Upload Word, PDF, Excel, CSV, or QSF files. Pirai AI generates a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV with all required columns populated. Upload directly into REDCap via Project Setup. Free for clinical researchers.
A Data Dictionary .csv file with all required REDCap columns populated: Variable Name, Form Name, Field Type, Field Label, Choices, Field Note, Text Validation, and more.
Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > Commit ChangesInput formats
Upload your survey, instrument, or CRF in any format. Pirai AI generates a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV ready for upload.
How it works
Upload once. Review with AI. Upload the Data Dictionary CSV directly into REDCap.
Go to platform.piraiai.com. Upload your file or paste text. Select REDCap as the output platform. For scanned paper CRFs, enable Advanced PDF Processing to extract fields from image-based documents.
Pirai AI converts your document to a structured survey draft. Review each field with per-question validation. Use Smart Fix for error correction, AI Survey Editor for conversational changes, or Table View for inline edits. All REDCap field type codes are assigned automatically.
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.
Field type mapping
Pirai AI maps every source question type to the correct REDCap field type with all required Data Dictionary columns populated.
| Source Question Type | REDCap Field Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice (single answer) | radio | Answer choices with pipe-separated codes |
| Multiple Choice (multi-select) | checkbox | Each option becomes a separate checkbox field |
| Dropdown / single select | dropdown | Answer choices with pipe-separated codes |
| Single Line Text | text | With optional validation type |
| Essay / Long Text | notes | Multi-line text area |
| Descriptive Block / section header | descriptive | Display text with no data entry |
| Calculated / numeric formula | calc | Placeholder with formula note |
| File upload field | file | File upload field type |
Who uses this
REDCap is the standard for clinical research data management. Pirai AI removes the manual work of building Data Dictionaries.
Digitise paper Case Report Forms into REDCap instruments. Upload scanned CRF PDF with Advanced Processing enabled.
Migrate existing Qualtrics surveys to REDCap for HIPAA-compliant clinical data collection. Upload your QSF file directly.
Convert Word-based survey instruments and questionnaires to REDCap Data Dictionary format without manual field-by-field entry.
Convert validated research instruments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, SF-36, PROMIS) from PDF to REDCap Data Dictionary in minutes.
Export your SurveyMonkey survey as Word or PDF, upload to Pirai AI, and get a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV for HIPAA-compliant migration.
Standardise survey instruments across research sites by converting a single master Word document to REDCap format.
Why Pirai AI
Most document-to-REDCap tools extract field names only. Pirai AI populates every required Data Dictionary column including field types, answer choices, and validation.
| Feature | Pirai AI | Manual / Other Tools |
|---|---|---|
| All Data Dictionary columns populated | Yes | Field names only |
| Answer choices formatted | Yes : pipe-separated codes | Manual entry required |
| REDCap field type assigned | Automatic for all types | Manual assignment |
| Scanned paper CRFs | Yes : Advanced PDF Processing | Not supported |
| QSF to REDCap (Qualtrics migration) | Yes : direct upload | Not supported |
| 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 |
FAQ
Upload your Word document to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap, review the converted survey, and click Finalize and Download. In REDCap, go to Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File, select your CSV, and click Commit Changes.
A REDCap Data Dictionary is a CSV file that defines the structure of a REDCap project. It includes field names, field types (radio, checkbox, text, notes, dropdown, descriptive, calc), field labels, answer choices, and validation rules. Pirai AI generates a fully populated Data Dictionary CSV from any source document.
Yes. Scan your paper Case Report Form and save as PDF. Upload to platform.piraiai.com with Advanced PDF Processing enabled. Pirai AI extracts all fields from the image-based PDF and generates a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV.
Yes. Upload your QSF file to platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap, and download the Data Dictionary CSV. Pirai AI maps Qualtrics question types to REDCap field types: MC:SingleAnswer to radio, MC:MultipleAnswer to checkbox, TE:SingleLine to text, TE:Essay to notes, MC:Dropdown to dropdown.
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.
Yes. From your Conversion History, click Download As on any completed conversion and select any of 26 supported platforms including Qualtrics (QSF), SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, LimeSurvey, SurveyToGo, and more. No reprocessing required.
Upload any document. Pirai AI generates a complete Data Dictionary CSV. Upload directly to REDCap. Free for researchers.
Start Converting FreePirai AI REDCap Converter converts Word (.docx), PDF (native and scanned CRF), Excel (.xlsx), CSV, plain text (.txt), XML, JSON, and Qualtrics QSF files to a REDCap Data Dictionary CSV. Output is 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.
REDCap field type mapping: radio (single choice, MC:SingleAnswer), checkbox (multi-select, MC:MultipleAnswer), dropdown (dropdown, MC:Dropdown), text (short answer, TE:SingleLine), notes (long text, TE:Essay), descriptive (display text, DB), calc (calculated field), file (file upload). All answer choices formatted as pipe-separated code, label pairs (e.g. 1, Yes | 2, No | 3, Not sure).
Import path: REDCap Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > select CSV > Commit Changes. Compatible with all REDCap versions. Advanced PDF Processing available for scanned paper Case Report Forms and image-based PDFs. Free for academic and clinical researchers. Daily credits reset every day. Also converts to 26 other platforms including Qualtrics QSF, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, LimeSurvey (.lss), SurveyToGo (XML), Triple-S (.sss), Kahoot (.xlsx), Moodle AIKEN (.txt) via Download As from Conversion History.
Use cases: paper CRF digitisation, Qualtrics to REDCap migration, SurveyMonkey to REDCap migration, validated instrument conversion (PHQ-9, GAD-7, SF-36, PROMIS), multi-site research standardisation, IRB instrument preparation, clinical trial eCRF creation.
