What is the requirement?

You need to earn six credits by participating in approximately six hours of research or submit 3 brief papers. This often means participating in about six studies during the quarter, although some studies may offer more or less credit.

If I want to participate in research, where should I start?

The first of your credits can be obtained by completing an on-line background questionnaire which will be used by some of the researchers. This departmental prescreening questionnaire begins with “DSUR.” Even if you have taken a departmental prescreening questionnaire in a previous quarter, you may still take it for credit.

Do I have to participate in the DSUR, or studies to earn research credit?

No, you may either participate in studies, or choose to write short papers. There are no expected risks in the DSUR, however, it is possible you will encounter some questions that make you uncomfortable. Some questions in the DSUR concern social, political, and/or ethical issues that might offend some participants. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable while taking it and do not want to complete questions or the survey, you can skip questions and receive credit at the end of the survey.

The paper option asks that you write 700-1000 words summarizing and reflecting on a research article. Each paper is worth 2 credits (equivalent to 2 hours of research participation). More information on the paper option can be found here: Paper Option.

What happens if the requirement is not met?

If you have not earned the six required credits by the end of the last day of class, you will receive an Incomplete for the course.

You must fulfill the remainder of your credits within one registered quarter at UCD (not including Summer Sessions). Failure to do this will result in a one-step grade reduction in the class (e.g., A- becomes B+, B+ becomes B-, and so on).

Please note: This policy applies to students who receive an Incomplete for courses taken in Fall Quarter 2023 and onward. The policy is slightly different if you received your Incomplete for courses prior to Fall Quarter 2023 (see the Research Participant Letter you received when you took the class or contact the Subject Pool Coordinator).

How do I participate in experiments?

To begin participating in experiments please go to the Sona page and login. Your UserID should be the last 6 or 7 digits of your student ID. If you have not logged into the Sona system before, or if you do not know your password, click on “Forgot your password?” and the system will send you instructions on how to obtain your password. If you have trouble logging in, please read the FAQ.