Skip to content

Step 6: Enable Survey Mode

This guide explains how to enable your instruments as participant-facing surveys in REDCap.

Prerequisites

  • [x] REDCap project with uploaded instruments (Steps 1-5)

What is Survey Mode?

Survey mode transforms your instruments into web-based questionnaires that participants can complete via a link or QR code.

Mode Who Uses It How
Data Entry Researchers Through REDCap interface
Survey Participants Via public link/QR code

Enable Surveys for Your Project

1. Enable Survey Functionality

First, enable the survey feature for your entire project:

  1. Log in to REDCap
  2. Open your project
  3. Go to Project Setup (left sidebar)
  4. Find "Enable surveys for this project?"
  5. Click Enable if not already enabled

2. Enable Individual Instruments as Surveys

For each instrument you want to use as a survey:

  1. Go to Online Designer
  2. Find your instrument (e.g., "fal")
  3. Click "Enable as survey" (gray bubble icon)
  4. Configure survey settings
  5. Click Save Changes

Configure Survey Settings

Basic Settings

When enabling a survey, configure these essential settings:

Setting Recommended Value Description
Survey Title Your instrument name Shown at the top of the survey
Survey Instructions Clear instructions Displayed before questions
Survey Status Active Must be active to collect responses

Example Configuration

Survey Title: Fragebogen zur Allgemeinen Leistungsfähigkeit

Survey Instructions:
Bitte beantworten Sie die folgenden Fragen zu Ihrer allgemeinen
Leistungsfähigkeit. Es gibt keine richtigen oder falschen Antworten.
Die Bearbeitung dauert etwa 5-10 Minuten.

Survey Status: ● Active

Response Settings

Configure how responses are collected:

Setting Option Use Case
Save & Return ✅ Enable Allow participants to pause and continue
E-consent ❌ Disable Unless collecting signatures
Edit Completed ❌ Disable Prevent response changes

Appearance Settings

Setting Option Description
Question Numbering Auto Automatic numbering
Hide Title ❌ No Show survey title
Required Field Indicator ✅ Yes Mark required fields with *

For anonymous surveys open to anyone:

  1. Go to Manage Survey Participants
  2. Click Survey Distribution Tools
  3. Copy the Public Survey Link
https://redcapdev.uol.de/surveys/?s=XXXXXXXXXX

For tracked participants:

  1. Go to Manage Survey Participants
  2. Click Participant List
  3. Add participants (email addresses)
  4. Click Compose Survey Invitations to send links

QR Codes

Generate QR codes for easy access:

  1. Go to Survey Distribution Tools
  2. Click QR Code
  3. Download or print the QR code

Survey Queue (Multiple Instruments)

If using multiple surveys, set up a Survey Queue:

  1. Go to Online Designer
  2. Click Survey Queue
  3. Drag instruments into desired order
  4. Configure auto-start settings

Example queue:

1. Study Participant Information (auto-start)
2. FAL Questionnaire
3. Edinburgh Handedness Inventory
4. Beck Depression Inventory

Automated Invitations

Set up automated survey invitations:

Enable Automated Invitations

  1. Go to Online Designer
  2. Click on your survey's settings
  3. Enable Automated Survey Invitations

Configure Logic

Send invitation:
  When: [survey_1_complete] = '2'  (After first survey complete)
  Delay: 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes
  To: Participant's email

Complete Workflow Example

Here's a complete example for a typical research study:

setup_complete_project.py
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os
import pandas as pd
from redcap import Project, RedcapError
from rcol.instruments import fal, ehi
from rcol.rtg import study_participant_information

# Load API key (see Step 5 for how to store it)
load_dotenv()
RC_API_KEY = os.getenv("RC_API_KEY")

# 1. Upload instruments
instruments = pd.concat([
    study_participant_information,
    fal,
    ehi,
], ignore_index=True)

print("📋 Uploading instruments...")
api_url = "https://redcapdev.uol.de/api/"
rc_project = Project(api_url, RC_API_KEY)

try:
    response = rc_project.import_metadata(instruments, import_format="df")
    print(f"✅ Uploaded {response} fields")
except RedcapError as e:
    print(f"❌ Upload failed: {e}")
    raise

print("\n✅ Setup complete!")
print("\nNext steps:")
print("1. Log in to REDCap")
print("2. Go to Online Designer")
print("3. Enable each instrument as a survey")
print("4. Configure survey settings")
print("5. Get your survey link from Survey Distribution Tools")

What's Next?

Your REDCap project is now ready for data collection!

Additional resources:

Troubleshooting

Survey link shows 'Survey is not active'
  • Check that surveys are enabled for the project
  • Verify the individual instrument is enabled as a survey
  • Ensure Survey Status is set to "Active"
Participants can't submit the survey
  • Check required fields are correctly configured
  • Verify branching logic doesn't hide submit button
  • Test the survey yourself first
I can't find the Survey Distribution Tools
  • Enable surveys for the project first
  • You must enable at least one instrument as a survey
  • Check your user rights include survey distribution
Automated invitations are not sending
  • Verify the Automated Invitations feature is enabled
  • Check your logic conditions
  • Ensure participant emails are valid
  • Check REDCap's email sending settings with your administrator