REDCap Overview

What is REDCap?

REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and forms (or a mixture of the two). Using REDCap's stream-lined process for rapidly developing projects, you may create and design projects using:

1. an online method from your web browser using the Online Designer; and/or
2. an offline method by constructing a 'data dictionary' template file in Microsoft Excel, which can be later uploaded into REDCap.

REDCap provides audit trails for tracking data manipulation and user activity, as well as automated export procedures for seamless data downloads to Excel, PDF, and common statistical packages (SPSS, SAS, Stata, R). Surveys or forms can be printed as PDFs so that data may be collected offline if necessary. Also included are ad hoc reporting tools and advanced features, such as branching logic, file uploading, and calculated fields. ​REDCap provides a library of common NIH approved web-based forms, real-time data entry validation (e.g., for data types and range checks), audit trails, and the ability to set up a calendar for scheduling and tracking critical study events such as blood-draws, participant visits, etc. Also, designated users can assign different levels of access for each member of the research team. If desired a project may use the REDCap double data entry/blinded data entry with data comparison functionality.

Using REDCap's survey tools a user can collect anonymous responses or track and identify responses from survey participants by:

• sending a link to their survey via email
• entering data manually, and/or
• posting a link on their website

REDCap can also manage projects with multiple sites.

Support/Costs

The University of Arizona offers its REDCap users free initial consultations and free technical support. There is no charge to a user or department for the use of REDCap for an unlimited number of projects. Creation of new projects is limited to University of Arizona and Banner Healthcare employees, however project managers may associate collaborators from anywhere in the world. To create new user accounts, please submit a request HERE

If you need someone to build your project for you, please use the button at the top of the page that says "Request for Contract Work". Project creation using the University of Arizona Biomedical Informatics REDCap staff is charged at $78.00/hour (new rate effective 7/1/18). An estimate to build a project can be provided upon request. Ideally an estimate for project creation should be completed before the budget for the study is completed. University of Arizona clients are expected to pay fees via internal billing. UA clients who use Banner or other external parties as their source of payment will incur an additional administrative fee at a 13% rate of the billed services.

Regulatory Compliance

REDCap at The University of Arizona was developed specifically around HIPAA-Security guidelines and is recommended to staff researchers by both our Privacy Office and Institutional Review Board. We provide secure and web-based access. Users can input data from anywhere in the world with secure web authentication, data logging, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. For further information please reference this peer reviewed article.

Available in Multiple Languages

Several language translations have already been compiled for REDCap (e.g. Chinese, French, German, Portuguese), and it is anticipated that other languages will be available in full versions of REDCap soon. If any REDCap consortium partner is able and willing to contribute a translation of REDCap into a new language, we are very much interested in acquiring your help.

REDCap mobile app for iOS and Android

REDCap users can now collect their REDCap data in a mobile app on an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet. The REDCap Mobile App adds a new dimension to REDCap's versatility by providing users with a tool for offline data collection, particularly in environments with poor internet connectivity. The app cannot be used on its own but is a companion app that must be used alongside REDCap itself (you must first be a REDCap user at the University of Arizona before you can utilize the mobile app).

To learn more, check out the About the Mobile App document About the Mobile App , and if you are interested in the details of what security standards are applied in the app, please see the Mobile App Security document Mobile App Security Document .

REDCap Training

The University of Arizona offers class room training in REDCap. There are 3 levels of training: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

For information on class content please, go to: REDCap Training page

For recordings of previous REDCap training, please go to REDCap Video Tutorials Page