The REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure, web-based application designed for collecting and managing data for research studies, particularly human subject research involving sensitive information. The guide provides tutorials, feature support, and troubleshooting to help University of Denver researchers effectively use the application to design databases, create online surveys, and export data for analysis.

For a visual introduction to the software, you can watch the video, which provides a general overview of the REDCap platform.

REDCap can play a vital role in your research by offering comprehensive tools for both data capture and quality assurance:

• Secure Data Collection & Compliance: It provides a HIPAA-compliant environment for collecting and storing sensitive human subject data, ensuring security through full user authentication and centralized storage.

• Database and Survey Design: You can easily build and manage online databases and surveys without needing a programmer. This includes:

  • Sophisticated Survey Tool: Create public or private surveys to collect participant data directly.

  • Advanced Logic: Use branching logic (to show/hide questions based on previous answers), calculations (for computed fields), and answer piping (to personalize questions with previously entered text) to make instruments dynamic and user-friendly.

• Ensuring Data Quality: The system has built-in features to maintain high-quality data:

  • Data Validation: Set checks on fields (e.g., ensuring a date is in the correct format or a number is within a specific range) to prevent entry errors.

  • Audit Trails: It maintains a comprehensive audit trail that tracks all data changes and exports, providing full accountability and transparency.

• Streamlined Analysis: REDCap simplifies the process of moving from data collection to analysis:

  • Data Import/Export: You can import data from external sources and, most importantly, perform automated exports directly to the most common statistical packages, including SPSS, SAS, R, and Stata.

In essence, REDCap manages the secure and validated capture of your research data, allowing you to focus more on the study design and ultimate analysis.

REDCap is an ideal tool for researchers, particularly those in medical, clinical, or public health domains, who need a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform for collecting sensitive data from human subjects. Its robust features for data validation, audit trails, and automated exports to statistical packages make it perfectly suited for rigorous clinical trials, longitudinal studies, and large-scale patient registries. However, not every researcher needs or should use REDCap.

For those in non-medical fields (like humanities, business, or education) whose primary research need is simple, non-sensitive survey distribution and analysis, commercial platforms such as Qualtrics may be a more efficient and user-friendly option. These other platforms often offer more flexibility in visual design, quicker deployment, and native integration with university systems for distributing general population surveys, making them a better choice when HIPAA compliance is not required.

REDCap was originally developed at Vanderbilt University for medical research, and is now supported by the REDCap Consortium, of which DU is a member.

We're licensed to use REDCap solely for non-commercial use.

Publications resulting from REDCap use need to cite this 2009 Harris et al paper.