How do I convert a Word document to a REDCap Data Dictionary?

Upload your Word document to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap as the output platform, and download the generated .csv file in REDCap Data Dictionary format. Create a new empty project in REDCap, go to Project Setup > Data Dictionary, upload the .csv, and click Commit Changes. All your instruments and fields are created instantly.

What columns does a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV need?

A REDCap Data Dictionary CSV requires these columns: Variable / Field Name, Form Name, Section Header, Field Type, Field Label, Choices (for radio, checkbox, dropdown), Field Note, Text Validation Type, Text Validation Min, Text Validation Max, Identifier, Branching Logic, Required Field, Custom Alignment, Question Number, Matrix Group Name, and Field Annotation. Pirai AI populates all required columns automatically from your source document.

Can I use ChatGPT to create a REDCap Data Dictionary from a Word document?

Yes, ChatGPT can generate a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV from a Word document if you provide the blank template and the survey content in your prompt. However, the output requires manual validation of column structure, field name formatting (no spaces, under 26 characters), choice coding, and branching logic syntax. Pirai AI is purpose-built for this conversion and generates a validated Data Dictionary CSV without requiring prompt engineering or manual cleanup.

How do I import a Word document into REDCap?

REDCap does not accept Word documents directly. To import a Word document into REDCap: (1) Upload your .docx to platform.piraiai.com and select REDCap. (2) Download the Data Dictionary .csv. (3) Create a new empty REDCap project. (4) Go to Project Setup > Data Dictionary. (5) Upload the .csv and click Commit Changes.

How do I convert a PDF to a REDCap Data Dictionary?

Upload your PDF to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap, and download the Data Dictionary .csv. Upload it to a new REDCap project via Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > Commit Changes. Works for native PDFs and scanned paper CRFs.

How do I convert a paper CRF to REDCap?

Scan your paper case report form to PDF, upload the PDF to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap, and download the Data Dictionary .csv. Upload it to a new REDCap project via Project Setup > Data Dictionary. Pirai AI extracts all fields, question types, and answer choices from the scanned document.

How do I convert an Excel file to a REDCap Data Dictionary?

Upload your Excel (.xlsx) file to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap, and download the Data Dictionary .csv. Upload it to a new REDCap project via Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > Commit Changes.

What REDCap field types does Pirai AI generate?

Pirai AI generates REDCap field types including: text (single-line text entry), notes (long text/paragraph), radio (single-choice), checkbox (multi-select), dropdown (select list), and calc (calculated field). Field labels, answer choice coding, and validation types are all included in the generated Data Dictionary CSV.

What is the REDCap Online Designer?

The REDCap Online Designer is the visual instrument builder where you can view, edit, and organise the fields created by a Data Dictionary upload. After committing a Data Dictionary, go to the Online Designer to verify all instruments and fields are correct, make any adjustments, and proceed with project setup.

What does Commit Changes do in REDCap?

After uploading a Data Dictionary CSV in REDCap, the system validates the file and shows a summary of all fields to be created. Clicking Commit Changes applies the Data Dictionary to the project, creating all instruments and fields. A Changes Made Successfully message confirms success.

What permissions do I need to upload a Data Dictionary to REDCap?

You need project creation permission in REDCap to create a new project and upload a Data Dictionary. If you do not have this access, contact your REDCap administrator. If you select Research as the project purpose, all required fields must be completed before proceeding.

Can I convert a Qualtrics survey to REDCap?

Yes. Export your Qualtrics survey as a QSF file, upload it to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap, download the Data Dictionary .csv, and upload it to a new REDCap project via Project Setup > Data Dictionary.

How do I create a REDCap instrument from a Word document?

Upload your Word document to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap, and download the Data Dictionary .csv. The CSV defines one or more instruments based on your document structure. Upload it to a new REDCap project. The instruments appear in the Online Designer for review.

Is there a free REDCap Data Dictionary generator?

Yes. Pirai AI offers free access for academic researchers to generate REDCap Data Dictionary CSV files from any source document. Visit platform.piraiai.com to get started.

How long does it take to convert a Word document to a REDCap Data Dictionary?

Using Pirai AI: under 10 minutes to generate the Data Dictionary CSV, then under 5 minutes to create the REDCap project and upload the file. Total: under 15 minutes for any survey length. Manually building the same survey in the REDCap Online Designer takes several hours for a 50-question instrument.

What is the difference between building REDCap instruments manually vs using a Data Dictionary?

The Online Designer lets you add fields one by one through a visual interface. A Data Dictionary upload creates all fields at once from a single CSV file. For surveys with 20 or more fields, the Data Dictionary method is significantly faster. Pirai AI generates the Data Dictionary CSV automatically from your source document.

Can I convert a survey from SurveyMonkey to REDCap?

Yes. Export your SurveyMonkey survey and upload it to platform.piraiai.com. Select REDCap, download the Data Dictionary .csv, and upload it to a new REDCap project.

How do I migrate a survey from another platform to REDCap?

