Lab Policies

Lab Policies

If you plan to conduct an experiment through UCD BRL, please respect and follow the lab policies which apply to all users of the lab.

  1. Obtain ethical approval from UCD Office of Research Ethics prior to running an experiment and familiarise yourself with the UCD guidelines on the recruitment of participants for research studies.  
  2. Complete the study form ideally four weeks before your planned experiment. (UCD Login required)
  3. Researchers are expected to run their own studies or employ their own research assistants or PhD students. The lab manager does not provide assistance in collecting or analysing data.
  4. Researchers are expected to make sure that the computers are working and that students can access the experiment, for example, via a link on the desktop or respective software.
  5. We share the lab, so please use the computer and other equipment carefully
    1. Do not move equipment (e.g., computers, desks, chairs) or remove any equipment from the lab.
    2. Do not use the lab equipment for purposes other than running experiments.
    3. Each time the computers are restarted, all changes made are lost. If you need changes made, software installed or removed or files added etc, please make a request to brlab@ucd.ie at least ten working days in advance of the study. Once approved, it will be passed to ILTG for the change to be made.
  6. Consumption of food and beverages inside the lab is prohibited, unless it was pre-approved and forms an integral part of your research.
  7. In case you need to cancel the experiment, notify the lab manager and research participants ASAP and delete your study on Sona. 
  8. Do not collect personally identifiable information such as names, student IDs, phone numbers, or email addresses. 
    1. Assign participant ID’s at the beginning of the experiment.
    2. If you plan to run a longitudinal study, notify the lab manager beforehand and contact participants through the Sona system.
  9. Respect privacy
    1. Do not contact research participants for personal reasons
    2. Contact research participants only through the Sona system
  10. When posting a study on Sona, provide as much information as possible for participants (e.g., topic; length of study; renumeration/reward)
    1. Briefly explain the tasks participants are expected to complete. 
    2. Clearly specify your filtering criteria (e.g., gender, language proficiency), if any.
  11. Reimbursement and Completion
    1. Pay participants timely and agreed amounts.
    2. Once completed, update status on Sona immediately to “completed”. 
    3. De-brief participants.