Master Reviewer guide

What master review does

Master Reviewer is permission for a specific project and phase, not a separate login role. An assigned master reviewer can review studies regardless of their ordinary screener or reviewer assignment.

Multiple master reviewers may be assigned. They share access to permitted project studies and saved sets. A reservation and a fresh-state check protect saves from silently overwriting another person's work.

1. Assign access and open the workspace

1. In project setup, assign master reviewers while configuring the team, or open Change Team → Master Reviewers for an existing project.
2. Select eligible company administrators and grant FPS, FTR, or both. Save the master reviewer settings.
3. Open the project's admin detail page. In Workflow, select Master Review, after PDF Manager.
4. Choose the review phase and whether to review All studies or a Subset of studies.

Being an administrator alone does not grant master review access. Assigning a master reviewer does not redistribute ordinary screening work. Removing their access prevents future edits but retains their past decisions.

2. Wait for screening readiness

You can assign master reviewers before screening finishes. They can start reviewing only when screening is ready for the selected phase.

Include, Exclude, and Unsure count as completed screening. Pending or failed work does not. Completing Arm A for some studies and Arm B for others does not count as one completed arm.

A frozen or archived project remains read-only. If work is completed after you opened the page, refresh to retrieve the current readiness state.

3. Choose all studies or a random subset

All studies

Apply any filters you need, then choose Start in Reading view or Start in Excel-style view. Both styles use the same master decision workflow.

Subset of studies

1. Choose an outcome population: current filters, all outcomes, Include + Unsure, or Exclude.
2. Select a percentage with the slider, number field, or 10% / 20% buttons.
3. Select Preview sample size. Review the eligible population, exclusions, and selected count.
4. Give the set a name, then choose Create & open Reading view or Create & open Excel-style view.

The percentage uses the remaining eligible, filtered studies and rounds up. For example, 20% of 90 eligible studies selects 18. All outcomes removes only the outcome restriction; other filters remain active.

The default Not master-reviewed filter excludes previously checked work. To sample previously reviewed studies, choose All studies in the filters and enable Include previously reviewed. An explicit status filter still restricts the population. Existing saved-set members are always excluded.

A saved set keeps the same members when reopened. Unavailable studies retain their place; they are not replaced. If another set is created after your preview and claims candidates, generate a new preview.

4. Narrow the queue with filters

Choose Studies to review and Reason / criterion. The default is Not master-reviewed with All reasons. Outcome and reason filters match the current final decision for the selected FPS or FTR phase.

Studies to review mixes two kinds of filter: Not master-reviewed and Needs recheck describe master-review status. Included, Excluded, and Unsure describe the current effective final outcome, including any active master override. Conflicts finds unresolved decision or criteria conflicts. All studies removes this decision/status restriction, but keeps search, reason, and advanced filters.

Needs recheck is automatic. It is not a manual action: later evidence or configuration changes, or an FPS change affecting FTR review, can require a new check. The Flag action and Flagged filter are no longer offered.

Filters apply automatically in both Reading and Excel-style views; search applies after a short typing pause. Use Reset to restore the defaults. Expand Advanced filters for reviewer, decision source, PDF availability, original evidence, or duplicate options. Filtering a saved set narrows its visible members without changing membership.

Understand Final FPS and Final FTR

In Excel-style view, Final FPS and Final FTR show the result of the normal screening and assigned-reviewer workflow, without the master override. Master FPS and Master FTR separately show the active master decision and remain empty until one is recorded. This lets you compare the original workflow result with the master decision.

An active master decision still takes precedence for the project's effective result. The Reading view's Final decisions panel and outcome filters use that effective result. The table below explains this precedence, rather than the separate Excel column display.

In double-review projects, Arm A and Arm B evidence appears beneath each final result in both review styles, with AI or Human as the source. Missing or unfinished decisions show Pending. Arm B does not automatically override Arm A.

