---
title: "Your approval queue | Trelice User Guide"
description: "Where sections waiting for YOUR approval appear, and how to approve or ask for changes."
canonical_url: "https://www.trelice.com/docs/approval-queue"
---

# Your approval queue

The approval queue is your personal to-review list. While the [Pending Tasks](/docs/pending-tasks) page shows everyone's outstanding work, this page shows only the sections waiting on **you**. You can approve a section or ask for changes right here, without opening the full editor.

Open it by clicking **Approval Queue** in the menu on the left.

## What lands in your queue

A section appears here when all of these are true:

- You were assigned as one of its reviewers.
- The writer has [submitted the section for review](/docs/submitting-for-review).
- It is your turn. If your organization uses multi-level [review workflows](/docs/review-workflows-and-approvals-setup), a section only reaches you when your review level becomes active.

Protocol sections, consent form sections, and other reviewable artifacts all follow this pattern.

## Reading the page

At the top is the heading **My Approval Queue** with the note "Sections awaiting your review and decision".

If there is nothing to do, you'll see a green check mark with **All caught up!** and "No sections awaiting your review.", a good sight.

Otherwise, each waiting section appears as its own card. From top to bottom, a card shows:

- The section title, with a blue **In Review** badge on the right.
- The word count and when the section was last updated.
- If other reviewers share this section: a row of names, each with a small colored dot, green for approved, orange for changes requested, gray for still pending. You can see at a glance whether you are the last one holding things up.
- A yellow **Golden Thread Alert** box, if one applies (explained below).
- The action buttons: **Approve**, **Request Changes**, and, on the far right, **View Section**.

## Approving a section

1. Read the section first. Click **View Section** on the right of the card to open it in the protocol editor, then come back here.
2. Click the blue **Approve** button.

**What you'll see:** the card disappears from your queue. If every required reviewer at your level has now approved, the section moves forward, either to the next review level or to Approved.

## Asking for changes

1. Click **Request Changes**.
2. A text box appears with the hint **Describe what needs to change before approval…**. Write what the author should fix. Be specific, this comment is what they will read.
3. Click **Send Feedback**. (Click **Cancel** if you change your mind.)

**What you'll see:** the card leaves your queue and the section returns to the writer with your comments. When they resubmit, it comes back to your queue for a fresh look.

## The golden thread acknowledgment

Some sections carry a yellow warning box titled **Golden Thread Alert**. A [golden thread](/docs/golden-threads) links related sections, for example, the objectives and the endpoints, and the alert means a linked section changed after this one was written, so they may now disagree.

The box explains which section changed and when it was flagged. Below the explanation is a checkbox:

**I have verified cross-section consistency for this golden thread**

Trelice will not let you approve past this warning blindly:

1. Open the affected sections and confirm they still tell the same story.
2. Tick the checkbox.
3. Click **Approve**.

> **Note:** While the checkbox is unticked, the **Approve** button is dimmed and cannot be clicked. Its tooltip reads "Check the golden thread acknowledgment box above before approving". This is deliberate, your approval includes a statement that you checked the consistency, and that statement becomes part of the record.

> **Troubleshooting:** If you spot a real inconsistency while verifying, do not tick the box and approve anyway. Click **Request Changes** instead and describe the mismatch, so the writer can bring the sections back into agreement.

## Good habits for reviewers

- Deal with your queue regularly. Writers cannot move forward until reviewers decide, and due dates are tracked, an overdue review shows up on the [Pending Tasks](/docs/pending-tasks) page for everyone to see, and Trelice sends reminder [notifications](/docs/notifications) as the date approaches.
- Use **View Section** before deciding. The card shows a summary, not the full text.
- Write change requests you would be happy to receive: name the paragraph, say what is wrong, and if you can, suggest the fix.

For the broader picture of how reviews work, statuses, levels, and what the writer sees, read [Reviewing and approving](/docs/reviewing-and-approving). Every decision you make here is recorded permanently in [the audit trail](/docs/audit-trail).