{"id":4687,"date":"2026-03-13T12:55:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T16:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/?page_id=4687"},"modified":"2026-04-07T14:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:34:11","slug":"project-development","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/guides-how-tos\/project-development\/","title":{"rendered":"REDCap Project Development"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"in-page-tabs\"><ul id=\"menu-redcap\" class=\"menu nav nav-tabs\"><li id=\"menu-item-4436\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children dropdown\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/\" class=\"dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\">REDCap Usage<b class=\"caret\"><\/b><\/a>\n<ul class=\"dropdown-menu\">\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-4437\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/uch-redcap-user-agreement\/\">REDCap User Agreement<\/a><\/li>\t<li id=\"menu-item-4439\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/redcap-project-eligibility\/\">REDCap Usage &amp; Project Eligibility<\/a><\/li>\t<li id=\"menu-item-4440\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/redcap-user-eligibility\/\">REDCap User Eligibility<\/a><\/li>\t<li id=\"menu-item-4438\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/new-redcap-policy-and-fee-faq\/\">REDCap Usage Fees<\/a><\/li><!--.dropdown-->\n<\/ul>\n<\/li><li id=\"menu-item-4441\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/redcap-account-request\/\">REDCap Account Request<\/a><\/li><li id=\"menu-item-4446\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children dropdown\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/redcap-login-issues\/\" class=\"dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\">REDCap Login Issues<b class=\"caret\"><\/b><\/a>\n<ul class=\"dropdown-menu\">\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-4447\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/redcap-account-request\/uchc-user-login-issues\/\">UCHC User Login Issues<\/a><\/li>\t<li id=\"menu-item-4448\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/redcap-account-request\/login-issues\/\">UConn &amp; External Users Login Issues<\/a><\/li><!--.dropdown-->\n<\/ul>\n<\/li><li id=\"menu-item-4442\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/redcap-training\/\">REDCap Training<\/a><\/li><li id=\"menu-item-4443\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/guides-how-tos\/\">REDCap Guides &amp; How-to<\/a><\/li><li id=\"menu-item-4449\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children dropdown\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/scheduled-maintenance\/\" class=\"dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\">REDCap Maintenance<b class=\"caret\"><\/b><\/a>\n<ul class=\"dropdown-menu\">\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-4678\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/scheduled-maintenance\/\">REDCap Maintenance<\/a><\/li>\t<li id=\"menu-item-4450\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/scheduled-maintenance\/new-features-improvements\/\">REDCap Upgrade Details<\/a><\/li><!--.dropdown-->\n<\/ul>\n<\/li><li id=\"menu-item-4451\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/redcap-systems\/\">REDCap Systems<\/a><\/li><li id=\"menu-item-4452\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/using-redcap-for-nih-data-sharing\/\">Using REDCap for NIH Data Sharing<\/a><\/li><li id=\"menu-item-4453\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/citing-redcap\/\">Citing REDCap<\/a><\/li><li id=\"menu-item-4455\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/redcap_news\/\">REDCap News You Can Use<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div id=\"top\" class=\"redcap-project-development-guide\" style=\"max-width: 1100px;margin: 0 auto;line-height: 1.7;color: #1f2937\">\n<h1 style=\"margin-bottom: 6px\">REDCap Project Development Guide<\/h1>\n<p style=\"font-size: 1.08em;margin-top: 0\">\nThoughtful project development is essential to building a REDCap project that is usable, secure, and ready for accurate data collection.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nBefore collecting real study data, project teams should use the <strong>Development environment<\/strong> to plan the project structure, configure settings, build instruments, test workflows, and review exports.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"background: #fef2f2;border-left: 6px solid #dc2626;padding: 14px 16px;margin: 22px 0;border-radius: 4px\">\n<strong>Important:<\/strong> The Development environment is for building and testing only. Real data, PII, PHI, and other sensitive data should <strong>not<\/strong> be collected in Development.