The Study Lifecycle: From Configuration to Completion

Every study on MobLab Research progresses through a series of statuses from creation to completion. This guide explains the journey your study will take, what each status means, and what actions are available at every stage.

1. CONFIGURED (Draft)

• What it means: This is the default status for any newly created study. It is a draft that is not visible to participants.
• How to get here: This state is entered automatically when you create a new study.
• Possible next steps:
  • Launch the study: This is the primary action. Launching a study begins the recruitment process.
    • If the study is LIVE, it will move to the ACTIVE status.
    • If the study is ASYNC, it will skip ACTIVE and move directly to the STARTED status.
  • Delete the study: If you decide not to proceed, you can delete the draft. The study will be moved to an ARCHIVED state.

2. ACTIVE (LIVE Studies Only)

• What it means: Think of this as the "recruitment" or "waiting room" phase for a LIVE study. It has been launched, but its scheduled start time has not yet been reached.
• How to get here: Launch a LIVE study from the CONFIGURED state.
• What's happening: Our system is actively sending invitations to eligible participants so they can reserve their spot before the study begins.
• Possible next steps:
  • The study will automatically move to the STARTED status when its scheduled startTime is reached.

3. STARTED

• What it means: The study is officially running and actively collecting data.
• How to get here:
  • For LIVE studies: Automatically enters this state when the startTime is reached.
  • For ASYNC studies: Enters this state immediately after being launched.
  • For PAUSED studies: Enters this state when you resume the study.
• Possible next steps:
  • (Manual) Stop the study: You can choose to end data collection early. This will move the study to the STOPPED status.
  • (Manual) Pause the study (ASYNC only): You can temporarily halt recruitment for an ASYNC study. This moves it to the PAUSED status.
  • (Automatic) Finish the study: The study can finish automatically in two ways, moving to the FINISHED status:
    1. The target sample size is reached.
    2. The study's end time is reached (primarily for LIVE studies).

4. PAUSED (ASYNC Studies Only)

• What it means: An ASYNC study that you have temporarily halted. Recruitment is inactive.
• How to get here: Manually pause an ASYNC study from the STARTED state.
• Possible next steps:
  • Resume the study: This will return the study to the STARTED state to continue collecting data.
  • Stop the study: You can also choose to permanently stop a paused study, which will move it to the STOPPED status.

5. STOPPED

• What it means: A study that was manually ended before its natural completion. Recruitment is permanently over.
• How to get here: Manually stop a study from either the STARTED or PAUSED state.
• Possible next steps:
  • After you review all collected submissions, the study will move to the final REVIEWED status.

6. FINISHED

• What it means: The study has completed its data collection phase automatically and naturally.
• How to get here: A STARTED study automatically moves here when it hits its target sample size (ASYNC) or its end time (LIVE).
• Possible next steps:
  • After you review all collected submissions, the study will move to the final REVIEWED status.

7. REVIEWED / ARCHIVED

• What it means: The study is fully complete and closed. ARCHIVED is the status for deleted drafts, while REVIEWED is the final state for all completed studies.
• How to get here:
  • A CONFIGURED draft becomes ARCHIVED when you delete it.
  • A FINISHED or STOPPED study becomes REVIEWED after you process all its submissions, or automatically when the system processes them.
• Automatic Processing: If submissions are not manually reviewed, the system will automatically:
  • Approve all submissions with non-zero payment amounts
  • Reject all submissions with zero payment amounts
  • Once all submissions have been processed (either manually or automatically), the study status changes to REVIEWED and any remaining funds are rolled over back to your wallet.
• Possible next steps: This is the final state. From here, you can view the study's data and generate reports.