Research Participation System

Clark University operates a Research Participation System, powered by SONA Systems. Through this system Clark researchers can post studies and connect to potential research participants.

Who Can Participate in Research?

Everyone is welcome to join the participant pool, including those who aren’t affiliated with Clark! Clark students, staff, faculty, as well as community members, can sign up for the participant pool. There are studies for children and families as well.

You can register for an account here:

Clark Participant Sign-Up

To increase your chances of being invited to a study, you should complete the “Prescreen Survey,” which collects basic demographic information.

Are you a Clark-affiliated Researcher?

We can add any IRB-approved study to the Research Participation System (provided the use of the SONA Research Participation System has been granted approval by IRB for the specific study). Simply complete this Google Form to request a researcher account:

SONA Experiment Registration Form

Once registered in the system, you can post your research studies. Each study is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Once approved, you can email invitations to qualifying participants.

Important Information for Researchers:

Clark IRB does not require or necessarily endorse the SONA Research Participation System. Any use of the system must be approved by the IRB in advance for each individual study. The IRB may accept or reject the use of the system for individual studies (or ask for revisions to a proposed use of the system) on a case-by-case basis.

If you wish to use the Research Participation System for research with human subjects, you must first describe this proposed use as part of your Mentor IRB application. This description must explain how you will use the system within your study. Once IRB approval or exemption is granted, you may then register your study with the Research Participant System. If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact the IRB office.

Questions

For any questions or concerns about the Research Participation System at Clark University, please email: SONA@clarku.edu.

For Course Credit

Clark Faculty

Professors can incentivize students to participate in studies for course credit. To create a course credit requirement, simply email SONA@clarku.edu with your course number and title.

Clark Students

When registering for an account, choose the appropriate course(s). You can edit the courses you are enrolled in on the “My Profile” page. You can view the available research studies under the “Studies” tab. Note that some studies are offered for credit, and some are offered for payment. After participating in a study for credit, you can assign credits to courses under the “My Schedule/Credits” page.

Participant FAQs

Where can I find more information about SONA?

Please refer to SONA’s documentation for participants. We recommend watching the tutorial to get a complete overview.

Researcher FAQs

Where can I find more information about SONA?

Please refer to SONA’s documentation for researchers. We recommend watching the tutorial to get a complete overview.

How will participants hear about my study?

By default, participants will receive a weekly email announcement about available studies. After setting prescreen qualifications, you can use the “Invite Qualified Participants” option to email participants an invitation.

Can I be both a Participant and a Researcher under the same SONA account?

Yes, a given account can potentially have multiple roles, e.g., participant, researcher, administrator.

My IRB approved study did not originally include the SONA Research Participation System as a recruitment method. Can I still post my study?

You will have to amend your IRB protocol to describe recruiting with SONA. After your amendment has been approved, you can post your study.

For any questions or concerns about the Research Participation System at Clark University, please email: SONA@clarku.edu.

Contact Information