REDCap FAQ
This page is meant to answer questions specific to the ITHS REDCap installation and its governing policies.
We recommend you review the dedicated REDCap FAQ page embedded in REDCap if you have a general question about how to accomplish certain tasks. Please note that a REDCap account is required to access those materials.
1) New Users
How do I register for a free REDCap class?
Please view the training page or our events calendar for class dates and registration links.
Where can I find training videos for REDCap?
General REDCap training videos are available within REDCap itself. Please sign in to REDCap to view the videos. Note that a REDCap account is required for access.
ITHS has also created training videos separate from those that come standard with REDCap. These can be found by viewing the individual training session page or by viewing the ITHS YouTube channel.
I have a question about my user account or someone else’s user account.
Please view the FAQ section dedicated to user management.
How do I upload a large amount of data into REDCap?
Our colleagues at the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute put together an excellent description of how to upload bulk data to REDCap. 3 MBREDCap Data Migration from MS Excel
2) User Management
How do I add a new user to a REDCap project or get myself to REDCap?
New User (Outside of the University of Washington system)
People without a UW NetID can request a very limited version of the UW NetID by following the instructions below:
- Fill out the survey found here: New Outside User Survey
(NOTE: Based on your answers we reserve the right to contact your contact person at the partner institution you supplied or deny you a UW NetID outright.) - You should receive an email within one business day with additional instructions on how to activate your UW NetID.
- Once your new UW NetID is activated you should be able to login into REDCap. See the New User (with a UW NetID) instructions below for more details.
New Users (with a UW NetID)
- Go to https://redcap.iths.org
- Select “University of Washington” as your institution.
- Login with your UW NetID and Password
- Once you login successfully for the first time, you will be asked to provide your name and a valid email address.
(NOTE: provide a valid email address since this will be used to send a confirmation email). - Use the link in the confirmation email to complete the registration process.
- Other users can now add you to their project or you can request your own project(s).
Directions to owner/administrator for adding someone with UW NetID
Before starting this process, please make sure that the user you are adding has logged into REDCap at least once before. If you try to add a user without them logging in at least once, you will effectively block this user from REDCap.
- Go to “project set up” tab in your project, scroll down to user rights and permissions section, select “user rights”
- Add new user name in the format [username] @washington.edu
(NOTE: @uw.edu & @u.washington.edu will not work due to security constraints.) - Select the appropriate user rights– this will generate an invitation that is sent to your new user, and they can now enter database
- Send new users a follow up email alerting them to the fact that they should have received an email, and if they did not, they should contact you and let you know that this did not work.
The user should now see the project in their project list.
I cannot find the “user rights” page.
Provided you have the appropriate user rights (i.e. rights to edit user rights), you should find a link in the application list on the left hand side of the screen called “user rights”.
If this is not the case, contact someone with the appropriate rights or the REDCap Administrator.
I added a user, but the user tells me that the project is not showing up in the project list.
Double check if you used the correct formatting for adding a user.
The correct format is [uwnetid]@washington.edu.
The formats [uwnetid]@uw.edu & [uwnetid]@u.washington.edu will not work correctly due to security constraints.
If you double-checked the format and the problem still exists, contact the REDCap Administrator.
I forgot my UW NetID password. Now what?
You can reset your password and find other information regarding your UW NetID at the UW IT Connect website.
REDCap sends out these verification emails automatically, so they sometimes get caught in spam filters.
Try checking your spam filter folder for the verification email. If you can’t find the verification email, contact the REDCap Administrator to remove this verification requirement. Make sure to mention which ID you are using to login.
3) Regulatory Questions
DISCLAIMER:
This web page is provided by the ITHS as a guideline for people using the ITHS REDCap instance. We stress that this is a guideline and not a legally binding document or a guarantee. If you do want some form of guarantee or letter of support, please contact the ITHS Navigator.
This web page is provided by the ITHS as a guideline for people using the ITHS REDCap instance. We stress that this is a guideline and not a legally binding document or a guarantee. If you do want some form of guarantee or letter of support, please contact the ITHS Navigator.
Short answer
Yes, you can possibly use any project(s) in the ITHS REDCap instance as the database part of your study in order to adhere to Part 11 compliance. However, you will need to implement the additional necessary procedures yourself in order to become fully compliant.
Long answer
REDCap is 21 CFR Part 11-ready, meaning that if implemented in conjunction with appropriate procedures, documentation, and qualification, then your study may meet part 11 requirements. However, compliance depends on the setting, which includes both the technical aspects of the installation and maintenance, quality requirements [Implementation Quality (IQ) – Operational Quality (OQ) – Production Quality (PQ)], as well as the essential processes put in place by users.
