1. Sona Systems Training for Students
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Sona Systems Training for Students
Oklahoma State University -
questions to
                 
Welcome to the Research Participation System    
      
   New Participant?     Request an account here.    Lost your password?      Click here to retrieve it!
                                                          
User ID:
Password:
questions to Copyright © Sona Systems Ltd. (3:26:01 AM)

2. Before Proceeding…
Please make sure notes are displayed (in this PowerPoint)
Click on View->Notes Page
Do not “play” this slide show or the notes will not show.
Make sure your accepts messages from Sona.
Log in to your Okstate
Click on Options->Manage Junk lists->Add
Type: okstate.sona-systems.com and click OK. Click Save and Close -

3. Participant Account
You will need to request a new account, unless you had an active participant account within the last two years
If you already have an account, you still need to complete the prescreener and update your enrollment
Researcher accounts do not count as participant accounts! If you are a researcher, you must also have a participant account to complete Sona credits. -

4. Important!!!
There are at least three completely separate Sona systems on campus.
Credits DO NOT transfer between the systems.
Make sure you are using the correct Sona system! You must register with the “Psychology Department Research Participation System” -

5. Important!!! Finding Sona
To access Sona, the correct URL is:

6. Go to: http://okstate.sona-systems.com/
Click on “New Participant” (See arrow on slide)

7. - Please fill in the requested information
- Please fill in the requested information. You will also be asked to select the courses you are currently enrolled in. If your course is not available, please Sona Administrator and ask for it to be added. Click on “Request Account” when you are finished.
Open the address that you listed when requesting an account. You should find an from “Research Participation System”. If the is not in your box, please check your Junk Mail and/or Spam Filter where the was likely sent.

8. -

9. Important!!!
Make sure that you enroll in the CORRECT SECTION! If you do not enroll correctly, you will not show up on your instructor’s list and may not receive credit for the studies you completed. Check with your instructor BEFORE the end of the semester to verify you are enrolled correctly. -

10. Choosing More than One Class
If you are in more than one class that uses Sona, select multiple classes from the course list by holding down the CTRL key while you make your selections. -

11. Sample
Your Participant login information for Research Participation System is listed below. User ID: PistolPete Password: dsrj8lq3 Please go to to login to the system.
This is an example of the containing your password. You will be able to change your password after logging in to the system. For now, please follow the link included in the after writing down your User ID and Password (
Use your User ID and Password to log into the Research Participation System.

12. Prescreener
Once you have your log-in and password, go to the same website and complete the prescreener. Once that is completed, you can sign up for experiments. If you complete the prescreener by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, the prescreener will serve as your 1st research credit. If you don’t complete the prescreener by that time, you won’t get credit for it. However, in order to participate in other research studies, you must take the prescreener.
Please read all of the instructions and click “Start Prescreen” when you are ready.

13. -

14. Please answer all of the questions honestly and click on “Record Responses” to complete the Prescreener. Warning: the prescreener is subject to change and is unlikely to look like the sample screener above.

15. - You will be asked to verify your information
- You will be asked to verify your information. If everything is correct, click on “Save Prescreen” to save your information. WARNING: you can not change this information once you have registered so please double check to make sure the responses are accurate. If any of the information is incorrect, simply click on the response(s) choices you wish to change and answer them again. Do not use the Back Button on your browser to change any responses as this will result in your information being saved as it appears.

16. Please click on Continue to proceed to your Sona Systems profile.

17. Click on “Study Sign-Up” to sign up for a new study.

18. The following is a list of studies that currently have timeslots available. There is only one study listed here as an example and it is listed as being “Online”. Note that you must be over the age of 18 to participate in this particular study.

19. This study is worth. 5 credits and takes 30 minutes to complete
This study is worth .5 credits and takes 30 minutes to complete. Click on “View Time Slots for This Study” to start signing-up.

20. Click on Sign Up after reading the NOTE: above.

21. Please make sure that you read all of the information on this page
Please make sure that you read all of the information on this page. If you have any questions, you can the researcher attached to the experiment.
When you are ready, click on “Complete Survey Now” to participate. You will be taken to an outside website where you will receive additional instructions.

22. After completing the study, make your way back to your main page or click on “My Schedule/Credits” at the top of the page.

23. Your page will look very different than the sample one displayed here
Your page will look very different than the sample one displayed here. In this example, it shows that this student needs 6 Overall Credits (total) for all of their classes combined. Since this student is only enrolled in one course, their instructor must have required they participate in 6 credits hours. They have currently earned .5 credits from the prescreener and have assigned this to PSYC 1113_002.
You can see that this student’s participation in the “Greatest Highlights in Sports” survey says, “Awaiting action from researcher”. Please allow 48 hours for your credits to be displayed. If they still do not show, you can the researcher of this experiment for an update on your status. Once your credits are displayed, you will need to assign them to a specific course (see next slide).

24. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
I don’t know my password!
Go to and click on “Lost your password?” for instructions.
How do I change my password?
Once logged in, click on “My Profile” and follow the instructions.
What if I use a different address?
You must have account to sign up. Once signed up, click on “My Profile” to change where you would like your messages from Sona to be sent. -

25. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I change the courses I’m enrolled in on Sona (participant)?
When logged in, click on “My Profile” and click “change courses” at the bottom.
So what’s the deal with this online credit restriction?
The SONA system will limit how many online studies you can do to ensure in-lab studies get participants. Half of your credits will need to be in-lab. -

26. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How am I recruited for studies:
Some studies use the prescreen to recruit participants. You will receive an to participate based on your prescreen responses. This will either contain a link to SONA to participate or a code you have to enter (still found on SONA). To ensure you can participate in studies, complete the prescreener accurately, keep checking SONA for available studies, make sure you have your in your SONA account, and keep an eye out for recruiting s. -

27. Remember…
Make sure you are using the correct URL ( and select the correct section.
Your okey information will not log you into SONA. You have to request an account.
Please see the FAQ tab for more common questions answered (including deadlines for this semester). -