Migrating a survey from Qualtrics to REDCap is one of the most common platform transitions in academic research : often driven by licensing changes, institutional policy, or HIPAA requirements. Pirai AI converts a Qualtrics QSF export file directly into a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV. No manual field re-entry required.
Why Researchers Migrate from Qualtrics to REDCap
| Reason | Detail |
|---|---|
| Institutional licensing | Qualtrics licence not renewed or not available at new institution |
| HIPAA compliance | REDCap is HIPAA-compliant by design for clinical and patient data |
| Data governance | REDCap provides audit trails, field validation, and branching logic suited to research data management |
| IRB requirements | Some IRBs require REDCap for sensitive data collection |
Step-by-Step: Qualtrics to REDCap
- 1Export your Qualtrics survey as a QSF fileIn Qualtrics, go to Survey > Tools > Import/Export Survey > Export Survey. Download the .qsf file to your device.
- 2Upload the QSF to Pirai AIGo to platform.piraiai.com and upload your .qsf file. Select REDCap as the output platform.
- 3Download the REDCap Data Dictionary CSVDownload the generated .csv file. Pirai AI maps Qualtrics question types to the correct REDCap field types.
- 4Create a new empty REDCap project and uploadIn REDCap, click New Project, choose Empty project, and create. Go to Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Choose File, upload your .csv, and click Commit Changes.
- 5Review in the Online DesignerVerify all instruments and fields in the Online Designer. Add branching logic and validation rules as needed in REDCap after import.
Qualtrics to REDCap Question Type Mapping
| Qualtrics Question Type | REDCap Field Type |
|---|---|
| Multiple Choice (single) | radio |
| Multiple Choice (multi) | checkbox |
| Text Entry (single line) | text |
| Text Entry (essay) | notes |
| Matrix (radio) | radio per row |
| Dropdown | dropdown |
| Rank Order | text (numeric) |
| Constant Sum | calc or text |
| Descriptive Text | descriptive |
What does not migrate automatically: Qualtrics display logic and branching logic must be re-applied in the REDCap Online Designer after import. Embedded data, quota settings, and randomisation also need to be configured manually in REDCap.
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Get Started
Upload your document at platform.piraiai.com. Select REDCap, download your Data Dictionary .csv, and upload via Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > Commit Changes.
For the full REDCap import guide, see How to Convert Word, PDF, Excel to REDCap. For the three-method comparison, see How to Convert a Word Document to a REDCap Data Dictionary.