm on the previous business day to cancel their timeslots

themselves

Check FAQ page (accessed on the home page or top menu bar) if unsure of

cancellation policies

Formatted: Centered

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GENERAL LAB STUDY PROTOCOL

The following are the various guidelines you must follow when running a study as an RA. Remember,

however, that these steps are general in nature and that your supervisor will give you more specific

instructions.

Overview of Running a Study 1. Prepare materials and check for sign-ups

2. Greet the participant politely

3. Go over the consent letter

4. Begin with the study

5. Debrief the participant when study is completed (*you may need to also collect debriefing

consent if it is a deception study)

6. Clean up the lab

Research Integrity Remember that information gathered in studies in any form is to be kept confidential between researchers

and the participant. The general principles of integrity include: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and

responsibility. According to Waterloo research ethics, the below are considered research misconduct:

False recording

Manipulation of reporting of information

Unauthorized use of confidential research results of others

For more information, visit: https://uwaterloo.ca/research/office-research-ethics

Ethics Research conducted in the Department of Psychology follows the ethical guidelines set out in the Tri-

Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans 2nd edition (TCPS 2), and the

University of Waterloo’s Statement on Human Research and its Guidelines for Research with Human

Participants. As mentioned before, access to SONA is contingent upon completion of the CORE tutorial.

For more information, check out the REG ethics guideline: https://uwaterloo.ca/research-experiences-

group/researchers/reg-ethics-guidelines

RAs will be dealing with confidential information. For specific guidelines, you can visit the following links

about information security and confidentiality:

https://uwaterloo.ca/information-systems-technology/about/policies-standards-and-

guidelines/security/information-security-research

https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat-general-counsel/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-8

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Preparing for the Study 1. The night before or morning of you should check SONA for any possible timeslots for that day.

Unless you, or the researcher, have changed the sign-up time yourself, participants have to

have signed up by 9pm the night before

Note: As an alternative, some studies are set up to give you e-mail notifications whenever

there is a sign-up or cancellation. Ask your supervisor if this would be a useful method for you

2. Next, you will want to make sure you have the needed materials, for example, consent letters,

debriefing letters, receipts, and any extra materials necessary for the study you are running

3. It is best if you come to the lab 10-15 minutes before to prepare the room. This is to ensure

that everything is set up and you are not wasting yours’ or the participants’ time

4. Last step for preparation is to make sure you check SONA to find out who is signed up for your

study, which is mentioned in the SONA section

Running the Study This is only a general procedure. For actual procedures pertaining to a specific study, your supervisor will

give you more instructions.

Go to your waiting area (see procedures above regarding “Meeting participants for lab

study” on p. 17)

If they are not there immediately, this is pretty common. You have to wait at least 10

minutes before granting them an “Unexcused No-Show”. Check at the scheduled time and

if they are not there, come back in a few minutes and stay in the waiting room

Bring them to your room and remember that these are people, not objects, so treat them

as such

Consent Letters Once the participant is in your lab, you must have them read the consent letter. A typical consent letter

mentions who the researchers are, what the study is trying to find, what the participants will be doing, and

information regarding ethics. The participant must read over it and sign it. This is very important for the

research process.

Debriefing Debriefing will be done when the study has finished. This is especially important when deception has been

used. Debriefing for deception studies includes an apology, and reveals the purpose of the study and why

the deception is necessary. Debriefing information may include emergency contact numbers and

references for additional information.

If deception is involved, participants will then be asked to sign the Post-Debriefing Consent Form. This can

be found here: https://uwaterloo.ca/research/office-research-ethics/research-human-

participants/application-process/samples-and-other-supporting-materials/information-consent-samples

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Paid Studies You need to get the receipt and have the participant sign it.

The receipt can be found here:

https://uwaterloo.ca/finance/sites/ca.finance/files/uploads/files/ParticipantRemunerationandSelfDecla

rationFormFinal.pdf

Note: If you need detailed participant payment procedures and explanations, you can refer to UW Finance:

https://uwaterloo.ca/finance/guidance-procedures/procedures-info/remuneration-research-participants

Important Things to Remember Make sure to get the consent before starting the study, and explain the purpose after the

study

If participants have questions you do not know the answer to, say you do not know (and

check with your supervisor). Do not make up something because it might affect the results

If anything does happen during the study that is unusual, make note of it

The participant can leave at any time, you cannot force them to continue if they do not

want to

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QUALTRICS GUIDE FOR FIRST-TIME USERS

Logging In Your supervisor will give you the log in information if needed. Log in page: http://www.qualtrics.com.

