REDCap logo

What is REDCap?

REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases. Originally created at Vanderbilt University, it is now shared with local partners around the globe. REDCap can be used to collect virtually any type of data, it is specifically geared to support online or offline data capture for research studies and operations.

Benefits of REDCap:

  • Fast: basic project design via either a point and click interface or by creating a “data dictionary” in Microsoft Excel.
  • Customizable: users can also create, modify, and utilize surveys and databases without any previous programing knowledge.
  • Multi-site: if principal investigator is within NU system, users from multiple sites and institutions can access REDCap projects.
  • Offline: REDCap automatically produces PDFs of forms and surveys that can be used for offline data collection. In addition, the REDCap app can be used when wifi is not available (with minimal preparation).
  • Longitudinal data collection: researchers have the ability to define “events” and designate specific instruments for each event, and automatically send out follow up surveys.
  • Exporting data: data collected in REDCap can be easily exported to many statistical platforms, like Microsoft Excel, R, SAS, SPSS, and Stata.

The UNL REDCap platform is now free to UNL researchers, and use is limited to users and projects housed at UNL. REDCap can be accessed using SSO at redcap.unl.edu.

Getting Started with REDCap:

  1. Learn more about REDCap by watching a brief summary video (4 min) and other features by watching tutorial videos and creating test/just for fun projects. UNMC also has a .pdf user guide that may be helpful when getting started.
  2. Create project in development mode, add data collection instruments, test data collection, and make any needed changes.
  3. Move project to production mode.
  4. Collect data!

For technical assistance with REDCap, please contact support@nebraska.edu.

For support for survey or project design, or role or project management, please contact the MERC team at redcap@unl.edu. MERC is a service center, and does charge for support services. These charges are based on the hourly rate of the staff member doing the work, and there is minimum charge of 1/2 hour per incident. For these services, billing will be done in the following month. Examples of the types of support that would incur a charge include designing data collection instruments, investigating project management issues, conducting data management, conducting data analyses, and/or conductingdata reporting. A cost object will be requested in advance of providing services when applicable.

REDCap is HIPAA compliant, and the REDCap servers at UNL are also HIPAA compliant, but no HIPAA data can be added to the UNL REDCap system without prior approval. Should a project require the importing of protected health information from covered entities, the PI should contact MERC at redcap@unl.edu to discuss the possibility of HIPAA data collection in REDCap.

REDCap is highly customizable using custom programming (as in the writing of specialized code). MERC is not able to offer these services at this time, but ITS staff may be able to provide support. Please ask the UNL REDCap Team about what you need – they may be able to assist.