Completion and retention
When every round is finalized, complete the study so the research record becomes read-only and the retention clock starts, then archive or request deletion only from this page.
Who can open this: Principal investigator
Who this is for
Only a principal investigator of the study sees Completion and retention. Anyone else does not get the page. The action refusal, if one is attempted, is "Only a principal investigator of this study can do that."
A deletion request is decided by a different principal investigator. If you are the only one, the page says so and records the decision as not separated from the request. Steering committee (full access) and the other study seats do not open this page. They can still read results and download files where Reporting allows it.
A sample study shows "Sample studies cannot be completed" and cannot be completed here.
Steps
Table: the badge, or the History outcome, after each action. Approving also prints "Deleted …" or "Nothing was left to delete." That line is not the outcome word.
| Action | Badge or History outcome |
|---|---|
| Complete this study | Completed |
| Archive this study | Archived |
| Request deletion | Waiting for a decision |
| Deny | Denied. Nothing was deleted |
| Yes, approve and delete | Approved and carried out |
Open Completion and retention from the study. Before the study is completed the title is "Complete the study".
- Read "What becomes read-only". "Becomes read-only" lists Setup (identity, ethics and retention terms, the consent form, method, items, rating rules, and the round plan), every round's content, schedule, approval, and state, panelists' answers, drafts, and submissions, results versions, the review of comments, dispositions, and the Decision log, and the study team's roles. "Stays open" lists Overview, Reporting, and exports, the study audit, withdrawal and answer-removal requests, and retention and deletion requests on this page. The page says "Completing cannot be undone."
- Clear "Ready to complete?". When something is in the way, the note counts the things and lists them. Typical lines are that a round is not finalized yet ("Close each round's Decision stage first."), that a round has answers but no sealed results version, that a request to remove answers is waiting under Removal requests, that there is no saved retention policy, or that the retention policy was never confirmed in Ethics. "Rounds" and "Removal requests" are linked under the list. When nothing is in the way, the page says every round is finalized, the results are confirmed, and no removal request is waiting, and that the retention policy confirmed in Ethics starts to run from the day you complete.
- Tick "I have read what becomes read-only, and I understand that completing cannot be undone." Then "Complete this study…", and on "Complete this study now?" choose "Yes, complete the study". That is the second press. The study's setup, rounds, answers, and results become read-only, and the retention clock starts that day. The page then says "The study is completed."
- Read what remains. The badge is "Completed", with the time in the study time zone and the number of rounds. "What is read-only now" repeats the two lists, with "Still open" for what you can keep doing. "Retention clock (UTC)" shows "Completed", "Identifiable data kept until", "Then", and "Status" ("[N] days to go" or "Period has ended"). The "Then" line is the policy: "delete the data", "keep only pseudonymized data", or "archive the data in a repository". "Results kept at completion" lists each round's current results version and the start of its seal, or "No round had answers, so there are no results versions."
- Archive, if you mean to leave the active lists. "Archive" says archiving moves the completed study out of the active lists, it stays read-only, nothing is deleted, and it cannot be undone. "Archive this study…" then "Yes, archive the study". The badge becomes "Archived". Deleting data is a separate request.
- Request deletion only under the policy. "Delete data under the retention policy" says nothing is deleted on its own. "What always stays" includes the audit trail, every results version, the round, review, and Decision records, and pseudonymous participation records. "Request a deletion" offers only what the policy allows: "Names and email addresses", and, when the policy is to delete the data, "Individual answers and comments". Write "Your reason" (at least 10 characters; do not write anyone's name or answers) and press "Request deletion". The page says another principal investigator decides it, and nothing is deleted until then. The decider writes a reason and presses "Approve…" then "Yes, approve and delete", or "Deny". "History" lists each request as "Waiting for a decision", "Denied. Nothing was deleted", or "Approved and carried out".
While a request is "Waiting for a decision", you see whether it was asked before or after the retention period ended. If you asked it, the page says "Another principal investigator of this study has to decide your request."
What the app will not do
- It will not complete a study that has not launched, that still has a round unfinalized, that is missing a confirmation or a sealed results version, that has a removal waiting, or whose retention policy was never confirmed.
- It will not undo completion. The page says reopening a completed study would be a documented amendment, which is not built, and a mistake is corrected by a new results version, never by editing.
- It will not delete anything on its own when the retention period ends. The page says "Nothing is deleted on its own" and, when the period has ended, "Request the deletion below so the policy is carried out."
- It will not move data to a repository. When the policy is to archive the data in a repository, the page says nothing is deleted under that policy, and moving data to a repository is not built.
- It will not show this page to anyone who is not a principal investigator of the study, and a sample study cannot be completed here.
- It will not hide the results. Overview, Reporting, and exports stay readable, as "Stays open" says. Answer removal after completion is still Removal and return.
Related
Checked against the app on 2026-10-31.