📤 Finalizing, Reviewing, and Sharing Scientific Results (The Archival Protocol)

Purpose: This guide outlines the mandatory steps to properly conclude a Notebook and establish an officially auditable record. It is critical for legal compliance and ensuring that the findings of the experiment are securely preserved.

🛑 Pre-Submission Checklist: Data Integrity Audit

Before submitting the notebook for final archival or external sharing, every user must conduct a comprehensive audit:

Completeness Check: Verify all required sections/pages (e.g., Methods, Results, Discussion) have been populated according to protocol guidelines.
Data Consistency Check: Manually review linked raw data points against reported conclusions to ensure no loss of fidelity occurred during documentation.
Adherence Check: Confirm that the notebook’s scope matches its intended purpose and adheres to the original digital signature workflow defined at creation.

👤 The Review & Signature Workflow (Non-Negotiable Compliance)

This is the most legally crucial part of documenting research; it ensures full accountability for the data presented.

The Co-Signer Requirement: Reviewers must understand their specific review role (e.g., Subject Matter Expert, Lab Director). The Notebook cannot be signed off unless all required roles are present and sign digitally.
Signature Protocol: When a reviewer signs:
- They confirm that the artifact as it exists at the time of signing is accurate to their knowledge.
- The signature validates the integrity of the data from corruption, unauthorized alteration, or omission after the fact.

Archival and External Sharing Protocols

Once signed off (and thus locked down):

Internal Access: The Notebook remains within CERF’s controlled environment unless an authorized export is initiated.
Exporting Data for Publication: Only use approved export functions that preserve metadata provenance. Do not simply copy/paste data into external systems, as this breaks the audit chain and invalidates the record.
Read-Only Archiving: The final Notebook state should be designated read-only to prevent accidental modification by subsequent users.