Online Tutorials 1. Go to www.qualtrics.com/university/researchsuite/

2. Watch the pre-recorded training videos to familiarize yourself with basic steps

3. You may often go back for FAQs and discussions on the forum for more specific tricks

Top 10 Functions You Need to Know before You Create Your First Survey

1. Blocking

Separate the study measures by blocking (i.e.

create a new block for each different scale)

Name blocks & questions accordingly

Downloaded data will be saved in names you

labeled, thus allowing for better organization

Save blocks to library for future use

2. Timing

2 functions

a. Record how long a participant spends on a

specific question

b. Disable the option of pressing ‘submit’ for a

certain period of time (this ensures that

participants spend enough time on reading

important info)

3. Question item – Matrix Table

Copy and paste multiple questions (instead of

entering statements one at a time)

Or use “Edit Multiple”

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4. Question item- Text Entry

Set restrictions – e.g., numbers

5. Display Logic

Display certain questions only when conditions are met (e.g., display question only when

‘age’ is equal to 25)

Option of having the question appear “In Page” once conditions are met (instead of

appearing in the next page)

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6. Piped Text

Customize question and choice wording for each participant. For example, you can include

response from a previous question to a new question, or Include ‘current time/date’ in a

question

7. Loop & Merge

Allows you to take a set of questions and repeat them multiple times for a participant.

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Steps:

a. Create the question you wish to repeat

b. Create a 2nd block go to block options click “Loop & Merge”

c. Turn loop & merge on, select the question you wish the loop to be based on, and select

the choices you wish you loop

d. You have the choice of randomizing the loop order

e. Go back to your 2nd block. A loop & merge icon should appear under your block name

once you saved the last step

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f. Click “Piped Text” from the question box, go to “Loop & Merge” “Loop & Merge

Fields” you will then find the items you wished to loop in one of the ‘fields’

g. Preview your questions with “Survey Preview” to make sure it worked!

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8. Survey Flow

Options you can choose from:

Branch

a. Branches are best for when you want to selectively show a whole block of questions

b. If you need to hide a small number of questions, consider using “Display Logic” (p.25)

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Randomizer

a. Useful to assign participants randomly to different experimental conditions

9. Embedded Data

By using this function, you are able to:

Pull in data passed in from a URL

Pipe in data that is set in embedded data items

Manipulate differences across conditions

Steps:

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a. Create a “Randomizer” (see p.30) at the beginning to select between conditions

(condition = 1; condition = 2 etc.)

b. Use “Branch”, “Display Logic”, and/or ”Skip Logic” throughout the study according to

which condition the participants are in

10. Distribute Survey

Qualtrics can create individualized survey links if you send the survey to participants via “email

survey”.

Set the time and date you wish to have the survey emailed to participants.

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Tips for Other Survey Options Survey Experience

Make sure the ‘Back Button’ is disabled to prevent respondents from going back and changing their

responses.

Survey Protection

By enabling ‘Prevent Indexing’, you can keep search engines from finding your survey and

presenting it in their search results.

Partial Completion

Partial completion should be set to a short time to allow researcher better track

participation for partially completed surveys.

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OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION

Department Staff Contacts

Mare Appleby Administrative Assistant

mappleby@uwaterloo.ca PAS 3020 519-888-4567 x32547

Prath Balasingam IT Specialist pbalasin@uwaterloo.ca PAS 3030 519-888-4567 x30162

Bill Eickmeier IT Specialist bee@uwaterloo.ca PAS 4008 519-888-4567 x36638

Michael Wagoner IT Specialist mwagoner@uwaterloo.ca PAS 4006 519-888-4567 x35669

Michelle Manios REG Coordinator regadmin@uwaterloo.ca PAS 3006 591-888-4567 x32690

Katy McEwen Research Finance Coordinator

katy.mcewen@uwaterloo.ca PAS 3027 519-888-4567 x38582

Helen Simon Support Service Staff hsimon@uwaterloo.ca PAS 3017 519-888-4567 x32813

Contacts for Posting Posters Refer to the table below for information regarding the relevant contacts for permission to put up posters

advertising studies around campus:

Accounting and Finance Student Association (AFSA)

HH *Please visit their office for more information in order to put up posters in Hagey Hall (new wing)

Applied Health Sciences Undergraduate Members (AHSUM)

BMH 1039 ahsum@mailservices.uwaterloo.ca

Arts Students’ Society (ASU) AL 120 asu-admin@asu.uwaterloo.ca

Engineering Society (EngSoc) Carl Pollock Hall engsocstaff@engsoc.uwaterloo.ca

Environment Students’ Society (ESS)

EV1 138A environment.student.society@uwaterloo.ca

Mathematics Society (MathSoc)

MC 3038 mathsoc@mathsoc.uwaterloo.ca

Science Society (SciSoc) PHY 345 scisoc@uwaterloo.ca

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Display Booth Booking Procedures

For SLC

At least one week in advance:

1. Contact staff through email: slc.bookings@uwaterloo.ca

2. Provide your study’s ORE #

3. Provide a brief description of your study

4. Request a maximum of 3 time frames per lab per month

5. Choose from time frames 10am-2pm or 2pm-6pm

For DC/DP

At least one week in advance:

1. Go to - http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/displays/request.html

2. Fill in the form

3. Provide your study’s ORE # (state that your study has been ethically approved)

4. Include exact locations, dates, times requested in the description box

6. Also provide a brief description of your study

5.1. List number desks/chairs needed

*Limitation to DP bookings: 2 hours per day

Note: When emailing any on-campus liaison, please ensure that you use your UW email address (eg.

johnsmith@uwaterloo.ca) since this is able to confirm your identity to whoever you are contacting.

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