Annotation Builder

The annotation builder lets you compose the form that annotators will see when working through their tasks. Forms consist of layout blocks arranged in order.

Creating a Form

Go to Annotation Builder in the project sidebar and click New annotation form. Give the form a descriptive name (e.g. Sentiment form or Topic + urgency).

A form must have at least one block before it can be used in a workflow.

Layout Blocks

Each block represents one element of the annotation interface. Blocks are ordered and displayed top-to-bottom in the annotator's task view.

Document Viewer

Displays the document text (and optionally metadata columns) so annotators have context while answering questions. Every form should include at least one document viewer.

Configuration options:

• Choose which metadata columns to show alongside the primary text.
• Toggle whether the text is displayed with line breaks or as a single paragraph.

Input Component

Renders a form control for one variable. Annotators interact with input components to submit their responses.

Configuration:

• Variable — select which project variable this input collects
• Required — whether the annotator must answer before submitting (default: yes)
• Label / description — optional instruction text shown above the control

The control rendered depends on the variable type:

• Single categorical → radio buttons or a dropdown
• Multi-categorical → checkboxes
• Likert → a labelled scale
• Text → a text area
• Integer / Float → a number input

Static Text

A read-only block for instructions, section headers, or other guidance. Supports markdown formatting so you can include bold text, bullet lists, or links.

Managing Blocks

Blocks can be reordered by dragging them in the form editor. Click the delete icon to remove a block. Changes are saved immediately.

Previewing a Form

Click Preview to see the form as annotators will experience it. The preview uses a sample document from the project so you can check the layout before activating workflows.

Reusing Forms

One form can be assigned to multiple human workflows. For example, you can run a pilot workflow on a small partition with one form and then reuse the same form for the full corpus workflow.

Form Status

The form list shows a status badge for each form:

• Unused — not linked to any workflow
• In progress — linked to at least one active workflow with pending tasks
• Completed — all linked workflows have every task annotated