UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Student Information

Student Research Studies

Student Research Studies Guidelines

As a student researcher, there are certain policies and procedures that you must follow. There are also several forms that you must use, which can be downloaded from this site. The following guidelines have been developed to assist you in conducting your study proficiently.

Prior to Collecting Your Data

Step1: Obtain an IRB approval number from your instructor/research supervisor.

Step 2: Contact the Psychology Department Associate, Jody Sather, in the main office (151 CSH) and get a study number. 

Step 3: Reserve a room for your study, if needed.  For online surveys please skip to Step 4.

a. Determine the specific dates and times that you will be collecting data.

b. Have Jody reserve a room for these dates and times. Please do not attempt to reserve a room without consulting Jody.

Step 4: Complete a Study Information Form and give the completed form to Jody.  Post a copy on the Current Studies board located in the hallway outside of CSH 154 and retain one copy for your records.

Step 5: Work with Jody to set up a Qualtrics link for participation sign-up.  For online surveys, you will still need to create a participation sign-up if participants will be receiving extra credit for participating in your survey.

a. Create a Qualtrics account here.  Use access code: Fa1C0n

b. Work with Jody in the main office to identify psychology professors who teach classes in which students are likely to receive credit for participating in research. Typically, professors teaching General Psychology award extra credit for research participation. The professors will post the sign-up link on Canvas for their students.

You are responsible for logging into Qualtrics to retrieve your sign-up data.  You can create a roster of participants using the data from Qualtrics. 

d. Contact participants one day prior to your study to remind them of their scheduled participation. 

e. Please remove your Study Information Form from the bulletin board when your study has concluded.

Step 6:If you are conducting a face-to-face session you may need to complete the Consent Form Cover Sheet and the Consent Reporting Form

a. Consent Form Cover Sheet: Make certain that the information on this cover sheet corresponds to the information appearing on your Study Information Form. The study name, number, course name, etc., should be the same. List on this sheet, any potential risks that are involved with this study, and make participants aware of participation guidelines.

b. Consent Reporting Form: Make as many copies as needed, then staple these copies to the back of the Consent Form Cover Sheet.

Notably, in some studies, individual consent forms are used instead of the Consent Reporting Form. For purposes of awarding extra credit, student researchers must still keep track of participants. Please discuss the method that you will use to document participation in your study, with your research supervisor.

While Collecting Your Data

At the beginning of the session, have each participant read the participation guidelines presented on the Consent Form Cover Sheet. It is both the participants' and the researchers' responsibility to make sure this information is complete and legible.

Please keep extra copies of the Consent Form Cover Sheet on hand as some participants may request a copy.

After Collecting Your Data

After your study is complete, compile a list of all participants in your study using your sign-up information in Qualtrics. To download your sign-up information please refer to this document. If you are having difficulties please contact Jody in the main psychology office 151 Centennial Science Hall. This is your study and you will be expected to complete it proficiently. Email your Excel spreadsheet as an attachment to Jody Sather (jody.sather@uwrf.edu). Please enter your study's number and title in the subject line. If used, deliver your hard copy of the Consent Reporting Form(s) to the main psychology office the same day that you email your spreadsheet. The absolute deadline for receipt of the consent forms is two weeks prior to the last day of classes.