Define a review point
Before collection, choose a bounded period or operational review point and identify who decides what follows. This is not a universal sample-size rule. An ongoing public form may serve a different purpose from a one-time invitation to a defined group. State the collection design rather than comparing unlike totals.
Reasons to stop early
A demonstrated form error, inappropriate data collection, unavailable review capacity or a resolved operational question can justify stopping or revising a collection through the authorized process. Record the reason and time. Do not selectively close after favorable answers or reopen only to chase a preferred result.
A fictional useful pause
A team notices that one required question excludes delivery customers. It pauses invitations, preserves the affected version and reviews which answers remain interpretable. That is a better result than collecting more entries through the same flawed path. A correction creates a new boundary that the report should disclose.
Leave a clear next state
Record whether the form is closed, archived, replaced or intentionally continuing. Check the relevant public message and downstream handling when an authorized change occurs. A quiet dashboard is not proof that a survey is closed, and a stopped collection is not automatically a completed improvement.
Do not confuse stopping with erasing
Closing a collection and deleting its responses are different actions. A team may need to stop new entries while retaining an appropriately authorized record for review. Another process may require deletion or restricted access under applicable policy. This guide does not decide that obligation. Before changing anything, identify the exact form, connected destinations and intended outcome. An exported copy or an embedded old link can outlive the apparent end of a collection.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- AAPOR survey-research best practices — Standards and certification reference · aapor.org · Publisher independence not verified · checked 2026-10-01