REDCap

• Survey design - create a unique survey experience using piping and conditional logic
• Survey distribution - distribute your survey for anonymous responses or to focus groups throughout your longitudinal study via automated survey invitations
• Clean data capture - field validations and data quality rules ensure clean data capture
• Collaboration - invite group members as well as external collaborators* to your project with detailed access management
• Free - free-of-charge for all researchers with zID credentials
• Security - suitable for data classified as Highly Sensitive and below. Data are encrypted in transit and at rest, stored within NSW. All users and administrators access the platform through multi-factor authentication (MFA). 

For UNSW zID holders

1. Visit UNSW REDCap 
2. Log in with your UNSW credentials when prompted.
3. Create a project or be invited into one.

For those without a UNSW zID (non-UNSW users)

A UNSW sponsor would need to submit a 'UNSW REDCap External Access Request Form'. To access the form and see more details about the process, visit the UNSW Sponsors - Requesting access to external users page (accessible only to UNSW users).

UNSW REDCap requires UNSW multi-factor authentication - please visit the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) page for more details and set-up guide.

If you see the error message “Sorry, but we're having a trouble signing you in…” when accessing UNSW REDCap

If a user has a UNSW zID:
The error could be due to you being logged-in on a non-UNSW service or website (e.g., other University or organisation) that uses its own Single-Sign-On (SSO). This can cause conflicts with UNSW applications (e.g., UNSW REDCap) that uses UNSW SSO authentication.

You need to login to UNSW first, and then select UNSW as the account to access UNSW REDCap. To do so:

1. Click this UNSW login link and complete your login to UNSW. Enter your zID AD (e.g., zXXXXXXX@ad.unsw.edu.au) and password. You would be guided in setting up UNSW Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) if you have not done so yet.
2. After a successful login, you will see “state mismatch, ending auth” message. This can safely be ignored. 
3. Visit UNSW REDCap website again at https://redcap.unsw.edu.au/. A “Pick account” screen will show. Make sure to select your UNSW account.  
4. You will now be logged in to UNSW REDCap.

If a user does not have a UNSW zID:
You are not granted permissions to access UNSW REDCap. More details for access request here UNSW Sponsors - Requesting access to external users page.

Online training resources are available at: https://projectredcap.org/resources/videos/

UNSW REDCap Clinic has been paused until further notice. Past webinars have been recorded and made available in our UNSW REDCap Users' Group on Microsoft Teams. Future sessions will be announced in the table below. Please refer to the schedule below and check browser requirements here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/limits-specifications-teams

In REDCap, you will find great resources including Help & FAQ and Training Videos. These links are also available at the top of each UNSW REDCap page. 

Short, online tutorials and demonstrations are available below:

HTML: https://redcap.med.unsw.edu.au/surveys/?s=FJYHJTK38C

Piping: https://redcap.med.unsw.edu.au/surveys/?s=AYH3LJR9T4

Calculations: https://redcap.med.unsw.edu.au/surveys/?s=YNRME4XYFH

Action tags: https://redcap.med.unsw.edu.au/surveys/?s=7387X9RAW3

Survey Wizard: https://redcap.med.unsw.edu.au/surveys/?s=PRRH3HJELY

You can also join our UNSW REDCap Users' Group on Microsoft Teams for further resources including UNSW REDCap User's Guide and recorded webinars. 

You can also join us at Hacky Hour. 

When the study has published manuscripts/artefacts, please cite the use of REDCap such as below:

Study data was collected and managed using REDCap electronic data capture tool hosted and managed by Research Technology Services (UNSW Sydney).^1,2 REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure, web-based software platform designed to support data capture for research studies, providing 1) an intuitive interface for validated data capture; 2) audit trails for tracking data manipulation and export procedures; 3) automated export procedures for seamless data downloads to common statistical packages; and 4) procedures for data integration and interoperability with external sources.

²PA Harris, R Taylor, BL Minor, V Elliott, M Fernandez, L O’Neal, L McLeod, G Delacqua, F Delacqua, J Kirby, SN Duda, REDCap Consortium, The REDCap consortium: Building an international community of software partners, J Biomed Inform. 2019 May 9 [doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2019.103208]

If a ResTech member has assisted you in the development of REDCap project, please use the following template acknowledgement (or a derivative) in your publications.

The authors acknowledge the assistance in REDCap survey and database design by [INSERT NAME] of Research Technology Services at UNSW Sydney

How do I add a user to my project?

If you don't know their zID:

1. Once the user has a REDCap account, you can go to your project --> User rights --> start to type the user's name
2. Select the right user as they appear in the dropdown options
3. Click "Add with custom rights"
4. Modify custom privileges

5. Click "Add user". 

    

If you know their zID:

1. Go to your project --> User rights --> Type in their zID
2. Click "Add with custom rights"
3. Modify the custom privileges

4. Click "Add user"

    

For more step-by-step instructions, please refer to the following screen recording.
 

