Understanding Supplemental Forms in Reviewr
Supplemental forms are one of the most powerful tools in Reviewr for building flexible, dynamic event workflows. These are additional events linked to a main (or "parent") event and are used to collect follow-up or related information from different users beyond the initial submission stage.
You can link one or more supplemental (or "child") events to a single main event—and even create grandchild events (a child event linked to another child event). This structure supports multi-stage or multi-party application processes, all within a single, unified system.
Whether you're inviting applicants to complete a new round of information, collecting additional documentation, or involving new users like recommenders or collaborators, supplemental forms make it easy to manage complex workflows and keep everything connected.
Event Hierarchy Terminology
Understanding the event hierarchy is key to configuring and navigating your event setup:
Parent Event: The primary event where the submission process starts. This is referenced in email templates using tokens such as
[PARENT.EVENT.NAME].Child Event: A supplemental form linked directly to the parent event.
Grandchild Event: A supplemental form linked to a child event, continuing the workflow chain.
This hierarchy gives you the flexibility to structure your event however complex your process requires.
How Supplemental Forms Are Linked
Supplemental forms are connected using Event Links, which are configured by the Reviewr team on the backend. These links define how events relate to one another, allowing information and user flow to be managed between them.
Once the events are linked, the Supplemental Invite feature enables you to:
Invite users back into the same event, or
Invite them into a linked supplemental form, depending on your workflow needs.
This allows for seamless coordination between parties at different stages of the application process.
Date Configuration Best Practices
When building events with supplemental forms, it’s important to structure your timelines to support the correct flow of submissions and invites.
Main (parent) event dates should begin and end before the supplemental (child) event dates.
This ensures that supplemental users are only invited after the initial form is fully completed.
Supplemental Invite Options:
Automatic (On Submit): The most common setup. The supplemental invite is sent only after the main form has been submitted. This ensures only completed applications trigger the next stage.
Manual: Admins can also choose to manually trigger the supplemental invite. This is often used in:
Multi-round events, where only selected applicants advance
Strict review workflows, where admins decide who proceeds based on initial review
Automatic (On Save): While available, this option is not recommended. It allows invites to be sent even before the main form is submitted, which may result in the supplemental form being completed prematurely. This can mistakenly change the application status to Ready instead of Incomplete, which may interfere with review processes.
Best Practice:
Set your supplemental form deadlines a few days later than your main event deadline to ensure:
The initial submission has time to be completed
Invites are properly sent
Invitees have enough time to complete their part without affecting workflow logic
Locked User Information
When a user is invited to complete a supplemental form, the first First Name, Last Name, and Email they enter upon submission are tied to their login credentials. If they change these fields afterward, it will not update their access.
If credentials need to be changed after submission:
The user should contact the event admin.
The event admin can reach out to the Reviewr team via chat to request a manual update.
This helps ensure data consistency and prevents access issues throughout the process.
Common Use Cases
Here are just a few examples of how supplemental forms are used across different types of events:
Awards Programs
Main Event: Nominator submits a nomination
Supplemental Event: Nominee is invited to complete their own form
Scholarships
Main Event: Applicant submits the main application
Supplemental Events: Letters of recommendation, acceptance confirmations, etc.
Grants
Main Event: Applicant submits initial grant proposal
Supplemental Event: Post-award grant reporting or progress updates
Supplemental forms make it possible to gather different sets of data from different users across the lifecycle of a single application.