REDCap: Getting Started

Want to know if REDCap is the right choice for your project? Have questions about a project or need training? Request a consultation with one of our REDCap@USA team members.

Clista Clanton, MSLS, is the Assistant Director for Strategic Initiatives at the Biomedical Library and leads the REDCap@USA team. She has championed offering REDCap as a resource for research and performance improvement projects at USA and USA Health since 2015, including leading the implementation of both instances of REDCap (Campus and USA Health) and the development of REDCap end user support services. She continues to provide strategic direction as use of REDCap grows within the institution.
cclanton@southalabama.edu

Heather Hoven-Glass  is the Library Engagement Manager at the Biomedical Library and has supported Campus REDCap users for over 6 years.  As part of the REDCap@USA team, she consults on project design, provides assistance on project builds, and develops training materials.  Heather also serves as the back-up administrator for the Campus instance of REDCap.
hdhoven@southalabama.edu

Jaime Koppersmith, MS, is the REDCap@USA Institutional Administrator for both the Campus and USA Health instances of REDCap. She manages REDCap@USA account creation, provides end user support, troubleshoots REDCap technical issues, consults on project design, provides assistance on project builds, and develops training materials.
jkoppersmith@southalabama.edu

Jessica H. Medema is the REDCap Project Designer / Data Manager at the Biomedical Library and has supported Health System REDCap users for over 4 years.  As part of the REDCap@USA team, she consults on project design, provides assistance on project builds, and develops training materials.  Jessica also serves as the back-up administrator for the Health System instance of REDCap.
jmedema@southalabama.edu

Fletch Bowling, MLIS, is the Head of Biomedical Library Computer Services and provides technical consultations and support for REDCap@USA team members.

REDCap@USA is administered by the Strategic Initiatives Department at the Biomedical Library. 

Introductory and Feature-Specific REDCap Videos

Videos that explain each feature as you go are also available within REDCap once you are logged in. Look for the film-reel icon.

Additional training materials created by other institutions:

• Best Practices for REDCap Database Creation (University of California-Davis)
• University of Washington Institute of Translational Health Sciences 
• REDCap Creating Surveys video (Virginia Commonwealth University)

Quick Tips

• The “Field Label” is the displayed text label on the screen. The “Variable Name” is the raw coded numerical value in the database.
• Variable Names may only be lowercase letters, numbers, or underscores.
• When you copy a field in the Online Designer, be sure to change the default variable name.
• Tag all identifying information fields (e.g., name, SSN, address) as “identifier” fields.
• Required fields and ranges will only issue warnings. They are not hard requirements.
• Text boxes and notes boxes both hold an unlimited amount of text. The only difference is the size of the input box on the screen.
• The only difference between a dropdown field and a radio button field is how they appear on the screen.
• Use checkboxes for questions where more than one answer can be selected. Do not use checkboxes for Yes/No questions, etc.
• Each time you add branching logic, test the logic in the data entry form before adding branching logic to additional fields.
• REDCap supports the following HTML tags inside when designing “Field Labels”

"Quick Tips" care of University of Chicago's Center for Research Informatics.