Before you add any questions you need a structure. It decides how information is organized, and how it appears to site users and participants, which is not the same thing in every module.
How the structure works
There are three levels, always in the same order:
Sections are the highest level. In an eCRF, a section is a visit.
Sub-sections are the steps or forms inside a section.
Questions live under each sub-section.
What the reader actually sees depends on the module.
Module | How the structure behaves |
eCRF | A section is a visit, a sub-section is a form, and questions appear inside the form. |
ePRO | Each question is shown on its own. Participants never see section or sub-section titles. |
eConsent | Mostly instructions. The structure shows up in the final signed PDF rather than during completion. |
Recruitment | Behaves like ePRO: one question at a time. |
Subject Database | Same structure as the eCRF, but in the subject profile the questions are shown individually. |
⚠️ Warning: in ePRO, Recruitment and eConsent, your section and sub-section titles are invisible to the reader. If a question only makes sense under its heading, it will not make sense to the participant. Put the context in the question or in an instruction block instead.
Build your structure
🛠️ Step by step guide
Go to the Builder.
Create at least one section and one sub-section.
Click Save.
Navigate between sections and sub-sections from the left menu, and start adding questions.
💡 Tip: two habits that save real time.
You do not need the whole structure up front. Create the first visits and forms you need, then duplicate to replicate them later. That keeps the design flexible while you are still deciding.
Use templates for the forms every study has, such as Demographics or Adverse Events, rather than rebuilding them each time.