How to RedCap - Basis & FAQ

This How To describes the standard workflow when working with RedCap in the lab and, lab standards in setting up and translating RedCap surveys.

Before starting

1. Make sure you have access to MPI/TUM Project Template

2. Make sure you have access to the RedCap channel

   1. to discuss questions
   2. to ask if someone has implemented a survey beforehand
   3. to ask for reviews / translations
   4. to share newly set up variables

New survey

• Variable names
  • Conventions for coding of variables can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HO_OZBSEFg38lUpPxdW0KE-TZeaDmJH14Zpz2bJ_V5Q/edit#gid=576324485
  • Variables should contain the name of the survey at the beginning(e.g. time variable in MCTQ could be mctq_time)
  • Don’t use capital letters, only lower letters
  • Use underscore(”_”) to seperate words
• Gender-neutral language
  • For unspecified gender, use “they” instead of e.g. “she / he”

Translations

Import languages

• For a whole project
  • Go to the project from which you want to export the translations
  • Go to “Multi-Language-Management” on the sidebar on the left
  • Go to “Languages”
  • Below the “Add a new language” button you can see the languages that are already added to the project. Find the language you want to export and press the blue export button
  • You should get options to choose which translations you want to import and which format you want to use. After choosing your preferred options press the green “Download” button(Note: after finishing this step you should have downloaded a file that contains the information about the translations)
  • Go to the project you want to import the language into
  • Go to “Multi-Language-Management” on the sidebar on the left
  • Go to “Languages”
  • Press the green “Add a new language” button(If you have already added the language you can press the edit button, which is a black pencil, close to the given language)
  • Press the “Import from file or system” button
  • Choose the file you have imoported from the other project and press the blue “Import” button
• For a specific survey within one project

  • start by going to multi language management

  • select a “study” and modify its translations (don’t forget to save)

    

  • download the file in a json format at the very right of the line

    

  • Go to your redcap study page

  • go to multi language management

  • select a language you want to modify and go on “edit language”

    

  • Import the previously json file saved

    

  • Apply the changes, the translations will be added to your language module.

German translations

• Use ChatGPT and Deepl for translations
  • Do not translate things yourself
  • Correct the AI-generated languages so they match the purpose of the question
  • Let another Lab member check the translations (you can tag someone in the slack channel “redcap”)
• Gender-neutral language
  • Use “Gender Doppelpunkt” for gender-neutral languate, e.g. “der:die Versuchsleiter:in”

Save and export surveys as PDF

• At "Multi-Language Management", set the Default Language to the one you want to export.
• Go to "Designer", and in the Overview under "View PDF" click on the PDF button to export the survey in this specific language
• Make sure to reset the Default Language to English under "Multi-Language Management"