Welcome to the Business Administration Subject Pool: Fall 2017

Welcome to the Business Administration Subject Pool: Fall 2017

This is a requirement for BUAD 301/ BUAD 309; READ CAREFULLY!

Why am I doing 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.

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).

 Go to 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).

1. 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 the above two webpages for your own reference.

NEXT, DECIDE WHICH APPLIES TO YOU….

What if I am taking only one class: BUAD 301 OR BUAD 309 this semester?

 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 22nd at 5 pm.

 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 if I am taking BUAD 301 AND BUAD 309 this semester?

 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 22nd at 5 pm.

 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.

Note that if you are taking PSYC100 at the same time, they have their own research requirements which are totally different and unrelated!

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 reading an academic research paper from a top academic journal selected by the Marketing and Management faculty from the past 12 months, and relating it to what you have learned in your class. Additional information about this option is provided later in this handout.

How will I know when research studies are available?

 You must be registered for the subject pool website, create your own account, AND complete a quick questionnaire.

 Sometimes you will receive notifications through our system (typically if many seats have been opened for a particular study)

 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!

 You can sign up to participate in a study as soon as it is posted on the system.

 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?

 You can withdraw/ cancel out from a study up to 12 hours before it begins.

 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.

 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. it should go to Lerner 103 advising office and ask them to send us an official excuse note).

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 can read and reflect on academic articles from a top-tier Marketing or Organizational Behavior journal (depending on whether you’re in BUAD301 or BUAD309; 2-3 double spaced pages in 12 point, Times New Roman font with 1” margins).

Acceptable journals are below (a research paper from any other journal will be rejected – please make sure the journal you are using is one of these, not just one with a similar sounding name; journal needs to coincide with your course). DO NOT PAY FOR ARTICLES - YOU CAN FIND AN ARTICLE THROUGH UD LIBRARY HOME PAGE/ GOOGLE SCHOLAR - FREE!

Marketing (BUAD 301) journals: Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Advertising

Organizational Behavior (BUAD 309) journals: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Management, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Academy of Management Perspectives

The research article you choose must be recent; no older than 12 months (nothing published prior to September 2016 will be accepted).

You need to (1) summarize the article(s), (2) note your own reflections, (3) briefly discuss how it relates to TWO topics you talked about in your BUAD class this semester. This paper needs to be printed and submitted in person during normal business hours (8:00 – 4:30) to Nancy Sanderson in Lerner 213. The last possible day to submit papers is Friday, December 8th at 4 pm. 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. 1 paper = 1 research credit. You can do any combination of papers and studies that you would like.

Just like completing studies, creating an account before the September 22nd deadline and signing up for the “free credit” will fulfill 1 out of 3 research requirement credits (If you are in both BUAD 301 and BUAD 309 simultaneously, this fulfills 2 out of 6 research requirement credits). If you decide to write research papers and create your account early, you would only have to write 2 papers (per course, 4 if you are taking both BUAD 301 and 309).

What if I do not complete my research requirement before the semester ends?

You will receive an “Incomplete” as the grade for your class, 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 (SP18) and finish the research requirement then. Once you achieve the required number of 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 deadline indicated above. 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 linked. If this occurs, the 80 minute length will be noted on the website when you 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); 2. Sign up for two experiments and show up on time to both. 3. Remember to check the website frequently to find studies! To make your life easier, there is an app for the SONA (study) website. Download and use it.

Additional information you must know:

1. Beyond distributing this handout, your individual instructors do not know much about the subject pool, website, or requirements. PLEASE DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS TO YOUR 301 OR 309 INSTRUCTOR. Instead, consult this handout, visit the website we listed above, or contact the subject pool administrator, Mrs. Sanderson ().

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, and possibly none will be conducted at the end.

Still have questions? Contact us at: