NarraFirma™ Help Home > Collection > Enter or import stories << Start story collection || Review incoming stories >>

# Enter or import stories

You can use this NarraFirma page to enter stories using a form that looks exactly like the web form your participants use in a web-based story collection. You can also import stories from a CSV file.

## What to do here

Choose a story collection, then click Add Story. In the window that appears, fill in the form just as if you were telling the story yourself. When you're done, click Submit Survey. If you want to check that your stories are being entered correctly, go to the Review incoming stories page and look for them.

You can use this page to import story data from a CSV (comma-separated values) file (which usually comes from a spreadsheet). See below for formatting instructions.

## Connections to other pages

Using this page to enter stories requires that you previously created a story collection, which must be associated with a previously created story form. You cannot review incoming stories or review graphs until you have either entered some stories on this page, imported some stories (again, using this page), or collected some stories over the internet.

## Frequently-asked questions

### What is the correct format for importing stories?

You can read all about importing stories and other data in the Guide to importing data.

### How do I delete a story I entered wrongly?

NarraFirma does not let you delete stories completely. This is to avoid accidentally deleting important information. However, you can mark a story to be ignored, which means it won't show up in any counts or graphs or reports. It won't be visible anywhere but the Review incoming stories screen.

To mark a story to be ignored:

1. Navigate to the Review incoming stories screen.
2. Select (click on) the story you want to ignore.
3. Type something (anything) in the "Reason to ignore this story" box. For example, you might type "test story" or "data entry error" or "response too incomplete to use."

A story with any text in the "Reason to ignore" field will be left out of all graphs and reports. (You can sort by the "Ignore" field on the Review incoming stories screen to see the stories you have chosen to ignore and why.)

### But what if I really need to delete a story? What if ignoring it isn't enough?

You can permanently delete a story by exporting your story collection to CSV, removing the offending story row in a spreadsheet program, and importing the CSV file as a new story collection.

### Can I combine web-based and off-line story collection?

Yes. You can enable web collection (on the Start story collection page), then add more stories on this page. Both types of stories will intermingle in your story collection.

### If I combine web-based and off-line story collection, how can I tell which story came from where?

You can add a question to your form that asks where the story came from. Participants can enter "web" and you can enter "off-line." Or you can add an annotation question that distinguishes between the types of story (see Write annotation questions).