2. Table of Contents What is SONA? Benefits of using SONA
How to access SONA?
How to create/add study on SONA?
How to manage study on SONA?

3. 1. What is SONA? SONA Systems® software Administrators and researchers
cloud-based research
participant management solution for universities
Administrators and researchers
recruit participants
set up studies
prescreening
manage participant pools

4. 1. What is SONA? Multi-language Support Over 1,000 customers
English, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, French, German, etc.
Over 1,000 customers
serving top 50 universities in the US
top 10 in Canada
75% of the world’s top business schools
including 7 universities in Hong Kong

5. 2. Benefits of using SONA
For researchers to wisely recruit participants and manage studies
they can also do this if the is targeted to a subset of the pool
e.g. meet a certain demographic characteristic
(Prescreening questions)

6. 2. Benefits of using SONA Prescreening function Participants
fill in prescreening questionnaire
when they register the account ONLY
Researchers
restrict project to specific participants
by selecting some of the prescreening answers
e.g. only males, only year 1 students, only aged 18

7. 3.How to access SONA? Any Internet connected device
Desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones
Apple App Store or Google Play Store
SONA Mobile

8. Announcement can be made in the front page

9. Click “Request Account”
Link to SONA:

10. 3.How to access SONA? ---Registration steps
For both researcher and participant
Click “Request Account”
Fill in “Account Information”
User ID (SONA login ID)
Researcher information will be shown to all participants:
address
Student ID Number / Staff ID
Telephone (Office / Mobile)
Press “Request Account” to submit
The system will assign researcher role and login password to you after the registration

11. Prescreening questions
First Login:
Change password
Answer prescreening questions
researchertest
123456

12. 4. How to create/add study on SONA?
Overview
Log in
Select “Participant” or “Researcher”
“Add New Study”
Manage study via “My Studies”
See other researchers’ studies via “All Studies”

13. 4. How to create/add study on SONA?
Click “Add New Study”
Select “Study Type”
Standard Study
Multi-Part Standard Study
Online Internal Survey Study
Online External Study

14. 4. How to create/add study on SONA?
Standard Study
Cross-sectional offline study (one shot study)
Eligibility Requirements (only description, not prescreening)
Preparation (anything that participants should prepare for)
Pen and paper
Researcher (you and colleagues)
Approved (Yes to activate the study) ethical review
Make sure your research has gained ethical approval before the activation
Active Study (Yes to activate the study)
Add This Study

16. 4. How to create/add study on SONA?
Standard Study
Prerequisites (participated another study before joining this one)
Disqualifiers
Invitation Code

18. 4. How to create/add study on SONA?
Multi-Part Standard Study
Multi-sessions offline study (more than one shot offline study)
e.g. Panel study, Longitudinal study
Two / Three / Four - part
Difference to “Standard Study”
Part 2 Study Settings (or 3 / 4)

20. 4. How to create/add study on SONA?
Online Internal Survey Study
Online survey (set questionnaire in SONA)
Create questionnaire after “Add This Study”
Create questionnaire under “Update Online Survey”

24. 4. How to create/add study on SONA?
Online External Study
Online survey (set questionnaire outside SONA)
e.g. Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey
Add the external questionnaire on “Study URL”

26. 5. How to manage study on SONA?
My Studies
All Studies (from all researchers)
Active / Inactive
Use Prescreening Results (in addition: view response summary)
Click into the study
Study Menu
Prescreen Restrictions (Top-Right corner)
Study Menu  View/Administer Time Slots

27. 5. How to manage study on SONA?
Study Menu  View/Administer Time Slots
“Add A Timeslot” (At the top)
“Add This Timeslot”
To modify the timeslot / cancel participants
Modify
Update timeslot
Cancel participant
Attendance

28. 5. How to manage study on SONA?
Study Menu
you can go to other pages
View/Administer Time Slots
Contact Participants
Update Online Survey (edit questionnaire)
Change Study Information (settings)
Participant Study View (Preview Participants’ site)
Delete Study

29. 5. How to manage study on SONA?
Contact participants
Send out reminders
Set Prescreen Restrictions
Able to send invitation
to qualified
participants

31. 5. How to manage study on SONA?
Participants’ view

32. 5. How to manage study on SONA?
Participants’ view
“Timeslots Available”
Researcher (information from your profile)
“View Time Slots for This Study”
“Sign Up”
Click “Sign Up” again
System Message: Sign-up Successful (Top-Left Corner)

33. 5. How to manage study on SONA?
Participants’ view
If Participants want to Cancel
“My Schedule/Activity”
“Cancel?”
“Yes, I want to cancel”
System Message: Cancellation Successful. Confirmation sent.

34. 5. How to manage study on SONA?
Participants’ view
Click “Participate”
Click “Participate” again
“Yes, Start Survey”
“withdraw” (top-right corner)  “Complete Survey Withdrawal”
Cannot participate again (join again by closing the page)
“Record Responses”
“No, Decline to Participate” (can join again)

35. 5. How to manage study on SONA?
Track participation
The system uses timeslots to track participation
i.e.: 1 session = 1 participant participates in 1 timeslot
No-shows and cancellations are not counted towards session usage