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"background: #eff6ff;border-left: 6px solid #2563eb;padding: 14px 16px;margin: 22px 0;border-radius: 4px\">\n<strong>Core Workflow:<\/strong> Create \u2192 Configure \u2192 Build \u2192 Test \u2192 Review \u2192 Move to Production\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"background: #f0f9ff;border: 1px solid #bae6fd;padding: 16px 18px;margin: 24px 0;border-radius: 6px\">\n<h2 style=\"margin-top: 0;font-size: 1.2em\">On this page<\/h2>\n<ul style=\"margin: 0;padding-left: 20px\">\n<li><a href=\"#create-project\">Create a New Project<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#core-settings\">Choose Core Project Settings<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#build-instruments\">Build Data Collection Instruments<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#record-id\">Set Up the Record ID<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#field-types\">Select Appropriate Field Types<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#logic-piping\">Branching Logic &amp; Piping<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#surveys-modules\">Surveys &amp; Modules<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#user-rights\">User Rights<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#testing\">Testing in Development<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#production\">Move to Production<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#best-practices\">Development Best Practices<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#resources\">Additional Resources<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"create-project\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Create a New Project<\/h2>\n<p>\nWhen creating a new REDCap project, enter the project title, select the project purpose (typically research), and provide required details such as PI and IRB number.\n<\/p>\n<p>Choose a project creation method:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Empty project (recommended for most users)<\/li>\n<li>Upload REDCap XML (CDISC ODM)<\/li>\n<li>Use a template<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"background:#fff7ed;border-left:6px solid #ea580c;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Best practice:<\/strong> Start simple. Build the minimum structure needed and expand only as your workflow requires.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\" style=\"background:#eef6f8;padding:6px 12px;border-radius:20px;text-decoration:none\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"core-settings\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Choose Core Project Settings<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Will the project use surveys?<\/li>\n<li>Will it be longitudinal or single-timepoint?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nEnable longitudinal design if data will be collected across multiple visits or time points. Enable surveys if participants will complete instruments directly.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#eff6ff;border-left:6px solid #2563eb;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Best practice:<\/strong> Decide early on project type (classic, longitudinal, survey-based, or hybrid). This impacts structure, workflow, and reporting.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\" style=\"background:#eef6f8;padding:6px 12px;border-radius:20px;text-decoration:none\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"build-instruments\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Build Data Collection Instruments<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Online Designer<\/strong> (recommended)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data Dictionary<\/strong> (for advanced builds)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nStart with the default instrument and add additional instruments based on workflow.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#fff7ed;border-left:6px solid #ea580c;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Best practice:<\/strong> Design instruments around real workflows (visit, role, or task), not as one long form.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\" style=\"background:#eef6f8;padding:6px 12px;border-radius:20px;text-decoration:none\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"record-id\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Set Up the Record ID<\/h2>\n<p>\nThe first field must be a unique record identifier. It cannot be deleted but can be renamed.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#fef2f2;border-left:6px solid #dc2626;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Important:<\/strong> Do not use PHI (e.g., MRN, DOB, initials) as the record ID.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"background:#eff6ff;border-left:6px solid #2563eb;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Best practice:<\/strong> Use a neutral study ID that does not contain identifying information.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\" style=\"background:#eef6f8;padding:6px 12px;border-radius:20px;text-decoration:none\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"field-types\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Select Appropriate Field Types<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Validated text (dates, email, numeric)<\/li>\n<li>Dropdowns, radio buttons, checkboxes<\/li>\n<li>Calculated fields (use sparingly)<\/li>\n<li>File uploads, signatures, sliders<\/li>\n<li>Descriptive text and section headers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"background:#fff7ed;border-left:6px solid #ea580c;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Best practice:<\/strong> Use structured and validated fields whenever possible to improve data quality.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"logic-piping\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Branching Logic &amp; Piping<\/h2>\n<p>\nBranching logic controls when fields are displayed. Piping allows previously entered values to be reused in later fields or survey text.