Rules, Rights and Responsibilities
Rules and Regulations
Signing Up
You must be enrolled in a section of PSY1101 or PSY1501 to receive credit for
the Integrated System of Participation in Research.
If you wish to participate in a study, you must sign up for that study before 6:30 PM the day before the day the study is taking place (i.e. if you want to sign up for an experiment on Wednesday, you must sign up for it before Tuesday, 6:30 PM.)
Canceling an Appointment
The deadline for canceling an appointment is 6:30 PM on the day before your
appointment (i.e. if your appointment is on a Tuesday, you have until Monday,
6:30 PM to cancel it).
If the deadline has passed, you must contact the system administrator (sppp@uOttawa.ca).
If you have access to the contact information of the experimenter responsible for the study you are participating in, you may contact him/her directly.
If the appointment has already passed, you must contact the system administrator.
Missed Appointment Penalty
The penalty for missing an appointment is that you will be deducted 1
participation point on the total of points you have accumulated so far. This
does not penalize you on the total number of points you can obtain by
participating in studies. For example, if you miss one appointment without
warning the researcher, you will have to do an extra study to get your maximum
amount of points.
The penalty is applied because a missed appointment cost time to a researcher who depends on your input for their research.
Points
Although most of the studies are worth one point each, some studies may be
worth more than one point. This will be the case when the participation in one
study requires more than 60 minutes (on average), when a study is not of
minimal risk or it is more demanding, and your participation will be required a
second time. The number of points allocated to each study is displayed with its
description.
Alternative to Research Participation
The alternative to signing up for research studies is to view films presenting various topics related to psychology.
For those students who do not wish to participate in research for points, there is the option of viewing psychology-related films. Theses films are determined in advance by the administrators of the ISPR and are presented on a regular basis. Each film and post-questionnaire is worth 1 point. You can earn a maximum of 4 points. There will be sessions each week for which you can sign-up through the ISPR online system. Each session lasts approximately one hour and will give you 1 point.
Requirements for credit (per session):
- You must sign-up in advance to the session of your choice using the ISPR.
- You must be present, on time, for the viewing of the film.
- You must stay for the duration of the film.
- You must complete the questionnaire distributed after the film.
Rights and Responsibilities of Research Participants
As a Research Participant, you have the right to:
- Know who is doing the research, and the title of the research.
- Have the purpose, procedures and duration of the research explained to you.
- Be told of the risks and benefits associated with the research.
- Be assured of confidentiality and told how it will be kept.
- Know of any compensation, and alternatives for points.
- Have your questions answered.
- Be reminded of the voluntary nature of the research.
- Omit the answer to any question or withdraw from the research and still receive points for your participation.
- Know when and how you can see a description of the findings of the research.
If you choose to participate in research, your responsibilities include:
- Showing up for appointments on time. If you sign up for an experiment, please show up at the designated time. If you cannot participate, please cancel your appointment within the allowable time limit. Failure to show up for your appointment without any notification may result in a point penalty.
- Listening carefully during the informed consent and instructions and asking questions if you have any at all.
- Respecting any request by the researcher to avoid discussing the research with others until all of the data have been collected.
Any questions or comments you might have about your rights as a research participant may be addressed to Protocol Officer for Ethics in Research, 550 Cumberland St., Room 160, (613) 562-5387 or by email at ethics@uOttawa.ca.