Data collection

REDCap

For online questionnaires and surveys, it's recommended that you use REDcap as it offers higher data security and protection.  REDCap is particularly suited for longitudinal studies and is used predominantly for health research. The tool is managed by IS and the data is stored on La Trobe servers.

QuestionPro

Easy to use, suitable for most surveys and flexible. The University currently provides QuestionPro access for staff and students to conduct surveys. It is also supported by Information Services and the data is hosted within Australia.

Survey Monkey (not recommended)

Survey Monkey is only suitable for surveys that are completely anonymous.

---

For more information about software for questionnaires and surveys, see the La Trobe University Office of Research Infrastructure Survey Tools page.

Most devices and be used for audio and video recordings including the following:

• Smart phones - as long as cloud synchronization/sharing is turned off
• Encrypted digital recorders
• Video cameras

For ethics applications, it's recommended that you specify the tools/devices you intend to use for your recordings and confirm (if applicable) that cloud sharing functions will be disabled.

Also be aware that the data collected from audio/video recordings and associated transcripts is likely to be sensitive since participants could potentially be identified by voice, and transcripts may also contain information that in context could be used to identify individuals or groups.

Zoom - recommended

Zoom is recommended for remote audio and video recordings for security, backup and data ownership reasons. For assistance with using Zoom, please log in to the La Trobe Zoom Conferencing Portal then click on the “Video Tutorials” link which is listed on your Zoom home page.

 

Not recommended

Please note that Skype is not recommended for any research purposes.