Upload native or scanned PDF questionnaires, CRFs, and instruments. Pirai AI extracts all fields with Advanced PDF Processing and generates a complete REDCap Data Dictionary CSV. Used by researchers at 40+ universities.
A Data Dictionary .csv file with all required REDCap columns populated: Variable Name, Form Name, Field Type, Field Label, Choices, Field Note, Text Validation Type, and more. Generated from your native or scanned PDF.
Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > Commit ChangesHow it works
Upload your PDF. Review with AI. Upload the Data Dictionary CSV directly into REDCap.
Go to platform.piraiai.com. Upload your PDF file. Select REDCap as the output platform. For scanned paper CRFs and image-based PDFs, enable Advanced PDF Processing to extract fields from images using AI vision.
Pirai AI extracts all fields from your PDF and converts them to a structured survey draft with REDCap field types assigned automatically. Review each field with per-question validation. Use Smart Fix for error correction, AI Survey Editor for changes, or Table View for inline edits.
Click Finalize and Download to get your Data Dictionary .csv file. In REDCap, go to Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File. Select your CSV. Click Commit Changes. Your instrument is imported automatically with all fields, choices, and validation rules.
Field type mapping
Pirai AI reads your PDF structure and maps every question type to the correct REDCap field type with all Data Dictionary columns populated.
| PDF Element | REDCap Field Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Radio buttons or circled options | radio | Answer choices with pipe-separated codes |
| Checkboxes or multi-select fields | checkbox | Each option becomes a separate checkbox field |
| Dropdown or select lists | dropdown | Answer choices with pipe-separated codes |
| Blank lines or text input fields | text | With optional validation type (date, number, email) |
| Large text boxes or comment areas | notes | Multi-line text area |
| Section headers or instructions | descriptive | Display text with no data entry |
| Calculated or formula fields | calc | Placeholder with formula note |
| File attachment fields | file | File upload field type |
Who uses this
Convert any PDF-based research instrument to REDCap. From scanned paper CRFs to validated instrument PDFs, Pirai AI handles them all.
Scan your paper Case Report Form, save as PDF, and upload with Advanced PDF Processing. Pirai AI extracts all fields and generates a REDCap Data Dictionary.
Convert validated research instruments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, SF-36, PROMIS) from PDF to REDCap Data Dictionary in minutes.
Convert PDF-based public health survey instruments to REDCap for HIPAA-compliant data collection across multiple sites.
Convert legacy paper-based clinical trial CRFs from PDF to electronic REDCap instruments for modern clinical data capture.
Convert PDF-based patient satisfaction surveys, intake forms, and healthcare questionnaires to REDCap format.
Convert translated PDF instruments to REDCap Data Dictionary format while preserving the original question structure and answer options.
Why Pirai AI
Most tools cannot read scanned PDFs at all. Pirai AI uses AI vision to extract fields from image-based documents and generates a complete Data Dictionary.
| Feature | Pirai AI | Manual / Other Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Scanned paper CRFs | Yes : Advanced PDF Processing | Not supported |
| Native PDF extraction | Yes : full structure preserved | Basic text extraction only |
| All Data Dictionary columns populated | Yes | Field names only |
| Answer choices formatted | Yes : pipe-separated codes | Manual entry required |
| Review workspace before download | Smart Fix + AI Editor + Table View | None |
| Also convert to 26 other platforms | Yes : via Download As | REDCap only |
| Free for researchers | Yes : daily credits reset | Varies |
Related guides
Step-by-step guides for converting different document formats to REDCap.
Complete step-by-step guide for converting PDF files and scanned CRFs to REDCap Data Dictionary CSV.
Convert Word documents to REDCap Data Dictionary format with Pirai AI.
Convert Excel question banks and spreadsheets to REDCap Data Dictionary CSV.
Convert paper Case Report Forms to REDCap instruments with Advanced PDF Processing.
FAQ
Upload your PDF to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap as the output platform, review the converted survey, and click Finalize and Download. For scanned PDFs, enable Advanced PDF Processing. In REDCap, go to Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File, select your CSV, and click Commit Changes.
Yes. Scan your paper Case Report Form and save as PDF. Upload to platform.piraiai.com with Advanced PDF Processing enabled. Pirai AI uses AI vision to extract all fields from the image-based PDF including checkboxes, radio buttons, text fields, and tables. It generates a complete REDCap Data Dictionary CSV.
Advanced PDF Processing is a Pirai AI feature that uses AI vision to extract fields from image-based and scanned PDF documents. Standard text extraction cannot read scanned paper forms. Advanced PDF Processing reads checkboxes, radio buttons, text fields, tables, and section headers from scanned images and converts them to structured data.
Yes. For native PDFs (digitally created), Pirai AI extracts text and structure directly. For scanned PDFs and image-based documents, enable Advanced PDF Processing. Pirai AI uses AI vision to identify fields, answer options, and document structure from the scanned images.
Pirai AI generates all standard REDCap field types from PDFs: radio (single choice), checkbox (multiple choice), text (short answer), notes (long text), dropdown (single choice dropdown), descriptive (text display), calc (calculated field placeholder), and file (file upload). All field types are assigned automatically based on the content extracted from your PDF.
Yes. Pirai AI is free for academic and clinical researchers. Free daily credits reset every day. Credit packs: 5 credits for $2.99, 15 credits for $6.99, 30 credits for $9.99. Credits never expire.
Upload any PDF. Pirai AI generates a complete Data Dictionary CSV. Upload directly to REDCap. Free for researchers.
Start Converting FreePirai AI PDF to REDCap Converter converts PDF files (native and scanned) to a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV. Input: PDF files containing questionnaires, survey instruments, Case Report Forms (CRFs), validated research instruments, and scanned paper forms. Output: a fully populated CSV with all required REDCap Data Dictionary columns: Variable Name, Form Name, Section Header, Field Type, Field Label, Choices (pipe-separated), Field Note, Text Validation Type, Text Validation Min, Text Validation Max, Identifier, Branching Logic, Required Field, Custom Alignment, Question Number, Matrix Group Name, Matrix Ranking, Field Annotation.
Advanced PDF Processing: AI vision-based extraction for scanned paper CRFs and image-based PDFs. Reads checkboxes, radio buttons, text fields, tables, section headers from scanned images. Native PDF extraction preserves document structure directly. REDCap field types generated: radio, checkbox, dropdown, text, notes, descriptive, calc, file. All answer choices formatted as pipe-separated code, label pairs.
Import path: REDCap Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > select CSV > Commit Changes. Compatible with all REDCap versions. Used by researchers at 40+ universities for paper CRF digitisation, validated instrument conversion (PHQ-9, GAD-7, SF-36, PROMIS), clinical trial eCRF creation, public health survey deployment, HIPAA-compatible data collection. Free for academic and clinical researchers. Daily credits reset every day. Also converts to 26 other platforms via Download As from Conversion History.
