REDCap is a tool for building online surveys and databases
No technical knowledge or prior experience is needed
Instructional text and prompts provide guidance at every step
REDCap projects are webpages used to enter data
They can be used from anywhere, at any time
and on any device having internet access
REDCap is designed to be neutral
It can capture almost any type of data, and for any purpose
A REDCap project is simply a webpage, used for data entry
This is the typical layout
Data entry happens through the project menu’s data collection section
Data entry can be either while logged into REDCap or not
Here, we’re using REDCap as a database
meaning we are entering data while logged in as a project user
In contrast, using REDCap for a survey allows people
to see the webpages and enter data without logging in
Surveys are explored in separate videos.
No matter how data is entered, built-in prompts provide guidance
Intuitive data entry ensures that people without much computer experience
can quickly learn REDCap
The software is most frequently used for clinical and research purposes.
But it’s designed to support any type of work
from quality control studies to animal studies
administrative tracking projects, event registrations, or feedback surveys
Customizing the questions on these webpages to match your needs is part of project development
That development process can involve advanced features
to improve your data collection strategy, such as data validation
branching logic, calculated fields, matrix ranking, and slider scales
Users can quickly and easily build their data collection instruments
the webpages used to collect data.
Instruments can be built online
in real-time through the Online Designer
or built offline through a spreadsheet called the Data Dictionary
Both project modification methods can be used interchangeably
throughout the life of a project
These tools and the project development process are explored in separate videos
Here, we used the Online Designer to add a new field, for a phone number
Let’s revisit the data entry process, to see our new field
and continue entering some practice data.
Some projects use only one data collection instrument to enter all their data
Others, like this example, use multiple instruments
This approach creates more flexibility
because you can more tightly control access to separate pages
The Online Designer is a great tool for making changes to these data entry webpages
REDCap’s other built-in tools help you control how people interact with the project
These tools, also called applications, help manage the project and your data
More than a dozen applications are available
The most basic applications are displayed here.
You have complete control over your project
Nobody knows your work as well as you do
so explore and test all the features to determine which ones best meet your needs
Running reports is one of the most important features to test
Reports are searches; they are repeatable, realtime queries of your dataset
Reports can be run at any time
Basic analysis and statistics are available
For more robust analysis, data can be downloaded, or exported, in multiple formats
REDCap creates all the files you’ll need for analysis in statistical packages
Project development focuses on testing which tools and questions match your needs
That development process is streamlined by the project setup checklist
This page guides building and testing a project
Once a project is fully tested and ready to begin collecting real data
it is moved to production mode
Additional data protections are put in place to help prevent accidental data loss
So users have a safety net to protect their data
even if their projects continue to change and grow
Created in 2004 at Vanderbilt University
the software is now supported by a global consortium of non-profit organizations
But each REDCap system is independent
Every consortium partner site personalizes their system
So always consult your organization’s REDCap administrator for guidance about your system