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Text Boxes are great for collecting short pieces of free text. Validation can be added for data such as dates, numbers, emails, and phone numbers. If collecting numeric values, you can also set maximum and minimum ranges.
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Note: it is best to limit text box usage and opt for structured field types when possible. This allows for more granular reporting and prevents typos. |
Notes Boxes are great for collecting longer pieces of text, such as clinical notes, comments to elaborate on a previous answer, or descriptions.
Structured field types
Structured field types provide a limited set of pre-defined answers for selection during data entry. These include drop-downs and radio buttons for single answer choices, and checkboxes for multiple answers.
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Calculation fields are used to calculate values from data associated with other variables. The end result for a calculation field must be a value, and the calculation field can only access data from variables within that particular record. There are also various special functions and smart variables that can be used to aid with calculation. These fields are useful for creating scoring tools or simple calculations.
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Section headers can be used to separate different blocks of variables. These can also be used to create separate pages within surveys.
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Note: section headers help to save data intermittently. If you have a long list of questions and the user closes the survey, data captured to date is lost if there are no section headers. |
Matrix field types
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Matrix field types are a little distinct from the others, as they are a grouped set of variables together. These are useful when you have multiple variables that rely on the same choices. When adding a matrix of variables, you can use either radio buttons or checkboxes as options. The columns of the matrix are the options, and the options for all of the variables within the matrix will need to match. Rows will be the variables (questions).
Now we’ve covered all of the field types that you can add to an instrument, but what do you do when you only want some fields to show conditionally? We’ll discuss this next!
Head over to the next section of REDCap 101, or head back to the table of contents.