Capture research data
Research data are created or captured to analyse and produce original research results.
High quality documentation and data description (known as metadata) enables future users to find, understand, use and properly cite your data. During your project:
- Document your data and collection processes to ensure quality, transparency and context.
- Use open formats to ensure your data can be identified, interpreted, accessible, understandable, preserved and verified.
- Describe and organise your data at the point of collection or creation to ensure integrity is preserved and contextualised.
- Use high resolution capture and digitisation technology or equipment for primary materials.
- Document ownership information, intellectual property, privacy and consent.
Data capture involves collecting data for processing or analysis using various methods, from high end technologies to low tech field instruments.
Use tools and processes to:
- capture data provenance—include data origin details, how it has been altered or transformed
- record quality metadata at the point of capture to enhance sharing, publishing and citation
- organise and structure data into open and flexible formats
- ensure compliance with privacy, ethics, and consent agreements.
Solutions, methods and tools are available to capture your data accurately and ensure valid results.
Interviews
- Apply for ethics approval to secure informed consent from participants.
- Consider potential data sharing and re-use scenarios when organising an appropriate agreement.
Randomised controlled trials
Clinical Trials Randomisation Service provides an independent randomisation process, compatible with all major clinical trial standards.
Speech to text service
Griffith provides access to a speech-to-text service for automatically transcribing audio data. This service is safe, secure and complies with Australian government, Griffith, and ARC funding requirements.
Surveys and clinical trials
Griffith provides access to LimeSurvey, Qualtrics and REDCap for developing and distributing surveys. Each tool has different strengths and use cases.
Create high-quality surveys
Before you begin creating your survey:
- speak with your supervisor
- seek statistical advice from research methods advisors
- attend relevant workshops.
Start developing and publishing your research survey
While planning your survey consider:
- the survey objectives
- the type of survey that best suits your objectives
- how the survey supports your research intentions
- who is your target cohort
- how many responses you need to get
- if it should be anonymous
- how it will be advertised or distributed
- possible incentives or enlistment strategies
- if extra care is needed for the research data (personal, or commercial sensitive data may need special handling).
Note: Make sure you have ethics approval for your research.
After completing training start building your survey by:
- registering your survey
- building a test survey
- giving others access (for example, your supervisor) during survey development, if required
- creating a map or flowchart of your survey
- validating your survey with a small test group.
Once your survey is finished and requires no further changes:
- activate your survey
- survey structure and question types can not be changed once active
- decide how long to keep the survey active
- decide between open-access or closed-access mode
- open-access mode—anyone with the link can complete the survey
- closed-access mode—participants need to register or receive an email invite, with a limited number of uses.
Note: Choose Open-access mode if you don’t know who will be completing your survey. Closed-access is good when you need to keep a record of participants.
After activating and distributing your survey:
- keep track of completed submissions
- export data after you have enough responses or the survey has expired
Data is commonly exported to Excel (CSV), SPSS, or R for analysis.
Contact us for assistance integrating survey panel codes if you engage a panel company to supply participants.
All Griffith supported survey tools have inbuilt charts and data display pages that show a simple overview of participant responses.
You can analyse using free software available via the Software catalogue:
- Leximancer—text analysis
- Nvivo—qualitative analysis
- SAS—statistical analysis
- SPSS—statistical analysis
- R—free software environment for statistical computing and graphics.
Attend Hacky Hour for support with R or Python programming.
After data analysis has been completed:
- export as a PDF or printable version, if a copy is required, and deactivate the survey
- consider your requirements for data archival and custodianship.
Check the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and Griffith's Schedule of Retention Periods for Research Data and Primary Materials.
Survey tools at Griffith
Griffith provides support for LimeSurvey, Qualtrics and REDCap. Each has different strengths and use cases, contact us if you need help choosing a survey tool.
In general, if you’re not sure you need REDCap, it’s usually best to select Qualtrics or LimeSurvey.
LimeSurvey
- User-friendly and quick to develop.
- Lightweight, responsive, web-based forms—suitable for mobile and tablet entry.
Qualtrics
- User-friendly interface.
- Supports very complex logic.
- Offers some question types not available in other tools.
REDCap
- Suitable for clinical and longitudinal studies.
- More suited to studies with multiple collaborators.
- Offline data collection tools (for remote fieldwork).
| Feature | LimeSurvey | Qualtrics | REDCap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free | Free |
| Complexity | ** | ***** | **** |
| Validation | Yes1 | Yes | Yes |
| Email invitations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Secure file send | No | No | Yes |
| Custom HTML / CSS | No | Yes2 | No |
| Quotas | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Logic and branching | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Offline data entry | No | Yes3 | Yes3 |
| Longitudinal studies | Yes1 | Yes | Yes |
| Panel integration | Yes | Yes2 | Yes1 |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | Yes |
| Responsive design (mobile friendly) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Randomisation / counterbalancing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hosted on Griffith infrastructure | Yes | No | Yes |
- Possible, but difficult and complex. Contact us for advice before proceeding.
- Additional costs are involved.
- Requires mobile app.
LimeSurvey
LimeSurvey is a web-based survey tool that features functionality such as a wide variety of question types, automatic redirects based on conditions, automated invitations, and quick visualisation of responses.
Griffith hosts a secure installation of Limesurvey for use by university researchers, where all survey data collected is stored on Griffith servers and administered by the eResearch & Specialised Platforms Team.
Learn the basics and get support
Get started with our self-paced tutorial and access support materials and resources.
REDCap
REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a data collection tool that is highly flexible and supports multiple collaborators. It works well for clinical and longitudinal studies, but can also be used to deliver simple surveys.
Griffith hosts a secure instance of REDCap for use by university researchers, where all surveys and data collected are stored on our own servers and administrated by the eResearch Services team.
Qualtrics
Qualtrics is a web-based tool enabling you to build surveys, feedback and polls using a variety of distribution means. Results can be easily analysed, downloaded and viewed in reports to inform your research.
The Griffith instance is hosted in an Australian data centre and meets requirements for Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data capture. Qualtrics is centrally funded and available free of charge for Griffith staff and students.
Learn the basics and get support
XM Basecamp house tutorials and guides to get you started with Qualtrics. You can contact the Qualtrics team 24/7 via email, chat or phone for technical support.
Ask the library
We are here to help!
Find us in the libraries or contact us by phone or online.
Copyright matters
Find information and support for all aspects of your copyright compliance obligations.
eResearch services
For help with your research technology, data science and technical infrastructure needs.
Office for research
For help with research grant funding opportunities, ethical and IP matters.
Workshops
Attend a workshop targeted to support you throughout the research lifecycle.
Griffith University Research Methods Advisors
For advanced statistical advice.