Research Participation System
The Research Participation System (RPS) at SFU Linguistics provides students with direct exposure to linguistic research and phenomena. When you volunteer to participate in an RPS study, you get to see what the science of language entails first-hand. At the same time, you can earn credit towards participating LING courses. Credit can also be earned by attending research talks and conferences, or completing a research ethics tutorial.
Prof. Margaret Grant on the purpose and benefits of RPS
How to earn RPS credits
Linguistics RPS credits can be accumulated in the following ways:
- One RPS credit is awarded for every half-hour of research participation in a sanctioned research project through the RPS system in the Department of Linguistics. Participation is voluntary. You may participate in more than one research project, but you may not repeat research projects to multiply credits awarded. You can find a list of available sanctioned projects below. Please use the direct booking link or send an email to the contact person of the study to make an appointment.
- One RPS credit is awarded for attending a 1-hour colloquium (i.e., research talk) from our department, external linguistics-related colloquia, or any session at a Linguistics conference offered this term. See the RPS Events page for recommended upcoming internal and external events approved for RPS credit. All events are free (do not pay for conferences) and most offer virtual options for attendance. To claim your credit, please complete a half-page summary (single-spaced) of what you learned. This must be submitted within two weeks of the event date (and before the November 30 deadline for late-term events). This summary must include a) the title and date of the conference or colloquium (must be during this semester), b) the name of the speaker (and session if a conference), and c) a 300-word summary of the session contents – it is certainly okay not to understand everything – simply include what questions you have about the content in your summary. For conferences, please include a copy of your registration confirmation as a second attachment. Send the required document(s) in PDF format using this webform.
- One RPS credit is awarded for completing a 3-hour online Research Ethics Tutorial sanctioned by Canada's official research agencies. Upon completion, you will be given a PDF of a certificate of completion with your name. Please note that the date of training completion must be during this semester (i.e., prior completions do not count). Send this PDF using this webform.
Please note:
- Each set of points can be applied to ONE course only (no duplication of points)
- All points will be used during the current semester (no banking of points)
- Different instructors may have different ways of including RPS points in their overall grade assessment. Please see their course syllabus or research engagement policy below (Participating Courses).
Participation Deadlines
The deadline to earn RPS credits for Fall 2026 is Monday, November 30, 2026.
| Research Area | Title | Ethics Number | Requirements | Contact | Location | Number of credits |
| Phonetics | Perceptual Evaluation of Native-Nonnative Speech Adaptation in Conversation | 30001857 | Native speakers of North American English with no speech or hearing impairments. IMPORTANT INFO: Participation in this study is completely anonymous. In order to claim your RPS credit, once you've finished, you must submit a screenshot of the last page (and time you finished) by email to the researcher, Han Zhang (han_zhang7@sfu.ca), who will record your participation and award the RPS credits. Please include your full name, student number, and the course(s) you are applying the credits toward. |
[Click here to access the study] Han Zhang han_zhang7@sfu.ca |
online | 2 credits (60 min) |
| Neurolinguistics | Decoding Speech: Brainwave patterns in phoneme perception | 30003055 | Native English speakers, over 18 years old, with no speech/hearing impairments, no dental appliances or implants (no braces, retainer or metal fillings), normal or corrected-to-normal vision (can wear contact lenses), and right-handed. | Han Zhang han_zhang7@sfu.ca |
SFU ImageTech Lab, Surrey Memorial Hospital | 2 credits + $20 (60 min) (Additional compensation due to location and specifics of study) |
| Syntax | Grammar and Processing of Resumptive Pronouns | 30001133 | English speakers (native or non-native); access to a computer keyboard. | [Click here to access the study] Sara Williamson slw28@sfu.ca |
online | 1 credit (30 min) |
| Syntax | Grammar and Processing of Resumptive Pronouns (II) | 30001133 | Native speakers of Korean, late learners of English who learned English as a second language in a school setting. | [Click here to access the study] Sara Williamson slw28@sfu.ca |
online | 1 credit (30 min) |
| Phonetics | Real-time Speech Adaptations in Conversations between Human Interlocutor and AI Confederate | 30001857 | Native speakers of British/Irish/Australian English (NOT North American English), 18-60 years old, with no hearing impairments or language-related pathologies. | Han Zhang |
RCB 7201 | 2 credits Can choose between RPS credits or $12 |
| Phonetics | Adaptations in conversation: Engaging voices, faces, brains and machines | 30001857 |
|
Han Zhang han_zhang7@sfu.ca |
RCB 7201 | 2 credits (60 min) Can choose between RPS credits or $12 |
| Phonetics | Adaptations in conversation: Engaging voices, faces, brains and machines | 30001857 | Native or Heritage Cantonese speakers with normal hearing; reads Traditional Chinese. | Ivan Fong ivan_fong@sfu.ca |
RCB 7201 | 2 credits (60 min) Can choose between RPS credits or $12 |
Inquiries
Please contact lingrsch@sfu.ca.
Note
It is the student's responsibility to keep track of RPS credits earned during the semester. If you are unsure which study you participated in, or you do not remember which course you assigned the credit toward, search "RPS" in your email. Lab researchers track this information and provide it to Linguistics staff during the last week of classes.