US PhD and Master's students conducting survey research must obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval under the Common Rule before collecting any data. Most US universities provide Qualtrics for general research surveys and REDCap for clinical health data. Getting your survey instrument from a Word document into the right platform quickly is where most graduate students lose days they cannot afford in a dissertation timeline.
IRB Approval - The Essential First Step
All research involving human participants at US universities requires IRB approval before you recruit participants or collect data. Your IRB application must describe:
- The survey platform and where data will be stored
- Whether data is anonymous or identifiable
- Data retention and destruction plan
- HIPAA considerations if collecting health information
- FERPA considerations if surveying students about their academic records
Surveys using institutional Qualtrics or REDCap are well-understood by US IRBs. Using a personal Google account for research collecting identifiable information requires more detailed justification. Minimal-risk anonymous online surveys often qualify for expedited review.
Getting Platform Access as a Graduate Student
Qualtrics: Access via institutional SSO at [youruni].qualtrics.com. Graduate students often need their dissertation advisor or PI to request survey creation rights on their behalf. Contact your library or IT services - at many R1 universities the library manages Qualtrics and provides direct access to graduate researchers with an active IRB protocol.
REDCap: If your research involves health data or your IRB protocol specifies REDCap, contact your institution's research informatics team or CTSA core. Access is typically tied to an approved IRB project. You will need your IRB approval letter before REDCap access is provisioned.
Which Platform for Your Dissertation
| Study Type | Recommended Platform |
|---|---|
| Psychology, sociology, education survey | Qualtrics - institutional licence |
| Health data, clinical measures, PHI involved | REDCap - HIPAA compliant on institutional servers |
| Low-risk anonymous pilot, no PII | Google Forms - free and fast |
| Online experiment with randomisation | Qualtrics - block randomisation, Survey Flow |
| Multi-site consortium study | Qualtrics (site licences) or REDCap (clinical) |
Building Your Survey Fast After IRB Approval
Most US graduate students write their survey instrument in Word for committee review and IRB submission. After approval, Pirai AI converts the IRB-approved Word document to Qualtrics QSF or REDCap Data Dictionary in under 15 minutes. Upload at platform.piraiai.com, select your platform, download and import. A 40-item dissertation instrument is in Qualtrics in the time it takes to get coffee - with verbatim wording from the IRB-approved document preserved exactly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. All research involving human participants at US universities requires Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval under the Common Rule (45 CFR 46). Most minimal-risk online surveys qualify for expedited review. Contact your Institutional Review Board office early in your dissertation timeline - IRB review can take 2-8 weeks depending on risk level.
Most US universities provide Qualtrics via institutional SSO at [youruni].qualtrics.com. Graduate students often need their dissertation advisor or PI to request survey creation rights. Contact your library or IT services to find your institution's process.
Use Qualtrics for social science, psychology, education, and humanities surveys. Use REDCap if your research involves health data, PHI, or your IRB protocol specifies it. REDCap is typically available through your institution's CTSA core or research informatics team and requires an active IRB protocol for access.
With Pirai AI, under 15 minutes. Upload your IRB-approved Word instrument at platform.piraiai.com, select Qualtrics or REDCap, download the output file, and import it into the platform. Manual entry of the same instrument takes 4-6 hours.
Build Your Dissertation Survey in Minutes
Upload your IRB-approved Word instrument. Pirai AI converts to Qualtrics QSF or REDCap Data Dictionary. Free daily credits for US graduate students.
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