RedCap FAQs

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How do I get REDCap access?

Anyone with a CHOP account can log into REDCap with their regular CHOP credentials. Outside collaborators, like co-investigators at other institutions and their study teams, can get access too—see below (How can I add an external user (someone outside of CHOP) to my project?).

I’m trying to add a coworker to my REDCap project, but they’re not showing up in the User Rights section.

Users need to have logged into REDCap at least once before they’ll appear within the User Rights section. Make sure you’re typing their username, last name, or first name– not their email address – and select them from the picklist when it pops up.

How can I add an external user (someone outside of CHOP) to my project?

External users who need access to CHOP REDCap projects will need to get CHOP accounts as external collaborators. That process is owned by Identity Management. Please start here (must be on CHOP network to access):

Once external collaborators have their CHOP accounts, they can then log into REDCap. It may take up to 24 hours after claiming a CHOP identity before an external collaborator is able to log into REDCap successfully. They’ll need to have logged into REDCap for the first time before you’ll see them appear in User Rights to be added to projects.

I’m an external collaborator and I’m having trouble logging in.

The REDCap team does not manage CHOP usernames/passwords. Please contact CHOP Information Services at 1-215-590-4357 (available 24/7) – they can help determine your CHOP account status and help you reset your CHOP password if needed.

REDCap is a secure, HIPAA-compliant, user-friendly application for data collection and storage. Unlike Excel or similar programs, REDCap is designed specifically for research data collection and provides logging of all project activity and data entry history for all records, as well as HIPAA-compliant security and daily backups.

Yes! While REDCap has many research-specific features, it can also be used for operational and administrative uses. Some uses we’ve seen at CHOP include onboarding for CHOP volunteers, presentation evaluations, and surveys to collect staff questions prior to meetings.

REDcap at CHOP is HIPAA compliant. The e-consent module in REDCap is now validated for use in studies requiring FDA 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance. REDCap is not Part 11 validated for electronic data capture.

  • Introductory classes at CHOP are taught online, and are limited to 10 people per class. To register, go to Learning and search “REDCap” to register for REDCap for Brand-New Beginners: Setting up a New Project. This class is 2 hours and covers introductory topics on using REDCap and building new projects through hands-on learning.
  • Vanderbilt’s Data Management in Clinical Research course on Coursera. This is taught by the team that created REDCap and provides an excellent, in-depth look at best practices for data collection and management in general. We highly recommend this course for researcher teams and anyone new to data management. It includes a heavy focus on REDCap, and allows learners to go at their own pace.
  • University of Colorado Denver’s REDCap Youtube Channel. Here you can find a specific REDCap topic of interest, or follow UCD’s playlists of introductory and advanced training videos.
  • Official REDCap training videos

If you’re ready to start collecting real data (anything you wouldn’t want to lose), then YES, you must enter Production mode.

You can still make changes to a project in Production mode. In the Online Designer, you’ll see the option to put the project into Draft Mode:

Once in Draft Mode, you can make whatever changes you need (you will not be able to change variable names). Once submitted, if the changes won’t affect any existing data, they’ll be approved automatically.

If the changes may affect your existing data, they’ll be routed to the REDCap Admin team for review and approval. At that point, we may e-mail you with questions about the changes you’ve made.

New project consults:

Have a draft of your REDCap project but not sure you’re on the right track? Even if you’re comfortable with REDCap, please reach out to our team at REDCap@chop.edu to schedule an initial consult to review the early stages of your project development and discuss workflow and design. This is especially recommended for survey projects.

Pre-production reviews:

When you’re ready to collect real data, it’s critical to move your project to Production mode to protect your data. We highly recommend doing a pre-production review of your project to make sure the setup is optimal before starting to collect real data. This is especially critical for survey projects, projects using randomization, and Twilio projects. Schedule a pre-production review by e-mailing us at redcap@chop.edu.

I want to use advanced REDCap features (external modules, Twilio, REDCap API).

Contact the REDCap admin team at redcap@chop.edu for help getting started!

Other questions?

Check our REDCap Resources- Helpful Links section above for guides on how to use a variety of REDCap features like surveys, logic, randomization, and data imports.

E-mail our team at redcap@chop.edu with your REDCap project name and specific question, and a REDCap Admin will answer or schedule time with you to discuss more.