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#eff6ff;border-left:6px solid #2563eb;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Best practice:<\/strong> Keep logic clear and test every pathway. Confirm piped values display correctly in all scenarios.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"surveys-modules\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Surveys &amp; Optional Modules<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Auto-numbering<\/li>\n<li>Repeating instruments\/events<\/li>\n<li>Scheduling<\/li>\n<li>Randomization<\/li>\n<li>Data resolution workflow<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"background:#fff7ed;border-left:6px solid #ea580c;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Best practice:<\/strong> Enable only what your study requires to avoid unnecessary complexity.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"user-rights\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">User Rights<\/h2>\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse: collapse\">\n<tr>\n<th style=\"border:1px solid #d1d5db;padding:10px;background:#f3f4f6\">Role<\/th>\n<th style=\"border:1px solid #d1d5db;padding:10px;background:#f3f4f6\">Typical Access<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #d1d5db;padding:10px\">Study Coordinator<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #d1d5db;padding:10px\">Data entry, limited reports<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #d1d5db;padding:10px\">Data Manager<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #d1d5db;padding:10px\">Reports, exports, data quality<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #d1d5db;padding:10px\">Principal Investigator<\/td>\n<td style=\"border:1px solid #d1d5db;padding:10px\">Oversight, read-only or reporting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<div style=\"background:#fef2f2;border-left:6px solid #dc2626;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Important:<\/strong> Apply the principle of least privilege. Review permissions before go-live.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"testing\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Testing in Development<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Enter test records<\/li>\n<li>Test logic and calculations<\/li>\n<li>Complete surveys<\/li>\n<li>Review dashboards and reports<\/li>\n<li>Export and validate data<\/li>\n<li>Have others test workflows<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"background:#eff6ff;border-left:6px solid #2563eb;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Best practice:<\/strong> Test full workflows, not just individual fields.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"production\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Move to Production<\/h2>\n<p>\nProjects should only move to Production once fully tested and validated.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAfter moving to Production, changes must be made in Draft Mode and reviewed before approval.\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#fff7ed;border-left:6px solid #ea580c;padding:14px 16px;margin:20px 0;border-radius:4px\">\n<strong>Best practice:<\/strong> Limit changes after Production and ensure all updates are reviewed carefully.\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"best-practices\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Development Best Practices<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Use validation and structured fields<\/li>\n<li>Keep variable names consistent<\/li>\n<li>Minimize free text<\/li>\n<li>Use consistent coding (Yes\/No, Unknown)<\/li>\n<li>Identify PHI appropriately<\/li>\n<li>Use clear units and field notes<\/li>\n<li>Limit calculated fields<\/li>\n<li>Handle partial\/inexact dates thoughtfully<\/li>\n<li>Use standard instruments when available<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<h2 id=\"resources\" style=\"background:#329EB8;color:white;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:6px\">Additional Resources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2024\/03\/Project-Creation-Guide.pdf\">Project Creation Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/services\/informatics-core\/redcap\/redcap-training\/\">REDCap Training Center<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/redcap-best-practices\/\">REDCap Best Practices<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"#top\">Back to top \u2191<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>REDCap Usage REDCap User Agreement REDCap Usage &amp; Project Eligibility REDCap User Eligibility REDCap Usage Fees REDCap Account RequestREDCap Login Issues UCHC User Login Issues UConn &amp; External Users Login Issues REDCap TrainingREDCap Guides &amp; How-toREDCap Maintenance REDCap Maintenance REDCap Upgrade Details REDCap SystemsUsing REDCap for NIH Data SharingCiting REDCapREDCap News You Can Use REDCap [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4679,"featured_media":0,"parent":2190,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-02 03:34:23","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4687"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4679"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4687"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4732,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4687\/revisions\/4732"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/clinical-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}