REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases. While REDCap can be used to collect virtually all data, it is specifically geared to support data capture for research studies.
Through REDCap, the AHEAD Institute offers a free, turn-key, web-based research survey and data management application and infrastructure that ensures secure data capture and has the ability to invite survey participants external to SLU.
REDCap offers investigators a self-service experience. The AHEAD Institute is responsible for monitoring REDCap system operations, approving new accounts, and moving projects from development to production. For survey design and implementation support, investigators should refer to REDCap's free training resources located on their website.
Alternatively, the AHEAD Institute can provide REDCap survey design, build and implementation support at a rate of $150 per hour.
For best results when using REDCap, we suggest using the Firefox web browser to avoid issues with saving data.
New Accounts
To create a new REDCap account:
- Email redcap@health.slu.edu with the following information:
- First and last name
- SLU Net ID
- SLU email address
- After access is confirmed, go to https://redcapsurvey.slu.edu/
- Enter your SLU Net ID and password
- On the next page, enter your first and last name, and your SLU email address
- Please allow 24 hours for new account verification
Guest Accounts
To create a guest account for an external research collaborator (including SSM Health
employees):
- Email redcap@health.slu.edu with the following information:
- Sponsoring SLU faculty name, email and phone number
- Guest first and last name
- Guest date of birth
- Guest home address
- Guest email address
- Start and end date of REDCap project
- AHEAD staff will submit an AskSLU ticket to generate a Banner ID and SLU Net ID
- Once confirmed, the guest will be sent their account information and instructions to enroll in Okta
- Then, the guest will go to https://redcapsurvey.slu.edu/
- Enter SLU Net ID and password
- On the next page, enter first and last name, and SLU email address
- Please allow 24 hours for new account verification
Users with a REDCap account can create new projects using the “+ New Project” tab and entering the following information:
- Project title
- Select "Research" as the purpose
- P.I. name
- P.I. email
- IRB number
- Specify research type(s)
- Select blank project or template (many researchers find templates to be very helpful)
- Click "Create Project"
Project Development
Once a project is created, it will be available on the "My Projects" tab. In this
development phase, changes can be made as often as needed. Data entry should be tested
in this phase with test data. Do not collect any real or live data in the development
phase. Test (not live) data should be used to ensure that the project operates as
expected.
Projects must be moved to the production phase to start collecting live data. Any live data collected during the development phase will be lost when the project moves to production.
Project Production
To start collecting live data, users must move a project into the production phase
by emailing redcap@slu.edu with either a copy of the IRB approval letter or indication the project is quality
improvement.
Projects that do not have IRB approval or quality improvement exception will not be considered for production.
Data may be identifiable when entered into the REDCap application but users must ensure that data is de-identified before exporting the data, as per the user's respective IRB agreement. A video on how to de-identify your data is available within REDCap under “Data Exports, Reports, and Stats” within an existing project. Please review the SLU Institutional Review Board website for more information regarding identifiable information.
Several short and informative videos are available on the REDCap video resource page. These excellent videos explain how to use REDCap and how to create different types of projects.
Maintenance
For the most recent information on the AHEAD Institute's efforts to consolidate and upgrade SLU's REDCap application, visit our REDCap at SLU website. Occasionally, updates will need to be applied to the system. The standard planned maintenance window for REDCap is 9 to 11 a.m. CDT on the second Wednesday of every month. These times were selected based on system usage reporting to identify lower-usage periods.
IT Support
For technical questions or issues regarding REDCap, users can submit a request directly to an AHEAD Institute data manager through the AskSLU service portal:
- Home > Sign In > Services > Research > REDCap > Request This Service
Archiving Projects
Active projects will be reviewed on a quarterly basis for continued activity. If a project has been inactive for 365 days, it will be automatically archived without notice to the project owner.