Additional Services

Online Research Support

Running online studies means working across different platforms, payment systems, and quality controls. We handle the technical and logistical side so you can focus on your design and analysis.

Supported platforms

• Prolific: high-quality panels with demographic prescreening and built-in fraud detection.
• Amazon MTurk: large-scale, fast recruitment with custom qualifications.
• Qualtrics: survey design, embedded experiments, and Qualtrics Panels for hard-to-reach populations.
• SONA: course-credit management for MKT and MOR online studies.

What we handle

• Study setup: platform configuration, link routing, and completion codes
• Prescreening: eligibility criteria, demographic filters, and quotas
• Launch: a small soft launch to check data quality, then full deployment
• Quality control: attention checks, bot detection, and duplicate screening
• Participant messages, payments, and data export at closeout
• Multi-wave studies: longitudinal tracking and re-contact

What you provide

A final Qualtrics link, target sample size and demographics, compensation rate and funding source, IRB approval, and any exclusions. Turnaround depends on sample size and platform; hard-to-reach populations may need extra lead time.

Study Piloting

Every online study has blind spots, such as broken logic, confusing instructions, or an inaccurate time estimate. Our piloting service puts 5–10 trained RAs through your study as naive participants before real participants see it. RAs aren't told your hypotheses, and all pilots are confidential.

What pilots check

Survey flow and logic, wording and instructions, timing and fatigue points, broken links or images, response options, display on different browsers and phones, redirect and completion-code setup, and possible data quality risks.

What you receive

• A feedback report with findings ranked by priority
• Direct quotes from each pilot
• Each RA's completion time, compared with your estimate
• A specific recommendation for each issue, plus what worked well

In our first round of about a dozen studies, pilots found about 10 issues per study on average, and every study had at least one high-priority finding.

How to request

Email the lab with a link to each study or condition, the number of conditions, your estimated completion time, target launch date, and any special instructions or device testing needs. Standard turnaround is 48 hours. A walkthrough with the lab manager before piloting is available on request, and you can ask for a follow-up round after revisions. A sample report is available on request.

Stacked Lab Session

A stacked session combines several short Qualtrics studies into one proctored session in our LL-102 computer lab. Participants from the MOR Subject Pool (BUAD 304 and BUAD 497) complete each study in turn at their own workstation, with phones checked in at the door. Stacked sessions are available to researchers using the MOR Subject Pool.

Why use it

A quiet, proctored setting with identical hardware, no access to AI tools or phones, rotating study order, and everyone finishing in one sitting. It works especially well for vignette experiments, decision and judgment tasks, and studies sensitive to manipulation checks.

Is my study eligible?

• 15 minutes or less, built in Qualtrics
• Standard equipment only (Chrome, headphones, webcam)
• No verbal interaction and no deception that requires a debriefing

How to get started

1. Email the lab with your study details and estimated length.
2. Add the lab manager as a collaborator on your Qualtrics survey.
3. Lock your survey by the day before the session.
4. Sessions run, and responses go straight to your Qualtrics account.

Your survey must collect each participant's SONA ID, which they receive at check-in. Each session seats 16, and studies can reach about 200 participants over 1–2 weeks.

Session length and credit

The lab sets session length from the combined study lengths, plus 5 minutes at the start and end. Proctoring costs (RA wages) may be shared among participating MOR researchers.

Field Research

Lab studies draw from a narrow participant pool. Field research takes your study to real-world settings to reach working professionals, community members, and other non-student populations. We handle the logistics.

Where we go

• Game-day tailgate pop-ups at McCarthy Quad and other campus venues
• Campus stations at quads, libraries, and student unions
• Corporate lobby intercepts, such as USC Tower downtown
• Community venues, partner sites, local events, and conferences

Session formats

What we handle

• Venue scouting, approvals, signage, and power and WiFi
• Trained RA teams for recruitment, survey administration, and participant flow
• Equipment: iPads, laptops, hotspots, QR codes, and charging stations
• Completion checks, participant logs, and live response monitoring
• Incentives, including a prize wheel with USC merchandise or your own program

Multi-study sessions: up to 5 researchers' studies can share one deployment, each tracked separately. This lowers logistics costs and broadens your sample.

What you provide

A live, tested Qualtrics link, eligibility criteria, IRB approval that covers field collection, estimated length, a target sample size, and your incentive preference. Contact us at least 3–4 weeks before your target start date. Equipment is subject to availability.

Study Compensation

We pay your participants electronically through Tremendous or the USC Amazon Business account, using the lab's P-Card, and assign each charge to your account. There's no service fee for Marshall researchers. You're charged only for the compensation itself, with no reimbursement or journal entry needed.

Payment options for participants

Amazon and Visa e-gift cards, Venmo, PayPal, prepaid debit cards, and retailer gift cards. Cash and in-person payments follow a separate process; contact the lab for details.

How to request

Email behaviorallab@marshall.usc.edu with:

• Study name and IRB protocol number
• Number of participants and the amount for each (flat rate, bonus, or both; list varying amounts in a spreadsheet)
• Payment method
• Participant emails in Excel or CSV, or a request for claim links
• The PPGG account number for the charge

Payments go out within 48 hours of a complete request. A designated research assistant can submit requests for the PI, and several sessions or studies can be combined in one request.

What participants see

Participants get an MBRL-branded email with the study name and a link to claim their payment. Your name isn't included. Claim links expire after 12 months, and unclaimed payments can be resent, reissued, or canceled.

Keeping data separate: because the lab handles payments, you never need participants' contact information for compensation. This keeps payment data apart from research data, which supports anonymous and confidential study designs. You remain responsible for making sure amounts and methods match your IRB-approved protocol.