To be clear, 21 CFR Part 11 compliance requires compliance on two fronts: (i) the ITHS side, which includes REDCap and (ii) the user side, which is outside the purview of the ITHS.
The ITHS has provided a secure environment for REDCap instances, which are frequently upgraded and backed up daily to a secure site. Login accounts to these instances are provided and monitored by ITHS personnel. Logins are provided to personnel of the ITHS partner institutions and organizations affiliated with the ITHS or its partner institutions.
Details about the general REDCap security features that may support Part 11 compliance can be found in the “About REDCap” document released by Vanderbilt University. In addition, ITHS procedures are in compliance with University of Washington’s Information Technology Services (ITS) security requirements and are described in the current version of “ITHS REDCap Security”. Information about ITHS practices that may support Part 11 compliance can be found in other parts of this FAQ. The ITHS policies supporting our REDCap instance can be found below.
Current ITHS REDCap Support Policies68 kBAbout REDCap (Vanderbilt)134 kBREDCap System Security Statement – 03-29-2013
On the user side, the individual user or study team is also responsible for ensuring compliance, including establishing appropriate standard operating procedures to protect and document data. Many of the activities encouraged by Part 11 are good practice in general, including explicit definition of study team roles and responsibilities, database change control and documentation, and record retention. Personnel training commensurate with responsibilities is also required.
FDA guidance on 21 CFR Part 11 compliance in the context of clinical studies is available on the FDA website, http://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/guidances/. Guidance documents are searchable, and the following are suggested:
(1) Part 11, Electronic Records; Electronic Signatures – Scope and Application, published 8/2003
(2) Computerized Systems Used in Clinical Trials, published 5/2007.
Vanderbilt University had a committee evaluate the Part 11 compliance status of REDCap. A PDF (created 19-Sept-2013) of their findings published on the Vanderbilt wiki page can be found below.147 kBPart 11 Compliance Validation – REDCap Wiki
4) Surveys
5) Advanced Features
How do I create a project bookmark so that I can use a plugin?
Please view our FAQ section dedicated to generating a project bookmarks. Learn more about plugins.
How can I use REDCap for my project if I will be in the field and without Internet access?
We developed REDCap Offline just for this scenario. Learn more.
6) Bookmarks
How do I create a bookmark in REDCap?
The bookmark module will allow you to set up project bookmarks, or custom links, that point to webpages that exist either inside REDCap (i.e., other REDCap projects) or outside REDCap (i.e., webpages on a different server on the web). Any user with “project design & setup” rights can add bookmarks to that particular project. The main difference between a project bookmark and a browser bookmark is that the project bookmark is linked to the project and a browser bookmark is linked to that particular browser on that particular computer.
Project bookmarks are commonly used to access custom plugins enabled in any given installation of REDCap.
You can create simple web links for navigating to those webpages, and the links will be displayed on the left-hand project menu. You may set various settings for each link, such as defining the label for how it appears on the left-hand menu, whether or not the link opens a new window/tab in your web browser, and which individual users (or Data Access Groups) within your project will be able to utilize these bookmarks.
HOW TO CREATE A REDCAP BOOKMARK
- Go to the project design screen and locate the box labeled “Set up project bookmarks (optional)”
- Click on “Add or Edit Bookmarks”
- Add a Label & Link URL/Destination (for instance, http://www.iths.org)
- Select the proper link type (Simple, Advanced or REDCap project)
- Set up the user rights for this link (Optional)
- Select wheter or not the link should do the following: “Open in a New Window”, “Append Project ID” or “Append Record Info”
- Click on the “Add” button
- Your link should now appear on the left hand side in the application window
7) API
Where can I learn more about REDCap’s API
Most REDCap users will use the normal web-based user interface to interact with their REDCap projects. However, REDCap also has the capability to support programmatic access through an API protocol (Application Programming Interface).
Once enabled, any other program with Internet access can then use the API protocol to interact with REDCap projects. API access is limited by an API token that is unique for every user/project combination and is constrained by the applicable user rights for that user in that project.
Documentation on how to use the API feature can be somewhat difficult to find. The standard API documentation can be found in any REDCap installation. For the ITHS installation, the API documentation can be found by logging into the ITHS REDCap instance (redcap.iths.org), which requires an active account. Look For the API menu item within any project, listed under Applications. There is also an API Playground menu option for testing your API code.
A basic introduction on how to use the REDCap API can be found by visiting a page maintained on sburns.org. This is a great way to discover what each API call type does and how you can best implement it for your specific project.
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