Create and Manage Forms in RPT
Interfolio Review, Promotion & Tenure (RPT) supports multiple types of forms to collect structured information throughout the review process. Forms allow institutions to gather narratives, evaluations, votes, and administrative data in a consistent, reportable format. This article explains how administrators create, edit, and manage forms in RPT. It focuses on the mechanics of working with forms, including creating new forms, adding questions, editing existing forms, and understanding how changes affect active and future cases.RPT.
Before You Begin
To create or manage forms in RPT, you must have the appropriate administrative permissions. Forms are created centrally and can be reused across multiple templates and cases. This article assumes you understand the different types of forms available in RPT, Candidate Forms, Committee Forms, and Case Data Forms, and when each is used. If you are new to forms in RPT, check out our article About Forms in RPT before continuing.
Create/Manage Forms
All forms are created in the Administration section of RPT. Administrators typically create forms during initial configuration or when new data collection or evaluation requirements are introduced.
Creating a form does not automatically make it available in cases. Forms must be explicitly attached during the template creation process or when managing reviewers of a case before they can be completed. Attaching a form does not automatically assign respondents; assignment depends on workflow configuration and role. The images below illustrate where forms are completed within a case.
- Navigate to the Administration page and select the form type you want to create (Candidate, Committee, or Case Data) from the left-hand navigation menu.
- Click the Add Forms button on the desired tab to create a new form. You can also click the Pencil (edit) icon next to an existing form to edit.
Committee Forms are the only forms that can be duplicated using the Options dropdown.
- Fill out the Add New Form window, including the form title, description, and unit. Click Done when finished.
The unit assignment determines where the form can be used across the institution. Forms are available to the selected unit and all units below it in the hierarchy.
- You will be directed to the ‘Edit Form’ window, where you can make changes to the title, description and unit selected as well as add questions to the form. Click the + Add Question button.
You can also click Show Applicant Preview when creating a candidate form to preview how the form will appear to candidates.
- The ‘Add Question’ window will appear where you will enter the Question Title, Help Information, select the question type (Text, Multiple Choice, Checkboxes, Grid), and whether the question is required.
- Repeat this for as many questions as necessary and then click Done when finished.
Once questions are added, they can be dragged and dropped to change the order in which they appear. Formatting can also be added by clicking the arrow next to the ‘Add Question’ button to add section dividers, headings, and descriptions to customize the form display.
Check out this article about Text Character Limits in RPT for information on committee and candidate form character limits.
Question Types
- Text Question (Short Answer): Brief responses
- Text Question (Paragraph): Longer written responses
- Multiple Choice (Single Select): One selection from a list
- Checkbox: Multiple selections
- Date: Date/time inputs
- Number: Numerical input (decimals allowed)
- Dropdown: Custom dropdown list
- Rating: Scaled evaluations (5, 6, 10‑point or star scale). Whether or not to include the ability to add comments for each rating criterion can be set under the ‘Settings’ section of the form creation process.
- Grid Question: Presents applicants with columns and rows, of which they can select one option per row. This type of question can be used to express preferences and which courses the applicant would like to teach.
Formatting Options
- Section Heading: A large-text label that can be placed atop a discrete section of the form.
- Section Description: Contextual text that can be tucked underneath a heading and above the actual questions.
- Section Divider: A simple horizontal line that can visually break up the form.
It is recommended to include a brief note inside complex Candidate Forms explaining how edits will behave if the form is changed during a case review. This helps both administrators and candidates understand how updates affect forms in different stages of the workflow.
- In-Progress Cases: Candidates will immediately see your edits, unless they have already submitted the form.
- Submitted Cases: Edits appear on the ‘Edit Case’ page, but do not replace previously submitted responses.
FAQs
What happens when a form is edited after responses already exist?
Existing responses remain unchanged. Edits only apply to active case steps where no responses exist or future cases created after the edits. When editing, RPT displays a warning so administrators understand the impact.
A form was deleted from a case in RPT. Is there any way to recover it? What steps should be taken to redo the form?
Once a form is deleted from a case in RPT, it cannot be recovered directly. However, you can re-add the form and ensure it gets completed again by following these steps:
- Go to the step in the case workflow where the form was originally assigned.
- Re-add the form to that step.
- Send the case back to that step so the appropriate person (e.g., committee manager or committee member) can fill out and submit the form again.