‘Living Meta-Analysis’ is a free online platform developed to make meta-analysis and meta-analytic findings more intuitive and accessible. It hosts open meta-analytic databases, runs flexible meta-analyses in real time and visualizes the results. In effect, it makes the use of meta-analytic evidence as easy as it can be, enhancing the openness, reliability and cumulativeness of research.
Scroll down to read more about LiMA.
What does LiMA do?
1) Host data
2) Run meta-analyses
3) Show findings
1) Host data
- Databases from published MAs
- Updated, extended – living – MA databases
- E.g., add new studies, new variables, etc.
- New MAs created by anyone
- Comments and discussions
2) Run meta-analyses
- Fixed effects MA
- Random effects MA
- Filtering of studies
- Moderator analysis
- Meta-regression (planned)
3) Show findings
- Forest plots
- Novel grape charts (see below)
- Live updates of all graphs
- Export graphs and tables
Grape Chart
Novel visualization of a meta-analysis – groups studies according to moderator variables and provides intuitive displays of the study distributions and weights. Grape Charts are interactive analysis tools in their own right (every study-grape links to more study information).
Example from a misinformation-effect meta-analysis:
Explore in more detail: The LiMA philosophy
The LiMA Philosophy: Living and Open
Conducting a meta-analysis at one point in time and publishing a ‘snapshot’ of the body of research in a journal (still the most prominent form of publishing meta-analyses) is a tremendous investment of resources. LiMA amplifies the utility of this investment by making the meta-analytic body of research the foundation stone of an expandable, living meta-analysis that can serve the scientific community far beyond the use-by date of the initial meta-analysis. This is the philosophy behind LiMA:
Living meta-analytic databases
- Turn published meta-analyses into a living body of research that can be expanded and re-analysed to answer new research questions or to provide updated results
- Authors of published meta-analyses can host their data within LiMA and can expand them (adding studies and/or variables)
- Other researchers can add to existing meta-analyses within LiMA, or can set up new meta-analytic databases from scratch
…in a user-friendly Web platform
- Open Science: LiMA users can critically comment on studies, variables and individual data points
- On-line functionality: standard analyses can be run on-line without the need to export data or to use other specialised software
- Flexibility: selecting and filtering of studies and variables to explore the data or to focus on targeted research questions
…for research, practice and education
- Updated meta-analytic evidence becomes readily available to inform practice and research
- New research may easily use focused meta-analytic tests in LiMA to motivate new original experiments
- LiMA is a welcome tool for learning about meta-analysis; it makes meta-analysis as easy as playing with Lego blocks
Invitation-only:
LiMA is currently in an invitation-only development & feedback phase. Thank you for your interest.
To sign up for LiMA news and announcements, or if you are interested in taking part in the beta phase, please email lima@port.ac.uk.