Opportunities for Research Participants (Sona Systems)

Student Information

The Psychology Department uses Sona Experiment Management System for online research study participation. This system is available to George Mason students to use for earning research participation credit in PSYC 100, 300, and 301; extra credit can also be earned through this system for participating psychology courses. All courses offering extra credit for research participation through Sona Systems are available on the experiment management system, but double-check with your course instructor to confirm he/she is accepting extra credit for participation. Instructors make the final decision to accept or decline all credits assigned to their course(s).

If you are enrolled in a class that is accepting extra credit, click on the New User link on the experiment management system home page. Complete the account request form, making sure to select all courses you are enrolled in for which you will earn credits (required and extra). If you do not see your courses listed, please contact psychlab@gmu.edu before creating your account. Once submitted, your request will be processed and you will receive an email confirmation within two business days that your account has been activated. Before participating in any research, please review the Sona Systems Guidelines to familiarize yourself with the operation of the system.

Instructor Information

Your instructor account will be created for you at the start of each term if you teach PSYC 100, 300, or 301. If you plan to offer extra credit in your class, please email psychlab@gmu.edu in order to request an account; include your course information (e.g., PSYC 231-001).

Your instructor account will remain active on the experiment management system for the semester that you are teaching. If you resume teaching at a later time, a new account will be created for you at the beginning of that term. Please review the Sona Systems Guidelines prior to using the system.

Experimenter Information

In order to recruit participants using the experiment management system, you must first obtain approval from GMU’s IRB. Following, you must submit a packet of paperwork to host a new study on the system; this packet can be found in the Sona Systems Guidelines. You can drop these forms off in the Research Coordinator’s mailbox or submit electronically to psychlab@gmu.edu. Once submitted, you should email psychlab@gmu.edu to request an experimenter account and password for your study. Your experimenter account will remain active on the experiment management system as long as you have current, active experiments running. Please review the Sona Systems Guidelines prior to using the system.