Frequently Asked Questions

What is EarlyReview?

EarlyReview provides structured, adversarial checks for pre-analysis plans (PAPs), registered reports, and other research design documents. It flags missing commitments, internal inconsistencies, and common reviewer-risk issues—so you can fix them before you register or submit.

Who is EarlyReview for?

EarlyReview is designed for PhD students, postdocs, faculty, and research teams writing pre-analysis plans, registered reports, or methods-heavy grant proposals.

How is EarlyReview different from just using ChatGPT or Claude?

General-purpose chatbots can provide helpful suggestions, but they typically do not enforce pre-commitment. EarlyReview is built to (1) extract a structured representation of your key commitments, (2) run consistency checks that catch contradictions across sections, and (3) explicitly mark what is missing. The result is not nicer prose, but a defensible, referee-aware representation of what you have committed to—and a record that can be reused by downstream tools.

What does it mean for a document to "clear EarlyReview's checks"?

A document clears EarlyReview's checks when all required core commitments are explicitly specified and no internal contradictions are detected on those commitments. This is a completeness and consistency standard—not an endorsement of scientific quality or a substitute for peer review.

Will I get the same feedback if I re-upload the same document?

The critical issues that determine whether your document clears—missing fields or internal contradictions—are evaluated against a consistent checklist and should remain stable across reviews. However, the minor suggestions and stylistic recommendations may vary slightly between uploads, as with any AI-powered tool. We recommend focusing first on resolving any critical issues flagged, then treating other suggestions as helpful but non-blocking feedback. If you fix the critical issues and re-upload, you should expect the clearance decision to be consistent.

Is EarlyReview a substitute for an advisor or coauthor?

No. EarlyReview is best thought of as a rigorous checklist with teeth. It helps ensure your plan is explicit, internally consistent, and aligned with common expectations. It cannot replace substantive judgment about the importance of the question, feasibility, novelty, or theory.

What kinds of issues does EarlyReview commonly catch?

Common issues include: unclear primary outcomes, mismatch between estimand and estimator, unspecified covariate inclusion, lack of power calculations, inconsistent treatment arm definitions, missing inference or clustering decisions, and missing policies for multiple testing or attrition.

Is my work used to train models?

No. EarlyReview does not use your documents to train models.

Will EarlyReview share my research ideas with others?

No. EarlyReview does not disclose or share your documents with other users. Your work remains yours.

What file types do you support?

EarlyReview accepts PDF documents. If you have a Word or LaTeX source, please export it to PDF before uploading.

What fields does EarlyReview check for clearance?

An analysis is marked as "Clear" if ALL of the following checks pass:

1. From extracted fields:
   • Research question
   • Target population
   • Unit of analysis
   • Sample size
   • Design type
   • Attrition plan
   • Primary outcomes
   • Main specification
   • Regression equation
   • Covariates
   • Standard errors
   • Multiple testing adjustment
   • Power analysis
   • Heterogeneous treatment effects
2. For RCTs only:
   • Unit of randomization
   • Treatment arms
   • Assignment mechanism
3. Additionally, if a Critical comment pertains to one of the above fields, the analysis is not marked as "Clear".

Can I make my clearance status public?

Yes. If you choose, you can generate a public status page stating that a specific version of your document cleared EarlyReview's checks as of a given date.

Does clearing checks guarantee publication or correct inference?

No. Clearing checks only means the plan is explicit and internally consistent on core commitments. It does not guarantee that assumptions are correct, that identification is valid, or that results will be publishable.

What does EarlyReview cost?

EarlyReview offers a free review to get started. Beta testers may receive additional free reviews. After that, reviews are $29 each, or $99 for a pack of five. If you have a large set of documents to review (e.g., for a course, workshop, or funder pipeline), contact us for discounted access.

Can EarlyReview help educators?

Yes. EarlyReview can be used as a teaching tool in class. Please get in touch with your intended use case.

Can EarlyReview help funders or review committees?

Yes. EarlyReview can be used to run methodological completeness and consistency checks at scale across many submissions, helping triage proposals and reduce reviewer burden. This is offered as a separate, institution-facing product.