5. Review in Reading view

1. Select a study from the left-hand list.
2. Read the abstract in the centre. Open PDF / Full text when available—even during FPS review.
3. Inspect current decisions and the AI, human, assigned-reviewer, and master histories on the right. The other phase's history is available when you have that phase's permission.
4. Select Include for FPS or Exclude for FPS at the bottom, or the FTR action when available. Check the phase on the button.
5. In the popup, choose a Decision criterion and optionally add a comment. There is no separate required explanation field.
6. Select Save FPS & next or Save FTR & next. After a successful save, the next study opens.

The decision saves and the next study opens automatically. Master review offers Include and Exclude; it has no Unsure decision. FTR actions require FTR permission, screening readiness, and an eligible study with available full text.

Inside the decision popup, expand Other review actions to confirm an eligible current result or revoke master authority. Revocation requires a reason.

The app navbar's back button returns to master review setup. Back again returns to the project detail page.

6. Review in Excel-style view

Compare the study ID and title, Final FPS and Final FTR results from the normal screening/reviewer workflow, and separate Master FPS and Master FTR decisions. A master decision is blank until one is recorded and does not replace the result displayed in the Final columns.

For double-review projects, each final outcome also shows Arm A and Arm B decisions, marked AI or Human. An unfinished arm shows Pending. These arm details are evidence only: they do not replace the normal agreement, conflict resolution, or reviewer rules. The same details appear in Reading view's Final decisions panel.

1. Choose Include or Exclude from the dropdown in the correct master phase column.
2. Choose the row editor's decision criterion and add a comment if needed.
3. Save the decision. You can use Ctrl+Enter while editing. The table stays in place for the next study.

Expand Abstract inside a row to read it without leaving the table. Select PDF to open the linked document in a popup. A disabled PDF button indicates that no linked PDF is available.

After saving, rows stay in place for efficient review. Select Refresh to update which studies match the filters.

Only one cell is edited at a time. Save or cancel the draft before switching studies, filters, or view styles. Disabled controls reflect the phase's permissions, readiness, or the study's eligibility.

7. Apply bulk decisions

1. Select study checkboxes, Select page, or Select all matching studies. Check the selection count.
2. Open Review bulk changes. Check the selected IDs in the popup.
3. Choose the master phase and Include or Exclude. Enable Also replace existing master decisions only when you intend to amend them.
4. Choose the shared reason and optionally add a shared comment. A reason must match each study's criterion version.
5. Review the eligible and blocked counts. Show study details is optional; the Apply button works without expanding the list.
6. Select the Apply button for the chosen phase and decision. Check the saved, failed, and uncertain counts afterward.

Until you select a shared reason, the popup asks for a reason and Apply stays disabled. A comment is optional. When all selected decisions save successfully, the popup closes and the success notification becomes visible. Partial or uncertain results stay open so you can inspect and recover them.

Retry failed or remaining work using the offered controls. If a save has an uncertain outcome, recover the same request before continuing. Changing to the other phase does not complete reviews in the original phase's sample.

8. Understand FPS changes after FTR

The FTR result shows Invalidated by FPS exclusion and no longer counts as an active FTR Include. The invalidation is recorded in master history; previous decision evidence is preserved for audit.

9. Follow progress and history

Reviewing inside a saved set credits that set. Confirmed and Overridden represent completed checks; Needs recheck, Reviewed elsewhere, Skipped, and Unavailable explain work that needs separate attention. Older flagged records remain visible in history and progress, although new flagging is no longer offered. Skipping changes sample progress without changing the study decision.

An amendment records a new current master decision and keeps the earlier one in history. Revocation withdraws master authority and returns resolution to the current ordinary screening/reviewer flow; it does not erase history or restore FTR work invalidated by FPS exclusion.

Later source or configuration changes may mark a decision Needs recheck. Inspect the current evidence before amending or confirming. Removing a user's master assignment does not revoke their earlier decisions.

When something is blocked