Rights & Responsibilities
Your responsibilities as a research participant
We collaborate with you to produce important contributions to the social science research community. We pay you for your participation, and we expect you to abide by certain basic guidelines, including the Columbia Honor Code. You must not use more than one SONA account. You are expected to arrive at the study appointment on time. You are not allowed complete a study more than once. You must not reveal details of any study to other potential participants, nor solicit them from others. If you fail to fulfill your responsibilities, we will contact you to remedy the situation. Further infractions may result in your removal from our system.
Your rights as a research participant
We are committed to treating you ethically and respectfully. All of our studies are approved by Columbia's Institutional Review Board. We obtain your consent before you engage in any study, and these consent forms provide additional information of your rights as a research participant. We provide further information about the study at its conclusion, and are committed to answering your questions about the studies.
Lab Attendance & Rewards Policy
For each in-person study that you arrive on time to and participate in, you will receive credits that will accumulate on a per semester basis. The credits will determine your odds of winning prizes at the end of each semester. More on-time arrivals and studies completed means a greater chance of winning! However, poor attendance and general disregard for experiment instructions and lab policies will result in violations being documented on your account. Notices will accumulate on a per semester basis; once a participant receives three notices, he or she will be removed from the database for the remainder of the semester. Participant privileges will be restored the following semester. For additional details of the incentive program, download our rewards policy (PDF).