Can we invite external collaborators to work on a UNSW REDCap project?

All external users should be requested by a UNSW sponsor to use REDCap. More details on the UNSW Sponsors - Requesting access to external users page.
 

How can I find the external user without a zID that has been granted access to UNSW REDCap?
The external user would need to login to UNSW REDCap once before they appear on REDCap. Once the external user has logged in, you can search for their name or their primary email address as requested by the UNSW sponsor. An external user without a zID will have the username is the format of “[primaryemail]@unsw.onmicrosoft.com" - replacing [primaryemail] with the user's primary email as requested by their UNSW sponsor.

Trouble signing in?

Once the login screen is presented, you need to provide your zID address (zID + @ad.unsw.edu.au) and password (zPass). If you get an incorrect password error, try changing your password via IDM (UNSW Identity Manager). If the problem persists, or you cannot log in to identity manager, contact UNSW IT services.

How do I extend the project randomisation?

This can only be done by a REDCap administrator. Contact REDCap@unsw.edu.au and provide a randomisation schedule for us to implement. This protects the data collected in production mode.

I tried to add a user with zID but they don't appear in the dropdown menu. Have I added them successfully?

If they have never logged into REDCap before, their name will not appear at the dropdown menu. However, you can still use their zID and once they log into the platform, they will be able to find the project.

A colleague has left UNSW and they don't have zID anymore. Can their project be transferred to us?

If they have not listed you as an owner or a collaborator, a written approval is required. Contact your head of school.

Why can't I export my data?

Your data might be too large to export as a single file. Divide your data into a couple of sections to export by selecting a subset of fields to create custom reports.

Can alerts be automatically sent to doctors once a survey is completed by a patient?

Yes. If one doctor is responsible for many patients, the best option is to use a specific email address via “Alerts and Notifications”. If each patient has a different doctor, automated invitations can be sent through “Survey Settings”.

Why is some information not shown or hashed on the excel file export?

You need to be granted specific viewing rights to see all of the information. Contact your supervisor for permission and viewing rights authorisation.

Why can't I see the answer form in the exported file? They all show up as numbers.

If you export the file in excel (RAW) format, only the answer codes (numbers) will show. To see labels for those answers, export the file as excel (Labels).

I've been invited to a project but I can't access it (it doesn't appear for me).

Check if the project is hosted by UNSW or another institution’s REDCap.

Does REDCap support video files?

Yes, videos can be embedded in both surveys and forms. A video URL can be posted in a “Descriptive Text” field. Once the link is entered, you can select how it should appear – inline or pop-up.

Does REDCap have an integrated calendar?

There is a calendar where you can see your scheduling. However, it cannot be integrated with your Google or Outlook calendar.

Can projects be put back into Development, once they are in Production?

Yes, this can be done internally. Contact a REDCap administrator.

Can an instrument be repeated every week, without sending it out manually every time?

Yes, you can do this by utilising the survey queue option or the longitudinal project option.

Can access and user rights be modified once a project is put into Production?

Yes, this is possible.

Can I delete one of the options in a particular question? Will this compromise the data that has already been collected?

We recommend hiding the option with the @HIDECHOICE action tag, instead of deleting it. If you delete an option (or a label), the data associated with it becomes orphaned (meaning the data exists but is not accessible by you because it's intrinsically tied to the field name).

Can you approve all of the changes we made except for one?

No, the approval cannot be partial. We can only approve all or none of the changes made.

Can our survey appear in different languages?

Yes, you can use REDCap's Multi-Language Management feature which allows you to do this. The translations must be provided by you, REDCap cannot create the translated text.

Can I enable surveys in Production?

Yes, you should be able to do so. If you can't, this means surveys are not enabled in the main project settings. To do this, you need to go back into Development.

Can I write my own code, specific to the project?

No, all new code needs to be implemented by the developers. This is to prevent data breach issues.

Why do the instruments I've created in “Online Designer” not show up in the record status dashboard?

If you're using a longitudinal project design, instruments that are created need to be mapped to the right events. Project setup -> Designate instruments for my events –> Begin editing –> click the right instrument event pairing –> save.

Can off-line data be collected without zID?

The people completing the study don't need to have zID but the project owner, who has zID, needs to install the project on the device before it can be used.

Can I be given access to an action tag?

You need to request activation within the project so we can approve it in the system.

Can projects be transferred between different REDCap host institutions (e.g. from UNSW to USyd)?

The projects can't be transferred directly, but you can export data and meta data of the project as an XLM file (found in “Other Functionality”), then use this file to create a new project with XLM file and re-import the data.