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Psychology College of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies

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Participating in Research for Course Credit

PSYC 2, 4, and 8

Each of these courses include a research requirement designed to provide students with some understanding of the methods and procedures used to conduct psychological research. To satisfy this requirement, students must complete research work by either participating in actual psychology research studies conducted by Psychology faculty and students or completing an alternative writing assignment.

Participation Requirements

Students will create their own account using the research website, SONA, and navigate various studies to participate in for credit towards their course grade. Students will select the appropriate course name to allocate credit towards that course. Studies are being created at the beginning of each semester, so as the semester progresses more studies will become available and will conclude before Finals Week. Studies are typically made available for participant sign-up around the 7th or 8th week of the semester. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements of a study, it may not be viewable for you to sign-up for.

Failure to complete the research requirements before the end of the semester will result in a final course grade of "I" or Incomplete. Students will need to complete their remaining credits within one year and assign these credits to the course name "Students Making Up Incompletes". Upon completion of these remaining credits, students need to email psychology@csus.edu to confirm they have completed their credits. After 1 year of not completing the research requirements, the course grade will change from an "I" to an "F".


  • The last day to participate in research for the Spring 2026 is Friday, May 15th

  • PSYC 2 and 8 students are required to complete 3 hours of research participation for each class.

  • PSYC 4 students are required to complete 2 hours of research participation.


Research Assignment FAQs

Participation Procedures

To complete the required hours, participants must:

  1. Register for an account or login to an existing account on the SONA - Psychology Research website
  2. Complete the Prescreen to help determine your eligibility for research studies.
  3. Sign up for study participation. Cancel your sign-up if you cannot complete it.
    Failure to appear for 2 study sign-ups will result in the loss of future sign-ups.
  4. In-Person Studies: show up with the 5-digit participant ID number handy (for online studies fill it out in the survey when/if prompted). Credits are assigned with the use of Sona participant ID numbers and not participant name.
  5. Complete required number of research hours before end of semester. (PSYC 2 & 8 = 3 hours each. PSYC 4 = 2 hours)
  6. Monitor credit earnings online and make sure requirements are met by finals week. Study availability fluctuates, so it's best to check weekly for available timeslots as options become very limited at the end of the semester.
  7. Ensure credit is granted and assigned to the correct course, if enrolled in more than one course. Reassign credits to preferred course before end of semester.
  8. Students Making Up Incompletes: select course name "1. Students Making Up Incompletes __" to receive credit from a previous semester. When credits are made up: send an email with your name, student ID number, course name and semester that course was taken to psychology@csus.edu asking for assistance with changing your grade. This process is not automatic and will take time for processing.
  9. For study questions/issues: contact the Researcher by email through Sona. *Only the Researcher can grant credit.

Alternative Writing Assignment

Students who have unexcused no-shows for study sign-ups and/or students not wishing to participate in research have the option of completing an alternative writing assignment. Students who complete this assignment will demonstrate their understanding of research methods by reviewing reports of research studies that have recently been published in Psychology research journals.

This alternative writing assignment contains three parts. All parts must be completed satisfactorily in order to receive credit. Carefully follow the detailed instructions below for the assignment.

  • Make sure you are signed into your CSUS Office365 account when submitting your Alternative Writing Assignment.
  • The Human Subjects Committee reviews alternative assignments once at the end of each semester and inform your instructor the results of our evaluation at the end of the finals week.
  • If the committee determines that revisions are required, instructions and a deadline will be sent to your Sacramento State email account. It is your responsibility to monitor your official Sac State email for any follow-up.

Contact Dr. Qin if you have any questions.

Due Date: Friday May 8, 2026

Alternative Writing Assignment Instructions

Submit Alternative Writing Assignment

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