Export your survey from the source platform, upload to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap, download the Data Dictionary .csv, and upload it to a new REDCap project. Pirai AI supports migration from 20+ platforms including Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, QuestionPro, and others.

Does Pirai AI support multilingual surveys for REDCap?

Yes. Pirai AI supports 50+ languages with UTF-8 encoding. Survey content in Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and other languages is preserved correctly in the REDCap Data Dictionary CSV output.

How do I convert a Word document to REDCap step by step?

Step-by-step: (1) Upload your Word document to platform.piraiai.com. (2) Select REDCap. (3) Download the Data Dictionary .csv. (4) Log in to REDCap and click New Project. (5) Enter a title, select purpose, choose Empty project, and click Create Project. (6) Go to Project Setup > Data Dictionary. (7) Click Choose File, select your .csv, and click Upload File. (8) Review the summary and click Commit Changes. (9) Go to the Online Designer to review your instruments.

How to Convert a Word Document to a REDCap Data Dictionary

REDCap does not have a survey import wizard. You cannot paste questions in or upload a Word document directly. The path into REDCap is through a Data Dictionary CSV — a structured spreadsheet that defines every field, field type, and instrument in your project. Creating that CSV manually is the bottleneck. This guide shows three ways to do it, and which one is fastest.

What Is a REDCap Data Dictionary?

A REDCap Data Dictionary is a CSV file with specific column headers. REDCap reads it to build your project's instruments and fields in one step. Every field you would otherwise add one by one in the Online Designer can instead be defined in the CSV and uploaded at once. The required columns include Variable / Field Name, Form Name, Field Type, Field Label, Choices (for radio, checkbox, and dropdown fields), and validation settings.

Why the Data Dictionary matters for researchers

Most research teams spend hours manually entering survey instruments into REDCap field by field. For a validated questionnaire like the PHQ-9 or a 60-item CRF, this means hours of careful data entry with a high risk of errors. The Data Dictionary upload method eliminates that entirely. Pirai AI generates the CSV from your existing document so you go from Word to REDCap in under 15 minutes.

Three Methods: Which One Is Right for You?

Method	Time (50 fields)	Technical Skill	Validation Risk
Manual Online Designer	3-5 hours	Low	Low (visual checks)
ChatGPT / general AI	30-60 minutes	Medium (prompt engineering)	Medium (output needs manual validation)
Pirai AI (recommended)	Under 15 minutes	Low (upload and download)	Low (purpose-built output validation)

Method 1: Manual Online Designer

REDCap's Online Designer lets you add fields one by one through a point-and-click interface. It requires no technical knowledge and gives you full visual control over every field. For small instruments under 15 fields it is reasonable. For anything larger, it becomes the most time-consuming path.

When to use it: You have a small instrument under 15 fields, or you are making targeted edits to an existing project after a Data Dictionary upload. For full survey conversion, Method 3 is significantly faster.

Method 2: ChatGPT or General AI

Researchers have had success using ChatGPT to generate REDCap Data Dictionary CSVs by pasting a blank template and their survey document into a prompt. The approach works but has real limitations.

What the ChatGPT method requires

You need to provide ChatGPT with the blank Data Dictionary template, your survey document, and a detailed prompt explaining REDCap's column structure. The output then needs manual validation: field names must be lowercase with no spaces and under 26 characters, choice coding must use pipe-separated values in the correct format (e.g. 1, Strongly Agree | 2, Agree), and branching logic uses REDCap-specific syntax. Any errors will cause the upload to fail or produce incorrect fields.

When to use it: You are comfortable with prompt engineering and REDCap's Data Dictionary format, and you are prepared to validate the output manually. For researchers who just need the CSV to work on the first upload, Method 3 is more reliable.

Method 3: Pirai AI, Purpose-Built, Any File Type

Pirai AI is built specifically for survey format conversion. It knows REDCap's Data Dictionary column structure, field name rules, choice coding format, and field type mapping. You upload your document and receive a validated .csv ready to upload directly into REDCap. No prompt engineering. No manual validation.

Recommended for any file type and any survey length

Your File	Extension	Common Source
Word document	.docx	Microsoft Word, Google Docs (downloaded)
PDF	.pdf	Published instruments, paper CRFs, Word exports
Excel spreadsheet	.xlsx	Codebooks, survey specs in tabular form
CSV file	.csv	Existing partial data dictionaries, structured lists
Plain text	.txt	Simple questionnaire text
XML file	.xml	LimeSurvey, SurveyMonkey exports
Qualtrics survey	.qsf	Migrating from Qualtrics to REDCap

You can also paste plain survey text directly into the platform without uploading a file.

Convert your survey document to a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV. Free for researchers.

Convert Now

How to Convert with Pirai AI: Step by Step

The process has two phases: generate the Data Dictionary CSV, then upload it to a new REDCap project.

Phase 1: Generate the Data Dictionary

1

Upload your document to Pirai AI Go to platform.piraiai.com and upload your file. Accepted: .docx .pdf .xlsx .csv .txt .xml .qsf. Or paste your survey text directly.
2

Select REDCap and download the Data Dictionary CSV Choose REDCap as the output platform. Download the generated .csv file. All required Data Dictionary columns are populated: Variable / Field Name, Form Name, Field Type, Field Label, Choices, and more.

