Welcome to the Business Administration Subject Pool: Fall 2016
Note: This is a requirement to get credits for BUAD 301/ BUAD 309
Why do I do this??
Marketing and management professionals rely upon research to make important business decisions. The research participation requirement for BUAD301 and BUAD309 is meant to provide you with first‐hand experience with the research process. Understanding how data is collected is important because the research process directly impacts the validity of the results and their applicability to the decision at hand. Furthermore, your participation helps faculty publish research articles, which ultimately improves the reputation of UD. So, thank you for participating!
How do I begin?
1. READ THIS DOCUMENT! There are very specific, clear instructions on how to create an account and sign up for studies on our subject pool website (http://sites.udel.edu/subjectpool). There are instructions you can download there (be careful to download the correct document, there is one for students enrolled in campus sections of 301 and 309 and one for online students). If you read this handout AND the instructions, you should have no problem understanding what you need to do in order to fulfill the lab requirement for your course(s).
è Go to https://udel-buad.sona-systems.com to sign up and create an account. Create a new account, unless you have one from a previous semester. If you do not create an account, you will not be able to begin the research requirement. Do this as soon as possible. If you have an account from a previous semester, you still need to log in and update what class you are completing the lab requirement for. THERE IS A FREE SONA APP YOU CAN USE – WE RECOMMEND DOWNLOADING IT! (You can find it by searching for "Sona Mobile" in the iTunes Store or Google Play store).
2. In order to create your account or to be allowed to participate in studies, you will have to answer a few prescreen questions. You will not be allowed to complete any studies until these are done. We recommend doing them ASAP.
Bookmark these two pages for your own reference.
NEXT, DECIDE WHICH APPLIES TO YOU….
What do I do if I am taking only one class: BUAD 301 OR BUAD 309 this semester?
è As soon as you sign-up for the account, sign up for the free credit “study” (it’s not an actual study, just a free credit to thank you for creating your account early – ignore the date, you don’t have to do anything else or go anywhere to get the free credit). The deadline to get this free credit is Friday, September 16th.
è You need 3 research credits. You get a free one for creating your account AND signing up for the free credit “study.” Thus, realistically, if you show up to each study on time you only actually participate 2 times.
What do I do if I am taking BOTH BUAD 301 AND BUAD 309 this semester?
è You only need one account total (NOT one for each class). As soon as you sign-up for the account, sign up for two free credits – one for BUAD301 and one for BUAD 309 (these are NOT actual studies – you don’t have to do anything besides sign-up. You just get a free credit for each class requirement to thank you for creating your account early – ignore the date). The deadline to get these free credits is Friday, September 16th.
è You need 6 research credits. You get two free credits for creating your account AND signing up for both free credit “studies.” Thus, realistically, if you show up to each study on time you only actually participate 4 times.
What if I don’t want to participate in research studies?
You can earn 1 credit in one of two ways: Participating in a 40 minute research study OR an alternative assignment of writing a research paper. Additional information about this option will be provided later in this handout. Note: If you prefer to do the alternative assignment and write research papers, please let us know as soon as possible so we can prepare these assignments for you and have a better estimate of how many students will be completing the research studies versus the research paper.
How will I know when research studies are available?
è You must be registered for the subject pool website, created your own account AND completed the prescreen.
è Sometimes you will receive notifications through our system (typically if many seats have been opened for a particular study)
è You are responsible for logging in yourself, fairly often, to see if seats in studies are available. Often when there are very limited seats for a study, they fill up fairly quickly and thus no announcement is sent to the 1000 people or so in the participant pool. Thus we recommend downloading the SONA app!
è You can sign up to participate in a study as soon as it is posted on the system.
è If you check online periodically, you may see that a previously full study has opened additional seats or that seats have become available due to students withdrawing from a session.
What if I sign up and then can’t make it?
è You can withdraw/ cancel out from a study up to 12 hours before it begins.
