How to Clear Article Decisions for Re-Review
The Clear Decisions function allows authorised users to remove the screening decisions recorded for an article at its current review stage. After the decisions are cleared, the article becomes available for reviewers to assess again at the same stage.
Project teams can use this feature when an article needs to be reassessed- for example, after eligibility criteria change, a quality check identifies an issue, or a reviewer submits an incorrect decision.
Clear Decisions can be used for both included and excluded articles.
Who Can Clear Decisions?
The Clear Decisions option is available to:
- Project owners
- Lead reviewers
Other reviewers may reassess an article after its decisions have been cleared, but they cannot clear the existing decisions unless they have one of these roles.
Before You Begin
Before clearing an article’s decisions, confirm that:
- You are a project owner or lead reviewer.
- The correct project and article are selected.
- The article is currently included or excluded.
- The article needs to be reviewed again at its current stage.
- Any relevant protocol or eligibility-criteria updates have been communicated to the review team.
Clearing decisions removes the decisions recorded at the current stage. Consider documenting why the decisions are being cleared if your team maintains an audit or quality-control record.
How to Clear an Article’s Decisions
- Open the relevant project.
- Navigate to the Articles section.
- Filter or search for the article you want to reassess.
- Confirm that you have selected the correct included or excluded article.
- Open the article’s Actions menu.
- Select Clear Decisions.
- Complete any confirmation step that appears.
The decisions recorded at the article’s current stage are removed. The article then becomes available for reviewers to assess again at that stage.
What Happens When Decisions Are Cleared?
Clearing decisions changes the article’s screening state in the following ways:
- Existing decisions at the current stage are removed.
- The article is no longer treated as having a completed decision at that stage.
- The article becomes available for review again at the same stage.
- Reviewers can reassess the article using the current protocol.
- Reviewers can submit new screening decisions.
The feature does not automatically apply a replacement decision. A reviewer must reassess the article and submit a new decision.
What Does “Current Stage” Mean?
The current stage is the screening stage where the article’s active decision was made.
For example, if an article is at the title and abstract screening stage, Clear Decisions removes the decisions from that stage. If the article is at the full-text screening stage, the option removes the decisions from the full-text stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Clear Decisions automatically change an included article to excluded?
No. It removes the current-stage decisions without assigning a new outcome. The article must be reviewed again.
Can Clear Decisions be used for excluded articles?
Yes. The feature can be used for both included and excluded articles.
Can any reviewer clear an article’s decisions?
No. Only project owners and lead reviewers can use the Clear Decisions option.
Can reviewers assess the article again after its decisions are cleared?
Yes. The article becomes available for review again at the same stage, and reviewers can submit new decisions.
Are decisions from every stage removed?
No. Only decisions recorded at the article’s current stage are removed.
Does clearing decisions move the article to another review stage?
No. The article becomes available for re-review at its current stage.
Does Clear Decisions submit a new decision?
No. It only removes existing current-stage decisions. A reviewer must reassess the article and submit a new decision.
When should I avoid using Clear Decisions?
Do not use this option when you only need to view, discuss, or document an existing decision. Use it when the article genuinely needs a fresh assessment at its current stage.