Quick Start — Reviewer
This guide covers the complete reviewer workflow: from finding an edition submitted for your review to approving it (or requesting changes).
Your role: Reviewers read submitted edition data, raise field-level or section-level comments, and either approve the edition (unlocking output generation) or send it back to the contributor for corrections.
Before you begin
You need:
- A Report Forge login — your admin sends the invite
- Reviewer access on the project
- A submitted edition to review — you receive an email notification when one is ready
Step 1 — Open the edition for review
From the notification email:
- Click Review edition in the notification email.
- You land directly on the edition in review mode.
From the app:
- Go to Report Forge → select your project.
- Click the Editions tab.
- Look for editions with status Submitted — these are waiting for your review.
- Click the edition name to open it.
Step 2 — Navigate edition sections
Once the edition is open, the section nav on the left lists every section. Use it to move between sections quickly.
| Nav indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Grey circle | Section not yet visited |
| Blue circle | Section viewed |
| Comment badge | Section has open comments |
Work through each section methodically — use the Next section arrow at the bottom of each section, or click directly in the nav.
Step 3 — Raise review comments
You can comment at three levels of granularity:
| Comment level | How to add it | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Field-level | Click the comment icon next to a specific field | A single value is incorrect or needs clarification |
| Section-level | Click Add comment in the section header | The whole section needs rework or is missing content |
| Edition-level | Click Add edition comment at the top | An overarching issue affects multiple sections |
Writing effective comments
- Be specific: "The cost variance figure is $45k higher than the progress claim — please reconcile" rather than "incorrect".
- Reference rows by their row identifier where possible.
- Attach a file to a comment if you have a reference document.
Comments are visible to all contributors and other reviewers on this edition.
Step 4 — Approve or request changes
Once you have reviewed all sections, take one of two actions:
Approve
Click Approve at the top of the edition.
- The edition status changes to Approved.
- The report owner can now generate and publish the output.
- All contributors are notified.
Request changes
Click Request changes at the top of the edition.
- The edition status changes to Changes requested.
- Contributors receive a notification listing the open comments.
- The edition returns to editable state for contributors.
- You receive a notification when the contributor resubmits.
Use Request changes even for minor corrections — it creates a complete audit trail showing what was queried and how it was resolved.
Step 5 — Re-review after changes
When a contributor resubmits after addressing your comments:
- You receive a notification: "Edition resubmitted — [Edition Name]".
- Open the edition — the review panel shows a Changes since last review summary highlighting which fields were updated.
- Check the contributor's replies to your comments — look for the reply thread under each comment.
- Click Resolve on comments you are satisfied with, or add a follow-up comment.
- Once all comments are resolved, click Approve.
Review panel at a glance
| Panel element | Description |
|---|---|
| Open comments | Count of unresolved comments across all sections |
| Resolved comments | Count of resolved (closed) comments |
| Activity log | Chronological record of all status changes, comments, and replies |
| Changes since last review | Fields modified after the last resubmission (visible after a resubmit) |
| Reviewer list | Other reviewers assigned to this edition |
Common questions
Can I see the previous edition for comparison? Yes — click Compare with prior edition in the edition header (available if a previous edition exists for this blueprint).
Another reviewer already approved — do I still need to? Review workflows can require all reviewers to approve or just one — this depends on your blueprint settings. Your admin can confirm.
I approved by mistake. Contact your project admin to re-open the edition. Admins can return an approved edition to In review.
I want to see the output before approving. Click Preview output in the edition header — this generates a draft preview without changing the edition status.
What's next
- Review Comments and History — full review panel reference
- Edition Lifecycle — edition status flow and best practices
- Publish and Export — generating and distributing the approved report