è By signing up for a study and not completing it, you are taking a slot that someone else likely wanted. Thus, if you fail to show up to a study you signed up for AND you do not cancel out 12 hours prior or give us sufficient notice to fill your spot, you will receive an unexcused absence and will need to complete an additional research study or a research paper. Similarly if you do not complete an online study you signed up for before the deadline, and do not cancel out of the study, you will receive an unexcused absence. Thus it is VERY important that you cancel out of the study to allow someone else to sign up.
è We understand that emergencies arise. Please check the University policies for excused absences (e.g. If you miss and have a note from a doctor that explains that it was a sick visit, etc.).
What if I do not feel comfortable participating in research studies?
Totally fine! If you are unable or just uncomfortable participating in research sessions, you should e-mail Nancy Sanderson () and let her know that you would prefer to analyze short academic articles chosen by a faculty member from a top-tier Marketing or Management Journal (2 single spaced pages in 12 point, Times New Roman font with 1”margins). You will be asked to summarize the articles, as well as note your own reflections and propose research questions that can stem from this paper. Nancy Sanderson can provide you details upon request. Just like completing research studies, you will need to earn 3 research credits by reading and writing about 3 academic articles. Note that these papers will be evaluated by a faculty member or a lab administrator, and any plagiarism may be subject to university sanctions as determined appropriate by the lab administrator.
If you choose this option, you still need to create an account to the subject pool website. Please try to inform Nancy Sanderson by Friday, September 23rd so we can plan research studies for the remainder of the semester accordingly.
Just like completing studies, creating an account September 16th deadline and signing up for the “free credit” will fulfill 1 out of 3 research requirement credits (If in both BUAD 301 and BUAD 309 simultaneously, fulfills 2 out of 6 research requirement credits). Once you decide to go this route, we will begin sending you articles, one by one, until you complete 3 (3 articles if you did not create your account early). IF you create your account early, you would only actually have to write 2 papers (per course, 4 if taking both BUAD 301 and 309). Please note that we will review your answers for completeness before assigning you credit (thus, obtaining credit is not automatic).
What if I do not complete my research requirement before the semester ends?
You will receive an Incomplete as the grade for your class that semester, assuming you are receiving a passing grade (C- or above). You will be able to participate in experiments or complete research papers the following semester (Spring) and finish the research requirement then. Once you achieve three credits, your grade will be changed to the one you earned in the course. Research studies and/or papers need to be completed by the Reading day in December. Late papers will not be accepted.
Is there a way to earn 2 credits by completing a research study?
On rare occasions, there may be a longer research study ‐‐.e.g., one that takes 80 minutes, or is a series of two 40 minute sessions that are somehow linked. If this occurs, the 80 minute length will be noted on the website when you go to sign up for the study and you would receive 2 credits for participating in the 80 minute session. It is always 1 credit per research paper.
Bottom line: The easiest and fastest way to fulfill the research requirement is: 1. Sign up on time on our website, complete a quick questionnaire, and claim the free credit(s), and 2. Sign up to two experiments and show up on time to both of them. If you choose not to participate, and prefer to write research papers, please email Nancy Sanderson () by September 23rd so we can plan accordingly. To make your life easier, there is an app for the SONA (study) website. Download it and use it.
Additional information you must know:
1. Beyond distributing this handout, your individual instructors do not know much about the subject pool, experiment website or the sign up app. PLEASE DO NOT ASK YOUR 309 OR 301 INSTRUCTOR QUESTIONS. Instead, consult the handouts you have been asked to download (see above) or contact the subject pool administrator, Mrs. Sanderson, at: .
2. Don’t wait until the end of the semester to fulfill the research requirement. You will have the most options if you sign up immediately, check the website often, and sign up as studies become available. That way, you can complete the requirement as soon as possible. It is unlikely that many studies will be conducted during the last two weeks of the semester.
Still have questions? Contact us at: