Participating in studies

University of Brighton students can participate in research studies of psychology staff and final-year students. It’s an opportunity to learn about projects investigating a range of topics and see how psychology studies are conducted. All research is hosted on SONA, which is the university’s recruitment and participation system.

Log into SONA

Research-point requirements

Level 4 and Level 5 psychology students earn research points for study participation. Students are required to earn 10 research points each year (in total 20 points by the end of Level 5) is they want to use the system for their own recruitment in their final year. Each year students should take part in:

  • At least one online survey AND
  • At least one in-person study or an online interview or a focus group

Getting access to a SONA account

Level 4 students

You will be issued with an account in due course (usually towards the end of Term 1 or around January). Please do not use the “Request Account” option on SONA. If you create your account before being issued with one by the Psychology Lab, we won’t be able to locate the record of your participation and the points you earn using this account will not count towards your research point requirements.

If you forgot your password, use the “Forgot Password” option on the SONA page. Please make sure you check your email’s spam folder for the reset password email before emailing the technicians. If you’re still experiencing issues, get in touch with us and we’ll look into this for you.

Level 5 students

You should already have an account. You can log in using your usual ITS username (e.g. abc123) and password. If you forgot your password, use the Forgot Password option on the SONA page. Please make sure you check your email’s spam folder for the reset password email before emailing the technicians. If you’re still experiencing issues, get in touch with us and we’ll look into this for you.

Members of public and non-psychology students interested in participating

If you’re interested in taking part in our research, you can use the “Request Account” option. Your personal data is used solely to identify you on the system and allow it to communicate with you. All data are stored anonymously. Full information can be found in the Psychology Research Privacy Notice.

If you have any questions about study participation, contact Andrea and Grace.