FAQ
What is Studyflow?
A BPMN-based visual language for specifying scientific studies and the data flows around them. The same .studyflow file serves as a study protocol, a publication figure, a data pipeline spec, and a participant-facing runtime. See Why Studyflow.
Who is it for?
Two primary audiences:
- Experimental researchers modeling studies (recruitment, consent, tasks, data collection).
- Pipeline and model builders modeling data flow (ingestion, preprocessing, training, deployment).
Why BPMN?
BPMN is an ISO-standard process notation with a mature tooling ecosystem. Building on it means Studyflow inherits a vocabulary that engineers already know, plus editors, validators, and runtimes. Studyflow extends BPMN with research-specific elements rather than reinventing the notation. See Studyflow vs BPMN.
Is a .studyflow file executable?
The format is a specification, not a program. The Behaverse Data Server can execute one as a participant-facing runtime. Analysis pipeline tasks reference external scripts that you run yourself. See Modeler app, Simulation mode for a step-through simulator in the modeler.
How does Studyflow relate to Psych-DS, BIDS, or CSVW?
They are complementary. Studyflow describes the process (what happens, in what order, with what data flow). Psych-DS, BIDS, and CSVW describe the data (column names, file layouts, schemas). A Studyflow diagram references these standards via the schemaRef attribute on Dataset and Table elements. See Attach a schema.
Can I use it without the Behaverse server?
Yes. A .studyflow file is a plain-text YAML document (semantically equivalent to BPMN 2.0 XML, which the modeler can also export); you can render, share, and reference it without any server involvement. You only need the Behaverse Data Server if you want it to host the study and collect participant data. See Save and share.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The Modeler app runs entirely in the browser.
Where do I report a bug or request a feature?
GitHub issues. For larger changes (new element types, schema extensions), open an issue first to discuss before sending a PR.
How do I cite Studyflow?
A citation form will be added here once the corresponding paper is available. In the meantime, link to the GitHub repository and include the version of your .studyflow file in supplementary materials.
Is the format stable?
The core (events, activities, gateways, data objects, sequence flow) is stable and inherits BPMN’s stability guarantees. Studyflow extensions (specialized activity types, data operations, temporal attributes) are evolving; breaking changes are tracked in GitHub Releases.