Tools and Resources

UMass Chan Resources

  • The UMass Chan Library offers help in data management and references. This guide can be a great place to start for many research activities. Also, make sure to use a good reference manager for your citations! You might consider Endnote, Refworks, or Zotero. Check out these great videos to start citing!
  • The IRB provides oversight in human subject research. All UMass Chan investigators and staff are required to complete Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) online training. Please review the courses and requirements.
  • REDCap is a secure web platform for building and managing online databases and surveys. REDCap's streamlined process for rapidly creating and designing projects offers a vast array of tools that can be tailored to virtually any data collection strategy. Check out the training tutorials available.
  • The UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) offers support in community engagement, informatics, and trainee education.
  • UMass Chan AI Commons is an intranet site designed to be a one-stop AI shop for the exploration, adoption and responsible use of artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, at UMass Chan. The site brings together tools and support for your use of AI, including guidance and best practices, research and education resources, tool documentation and support, and trainings and communities of interest.
  • UMass Chan Chat is a generative AI platform that provides a secure, institution-specific, chat tool for general use. It is an alternative to Microsoft Copilot for users who would like to use other Large Language Models (LLMs) and advanced capabilities.

General Resources

  • Looking for data to analyze? The All of Us Research Hub stores health data from a diverse group of participants from across the United States. The All of Us Researcher Workbench is a cloud-based platform where registered researchers can access Registered and Controlled Tier data.
  • Pubmed is a great way to search the medical literature. There are online tutorials available to enhance your search! 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. How do I complete my CITI training for the IRB?
    Detailed instructions, courses available, and requirements can be found on CITI training for UMass Chan for investigators and staff.
  2. How do I request a REDCap account?
    If you are new to REDCap, you can request a new account by completing this form.
  3. How can I get access to statistical software?
    A list of helpful research software is available here. This includes SAS, STATA, and SPSS. The library also provides statistical software on public workstations there. And note that Python and R are free!