Phase 2: Create the REDCap Project and Upload

3

Log in to REDCap and create a new empty project Click New Project from the top menu. Enter a Project Title, select the Purpose from the dropdown, ensure Empty project (blank slate) is selected under Project Creation Option, and click Create Project.
4

Go to Project Setup and open the Data Dictionary tab On the Project Setup tab, under Design your data collection instruments, click the Data Dictionary button. Confirm the correct format for date and datetime validation values is selected from the dropdown.
5

Upload your CSV and review the summary Click Choose File, select your Pirai AI .csv, and click Upload File. REDCap validates the file and displays a summary of all fields to be created. If no errors appear, click Commit Changes.
6

Review your instruments in the Online Designer A Changes Made Successfully confirmation appears. Go to the Online Designer to review all instruments and fields. Check field types, choice labels, and instrument organisation. Make any adjustments before collecting data.

REDCap Field Types Pirai AI Generates

Source Question Type	REDCap Field Type	Notes
Single-line / short answer	`text`	Supports validation: date, number, email, phone
Long answer / paragraph	`notes`	Free text, no character limit
Multiple choice (single answer)	`radio`	Choices coded with pipe-separated values
Multiple choice (multi-select)	`checkbox`	Each option becomes a separate checkbox field
Dropdown / select list	`dropdown`	Same coding format as radio
Calculated / derived field	`calc`	Formula included where detectable

After upload: Use the Online Designer to adjust any field type, rename variables, reorder fields within instruments, or add branching logic. The Data Dictionary upload gives you the structure instantly. The Online Designer is where you fine-tune it.

Time Comparison: Three Methods

Instrument Size	Manual Online Designer	ChatGPT + Validation	Pirai AI
15 fields	45-60 minutes	20-30 minutes	Under 10 minutes
50 fields	3-5 hours	45-60 minutes	Under 15 minutes
100+ fields (multi-instrument)	Full day	2-3 hours + error fixes	Under 15 minutes
PDF or Excel input	Requires manual transcription first	Supported but complex prompt	Direct upload, same time

All File Types and Conversion Details

Every input format Pirai AI converts to REDCap Data Dictionary CSV.

.docx (Word): Microsoft Word survey documents. Pirai AI extracts all questions, answer choices, and field structure and generates a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV with all required columns populated.
.doc (Legacy Word): Older Word format. Pirai AI extracts content and generates a REDCap-compatible Data Dictionary CSV.
.pdf (PDF): Published instruments, paper CRFs, and native PDFs. Pirai AI extracts questions and generates a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV. Particularly useful for digitising established questionnaires.
.xlsx (Excel): Survey specs, codebooks, and tabular question data. Pirai AI reads the structure and generates a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV with correct column mapping.
.csv (CSV): Existing partial data dictionaries or structured question lists. Pirai AI reformats into a complete REDCap Data Dictionary CSV.
.txt (Plain text): Plain text survey files. Pirai AI maps content to REDCap field types and generates a Data Dictionary CSV.
.xml (XML): XML exports from LimeSurvey, SurveyMonkey, and others. Converted to REDCap Data Dictionary CSV format.
.qsf (Qualtrics): Qualtrics Survey Format files. Pirai AI maps Qualtrics question types to REDCap field types and generates a complete Data Dictionary CSV.
Plain text (pasted): Survey text pasted directly into Pirai AI. Generates a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV output.
Google Docs: Download as .docx (File > Download > Microsoft Word), upload to Pirai AI, select REDCap.
Paper CRFs: Scan paper case report forms to PDF, upload to Pirai AI, select REDCap. All fields are extracted and the Data Dictionary CSV generated from the scanned content.

Also useful for:

This guide covers how to: convert a Word document to a REDCap Data Dictionary, import a Word document into REDCap, create a REDCap data dictionary from a Word document, convert a PDF to REDCap, convert a paper CRF to REDCap, generate a REDCap data dictionary CSV from a survey, convert a survey instrument to REDCap, create REDCap instruments from a Word document, use ChatGPT to create a REDCap data dictionary, build a REDCap project from a Word document, convert a questionnaire to REDCap, convert a PDF questionnaire to REDCap, migrate Qualtrics to REDCap, convert a Qualtrics survey to REDCap data dictionary, migrate SurveyMonkey to REDCap, convert Excel to REDCap data dictionary, upload a data dictionary to REDCap, commit changes in REDCap data dictionary, use the REDCap Online Designer after data dictionary upload, redcap data dictionary generator free, convert any document format to REDCap Data Dictionary CSV, and digitize a paper questionnaire into REDCap.

Get Started

Upload your document at platform.piraiai.com. Select REDCap, download your Data Dictionary .csv, create a new empty REDCap project, and upload via Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > Commit Changes.

For the full technical import guide, see How to Convert Word, PDF, Excel to REDCap. For the full platform import reference, see the Pirai AI Platform Import Guide.