Research Protocol

RESEARCH PROTOCOL

Department of Psychology

The ColoradoCollege

This document is designed to make explicit the expectations of students conducting research in the Psychology Department as well as the expectations of the faculty members supervising them. The course content of Research Design has prepared students for the design, analysis, and reporting of research. In addition to abiding by sound research design principles and Institutional Review Board (IRB) directives, there are numerous ethical and methodological protocols to which our students must adhere in order to collect data accurately as well as to represent the research of this department appropriately to the college and the Colorado Springs community. Whether your research is in a wet lab or an observation room, is a survey or an experiment, is conducted on humans or rodents, there are general rules to follow when conducting research (provided below). There will also be specific rules to follow for your specific project, on which your project supervisor will guide you.

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

Responsibility to Others

By undertaking research, you have an obligation to your advisor and any venue from where you collected data to complete the job you agreed to do.

Time

Your research project may not be a Monday through Friday, 9-5 job. Many projects require night and weekend obligations. Rats will not “cut you a break” if you forget to feed them on weekends…they can and will die if they are not cared for properly. Similarly, many times evening data collection is the most efficient way of obtaining representative data. The researcher does what is required of the project to collect accurate data and not to inconvenience (or kill!) the research participants.

Be punctual. Your advisor, research participants, and community members will not tolerate lateness. Do not test their patience.

Respect for Research Participants

While it is mandatory that you follow IRB guidelines, respecting research participants goes beyond not harming them. Research participants have volunteered to help you (even if they are being remunerated for their time) and should not be kept waiting (see above), should be treated courteously, and should be thanked for their help. This applies also to individuals who facilitate your data collection, such as CC faculty of classes in which you recruit participants and/or leaders of outside organizations. Good manners not only facilitate your own data collection, but also positively reinforce CC faculty, community leaders, and participants for their participation and make them more likely to volunteer in the future.

Dress

Research is an important endeavor and you, as a researcher, are representing the Psychology Department in this endeavor. Therefore, your dress is expected to be appropriate to the task. What is the operational definition of “appropriate?” “Appropriate” is dress that is not distracting to the research participant, that is kempt, and that exudes professionalism. For instance, the researcher’s dress should not reveal midriffs or undergarments, nor should it reveal the researcher’s own political leanings (e.g., “W in 2004”) or anything with which the research participant may have a visceral reaction, keeping in mind that research participants of different age groups, cultural backgrounds, and genders may have different definitions of “appropriate” dress (as well as of piercings, tattoos, etc.).

Planning

Research projects, such as your Final Project, can be a year-long endeavor. Students should plan ahead their block schedule, IRB approval, their space, equipment, and copying needs, and potential needs for funding (i.e., Venture grants) such that when your designated research time begins, you hit the ground running. As you know, a block can move very quickly.

Vigilance

Running through your research protocol on friends or classmates (i.e., pilot participants) is imperative before running actual research participants. You will find methodological glitches, inadequate directions and many areas to improve efficiency in a trial run. You do not want to uncover these problems while running your first group of participants.

THE STATISTICAL AND TECHNICAL DIRECTOR’S

RESPONSIBILITIES

What the Statistical and Technical Director Provides

The Statistical and Technical Director is a consultant to the research process for both faculty and students.

The Statistical and Technical Director advises on methodology, statistics, equipment and space.

What The Statistical and Technical DirectorDoes Not Provide

The Statistical and Technical Director is not a faculty advisor.

S/He is not the first person to go to when you have a question or a concern. Your faculty advisor is.

FACULTY RESPONSIBILITIES

The faculty advisor provides an atmosphere that encourages students to ask questions.

The faculty advisor provides structure and supervises all aspects of the research process, from idea conception to IRB approval to recruiting to room arrangements to writing revisions.

While faculty members have different personality and supervision styles, all faculty members are ultimately accountable for the actions and data collected by their students. Therefore, all research actions should be vetted through the faculty advisor.