Reporting & exports
A Delphi study is complete when its conduct and findings can be explained, scrutinized, and—where appropriate—reproduced. Delphi Studio generates reporting artifacts from the same governed records, snapshots, and decisions used during the study. This reduces reconstruction and transcription work while leaving interpretation and authorship with the research team.
Export overview
Once a study reaches completion, Delphi Studio can produce the following key outputs:
- Study Report (DOCX) — Comprehensive internal or funder report
- CREDES-aligned Methods Export (Markdown) — Structured protocol and methods fields for investigator review
- AI-assisted Manuscript Sections — Review-gated Methods, Results, and Supplement drafts
- Consensus Tables — Summary tables for publication or supplementary materials
- REFI-QDA Export — Qualitative data package for analysis software
- Trace Bundle — Complete reproducibility package for reviewers or replication teams
- CSV Exports — Raw and processed data for further analysis
- Audit JSONL — Full system audit event log for verification or regulatory purposes
- Study events — Researcher-recorded timeline (external evidence, outages, deviations) included in report and trace bundle
- Re-analysis versions — Derived corrections after withdrawal or data correction, without mutating frozen dispositions
These exports are generated from governed study records and therefore support consistency between conduct and reporting. Investigators must still verify completeness, add off-platform context, and reconcile every manuscript claim against the applicable reporting checklist.
Study report
The in-app Report view provides a structured summary of the entire study. It includes:
| Section | Contents |
|---|---|
| Framework diagram | Visual summary of study design and methodology |
| Panel composition | Expertise domains, stakeholder mix, geography, and response rates across rounds |
| Disposition table | Final outcome for every item (retain / revise / drop) |
| Domain heatmap | Results aggregated by taxonomy domain |
| Round movement | Trajectories of items that were contested across rounds |
| Study events | Researcher-recorded external evidence, outages, and deviations |
| Themes & revisions | Qualitative evidence linked to item wording changes |
| Publication readiness | Status of key checklist items |
You can export this report as a DOCX file for journal submission, funder reporting, or internal archiving.
ACCORD and CREDES reporting
ACCORD is the general reporting guideline for biomedical consensus methods; it is not a conduct standard. CREDES provides complementary Delphi-specific conduct and reporting guidance developed from palliative-care studies. Delphi Studio records evidence relevant to both frameworks, but an export does not establish compliance on its own.
| Reporting topic | Delphi Studio source |
|---|---|
| Panel selection | Panel rules + enrollment data |
| Delphi design | Launch snapshot |
| Consensus definition | Consensus rule snapshots (per round) |
| Rounds & feedback | Round configuration + feedback snapshots |
| Attrition | Panel state + response rate data |
| Results | Disposition tables + statistical outputs |
The CREDES methods renderer produces Markdown from recorded protocol and panel fields. The built-in Manuscript tool can separately draft Methods, Results, and Supplement sections with AI assistance. Every AI-generated section must be reviewed and approved by a researcher before it can be treated as report content. See the ACCORD and CREDES crosswalk for the evidence the platform can supply and the context investigators must add.
Consensus tables
Delphi Studio can generate several types of summary tables suitable for publication:
| Table type | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Per-item summary | Median, IQR, zone, and final disposition for each item across rounds |
| Panel concordance | Kendall's W by round |
| Subgroup | Stratified medians (where sample size is sufficient) |
| Unresolved items | Items that remained indeterminate at study end |
These tables are available both embedded in the study report and as standalone CSV files.
Methodology export
One of the most important exports for methods sections is the frozen consensus rules. Because rules are snapshotted per round, you can quote them verbatim. For example:
"Consensus for agreement was defined as ≥80% of panelists rating 4 or 5 on a 5-point Likert scale, with a median ≥ 4 and IQR ≤ 1. These rules were applied after Round 2 closed on 2026-03-15, as recorded in the consensusRuleSnapshot."
This level of precision helps satisfy journal and reviewer expectations for transparency.
REFI-QDA export
Open-text comments and the final codebook can be exported in REFI-QDA v1.5 XML format. This allows direct import into:
- NVivo
- MAXQDA
- ATLAS.ti
- Quirkos
Only redacted text is included in the export. Raw identifiable comments are never released through this pathway.
Checksummed trace bundle
The Trace Bundle is the most comprehensive reproducibility package Delphi Studio produces. It includes:
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Reproducibility manifest | Per-file SHA-256 checksums |
| Audit log | Complete hash-chained system event history |
| Study events | Researcher-recorded narrative timeline |
| Launch snapshot | Full methodology at the time of study activation |
| Rule snapshots | Exact consensus rules applied in each round |
| Re-analysis versions | Derived corrections with per-item diffs (when used) |
| Ratings CSV | Pseudonymized rating data included for verification |
You can provide this bundle to journal reviewers, IRBs, or external replication teams. A third party can verify file checksums, inspect the hash-chained audit history, and re-run classification logic against the exported data and frozen rules. The checksums provide integrity evidence; they are not a digital signature or external certification.
PDF output
The in-app report includes Print / Save PDF, which uses the browser's print renderer. Delphi Studio does not currently generate a separate server-side publication PDF package. Review the browser preview before treating the resulting PDF as a final artifact.
CSV exports
Raw and processed datasets are available as CSV files for further analysis or archiving:
| Dataset | Representative fields |
|---|---|
| Items | ID, text, domain, final disposition, version history |
| Ratings | Pseudonym, item, round, score, dimension, comment (redacted) |
| Demographics | Expertise fields (de-identified) |
| Panel state | Invitation status, consent version, rounds completed |
Qualitative audit ZIP
From the qualitative workspace, you can export a ZIP file containing:
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
themes.csv | Final codebook with provenance (human vs. AI) |
code_frequencies.csv | How often each code was applied per item and round |
revision_evidence.json | Links between specific comments and item revisions |
This package is useful for supplementary materials or detailed qualitative reporting.
Pre-export checklist
Before finalizing exports, review the following checklist:
| ✓ | Item |
|---|---|
| ☐ | All item dispositions are finalized (or an unresolved items table has been prepared) |
| ☐ | Codebook is locked |
| ☐ | Attrition and response rates have been reviewed |
| ☐ | Manuscript sections have been human-approved |
| ☐ | Study has been marked complete or archived |
Completing this checklist helps ensure that all necessary documentation is in place for publication or regulatory submission.
Next steps
- Audit trail — trace bundle and hash chain
- ACCORD and CREDES crosswalk — reporting expectations and evidence sources
- Qualitative analysis — REFI-QDA and qual audit ZIP
- Clinical guideline example — end-to-end scenario