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Conduct a study

Since 2016, we have supported over 150 behavioral studies and can assist you in utilizing the Behavioral Lab's resources to address your research inquiries.

If you would like to learn more about the Behavioral Lab and how we can advise and support your research, please contact us. We are also happy to arrange a lab tour and show you our resources.

 

Recruiting of participants

To efficiently organize experiments and recruit participants, we offer access to our student panel through Sona Systems, a cloud-based participant management software. This allows for convenient and efficient coordination of student participation.

All HSG faculty members can use the Behavioral Lab and its services and resources free of charge. However, it is required that you provide payment to the participants, with a minimum rate of 30 CHF per hour. To cover these costs, we offer the possibility to apply for a Mini Research Grant (MRG).

 

Mini Research Grant

The Behavioral Lab at the University of St. Gallen provides support to researchers interested in conducting experiments. This support comes in the form of Mini Research Grants, which are awarded annually to five researchers from the University of St. Gallen.

Each grant is endowed with CHF 1,250.00 and can be used to compensate subjects who participate in the experiment. For example, if you apply an hourly rate of CHF 30, you can finance 80+ participants for a 30-minute experiment.

Mini Research Grants are available to graduate students, PhD students, and PostDocs.

Please read the Mini Research Grants Policy carefully before applying.

Application Deadlines

Mini Research Grants are awarded twice per calendar year. The submission deadlines are January 31 (spring term) and August 15 (fall term). A maximum of three grants are awarded in the spring term. The remaining grants are awarded in the fall term.

Application Process

To apply, complete the Mini Research Grant Application Form in English and email the completed form in PDF format to behaviorlabunisg.ch.


If you have any questions about conducting your study, please contact us at behaviorlab@unisg.ch

 

Steps to conduct a study

  1. Send us an email
    Tell us about (1) your research, (2) what resources you require, (3) how many participants you plan for (4) when your study is supposed to take place and (5) how you are planning to use the Lab.

  2. Come to a 1-on-1 consultation
    We want to learn more about your research and advise you on the feasibility of your experiment and on its organization.
    In addition, we introduce you to the software and/or hardware you plan to use and want to talk about all questions you and we might have.

  3. Submit your research proposal
    When you have the design and the script of your experiment ready, submit your proposal to us by filling in the dedicated form.

  4. Code the experiment
    After approval, prepare the software and/or hardware for your upcoming experiment, we will assist you with any issues you might have.

  5. Perform a pilot study
    We strongly recommend all researchers to conduct a quick pilot study to test the process and soft-/hardware. Invite yourfriends or colleagues to participate in the study or use our participant pool.

  6. Recruit participants for the main study
    Our participants pool consists of 2500+ HSG students and can be filteredbased on required parameters such as gender, nationality or academic level.
    Participants have to be compensated with at least 30 CHF/hour for taking part in experiments. Twice a year you can apply for a Mini Research Grant (1250 CHF) to fund those costs.

  7. Conduct the experiment
    Be present at the Lab during your study to coordinate participants and ensure that an experiment runs according to a plan. Provide compensation to participants and make sure that they sign all necessary documents.

  8. Closing phase
    Copy all collected data and set Lab’s resources to their initial stage. If needed, you can use Lab’s resources for data analysis after an experiment’s end.

  9. Keep us updated regarding your academic publications.
     

Ethics

Please note that the Ethics Committee assess ethical and legal aspects of research at the HSG. We would like you to go through their checklist and consult us regarding any concerns that may arise. For latest updates visit Ethics Committee Intranet page on ResearchWeb (login with your HSG credentials).

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