LiMA

Living Meta-Analysis

‘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.

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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:

0.1 1 10 100 1000 odds ratio weighted mean no warning weighted mean warning Blank1998 Exp. 1 3.55 3.70% 0.0115, 2.52 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Bodner2009 1and2 17.5 2.22% 1.24, 4.48 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Bodner2009 1and2 8.65 2.30% 0.567, 3.75 OR: Wt: 95% CI: ChristiansenOchalek1983 Exp. 1 27.3 0.953% 0.836, 5.78 OR: Wt: 95% CI: ChristiansenOchalek1983 Exp. 2 6.05 3.32% 0.476, 3.12 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 1 16.2 2.06% 1.10, 4.47 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 1 16.2 2.06% 1.10, 4.47 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 2 5.50 1.32% -0.393, 3.80 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 3 13.2 1.38% 0.529, 4.63 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 3 13.2 1.38% 0.529, 4.63 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 4 2.57 4.43% -0.204, 2.09 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 4 2.57 4.43% -0.204, 2.09 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2007 Exp. 1 3.84 3.11% -0.0231, 2.72 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2007 Exp. 1 3.84 3.11% -0.0231, 2.72 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2007 Exp. 2 3.00 4.55% -0.0330, 2.23 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Frost2002 1and2 16.7 0.795% 0.109, 5.52 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Frost2002 1and2 23.9 0.804% 0.482, 5.87 OR: Wt: 95% CI: HighhouseBotrill1995 Exp. 1 4.16 4.73% 0.316, 2.53 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Lindsay1995 Exp. 2 11.2 0.808% -0.273, 5.10 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Lindsay1995 Exp. 2 2.04 0.571% -2.48, 3.91 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Lindsay1995 Exp. 2 4.22 2.56% -0.0684, 2.95 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Lindsay1995 Exp. 2 7.24 0.913% -0.546, 4.50 OR: Wt: 95% CI: MaedeRoediger2002 Exp. 1 8.09 1.31% -0.0159, 4.20 OR: Wt: 95% CI: OebrstBlank2012 Exp. 2 2.50 3.65% -0.345, 2.18 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PatersonKempMcIntyre2012 Exp. 1 12.7 0.176% -3.22, 8.30 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PatersonKempMcIntyre2012 Exp. 2 16.8 0.168% -3.07, 8.71 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PatersonKemp2009 Exp. 1 2.63 0.621% -2.10, 4.03 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PatersonKemp2009 Exp. 2 7.83 0.501% -1.35, 5.47 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PriceConnolly2004 Exp. 1 1.69 0.277% -4.06, 5.11 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PriceConnolly2004 Exp. 1 0.578 0.165% -6.49, 5.39 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Principe2001 3to4 462 0.574% 2.95, 9.32 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Principe2001 3to4 396 0.573% 2.79, 9.17 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Principe2001 5to6 798 0.497% 3.26, 10.1 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Principe2001 5to6 798 0.497% 3.26, 10.1 OR: Wt: 95% CI: SzpitalakPolczyk2010 Exp. 1 3.10 7.75% 0.264, 2.00 OR: Wt: 95% CI: SzpitalakPolczyk2010 Exp. 1 1.51 7.95% -0.442, 1.27 OR: Wt: 95% CI: SzpitalakPolczyk2011 Exp. 1 3.52 7.42% 0.371, 2.14 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Thomas2010 Exp. 1 16.0 1.30% 0.653, 4.89 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Thomas2010 Exp. 1 18.6 0.604% -0.182, 6.03 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Thomas2010 Exp. 2 11.9 1.55% 0.535, 4.41 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Thomas2010 Exp. 2 3.83 1.68% -0.518, 3.20 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Wrigh1993 Exp. 1 18.1 3.01% 1.51, 4.29 OR: Wt: 95% CI: ZaragozaLane1994 Exp. 4 2.25 8.20% -0.0318, 1.65 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Blank1998 Exp. 1 1.00 3.04% -1.43, 1.43 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Bodner2009 1and2 3.68 2.23% -0.365, 2.97 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Bodner2009 1and2 2.39 2.11% -0.840, 2.58 OR: Wt: 95% CI: ChristiansenOchalek1983 Exp. 1 1.00 0.648% -3.09, 3.09 OR: Wt: 95% CI: ChristiansenOchalek1983 Exp. 2 1.88 3.73% -0.654, 1.92 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 1 2.11 3.15% -0.654, 2.15 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 1 4.76 2.78% 0.0678, 3.05 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 2 1.72 1.44% -1.53, 2.62 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 3 3.67 1.53% -0.710, 3.31 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 3 6.00 1.46% -0.269, 3.85 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 4 1.27 3.85% -1.03, 1.51 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2005 Exp. 4 1.25 4.38% -0.968, 1.41 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2007 Exp. 1 1.92 3.04% -0.775, 2.08 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2007 Exp. 1 1.67 3.40% -0.836, 1.86 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Echterhoff2007 Exp. 2 1.54 4.44% -0.751, 1.61 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Frost2002 1and2 13.0 0.834% -0.159, 5.29 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Frost2002 1and2 21.0 0.851% 0.348, 5.74 OR: Wt: 95% CI: HighhouseBotrill1995 Exp. 1 1.18 5.55% -0.894, 1.22 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Lindsay1995 Exp. 2 17.0 0.358% -1.33, 6.99 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Lindsay1995 Exp. 2 1.00 0.397% -3.95, 3.95 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Lindsay1995 Exp. 2 3.90 1.18% -0.933, 3.65 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Lindsay1995 Exp. 2 1.73 1.40% -1.56, 2.65 OR: Wt: 95% CI: MaedeRoediger2002 Exp. 1 3.40 1.09% -1.16, 3.60 OR: Wt: 95% CI: OebrstBlank2012 Exp. 2 0.862 2.80% -1.63, 1.34 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PatersonKempMcIntyre2012 Exp. 1 16.4 0.189% -2.92, 8.51 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PatersonKempMcIntyre2012 Exp. 2 13.5 0.176% -3.32, 8.53 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PatersonKemp2009 Exp. 1 2.67 0.694% -2.01, 3.97 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PatersonKemp2009 Exp. 2 11.3 0.547% -0.943, 5.79 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PriceConnolly2004 Exp. 1 1.09 0.246% -4.93, 5.10 OR: Wt: 95% CI: PriceConnolly2004 Exp. 1 2.31 0.325% -3.53, 5.20 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Principe2001 3to4 78.8 0.704% 1.40, 7.33 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Principe2001 3to4 924 0.513% 3.35, 10.3 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Principe2001 5to6 51.3 0.731% 1.03, 6.85 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Principe2001 5to6 73.5 0.733% 1.39, 7.20 OR: Wt: 95% CI: SzpitalakPolczyk2010 Exp. 1 0.690 7.24% -1.30, 0.553 OR: Wt: 95% CI: SzpitalakPolczyk2010 Exp. 1 1.94 9.28% -0.153, 1.48 OR: Wt: 95% CI: SzpitalakPolczyk2011 Exp. 1 1.20 8.21% -0.689, 1.05 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Thomas2010 Exp. 1 7.56 0.836% -0.697, 4.74 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Thomas2010 Exp. 1 4.07 1.24% -0.827, 3.63 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Thomas2010 Exp. 2 2.73 1.39% -1.11, 3.12 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Thomas2010 Exp. 2 4.44 1.74% -0.395, 3.38 OR: Wt: 95% CI: Wrigh1993 Exp. 1 0.490 0.855% -3.40, 1.98 OR: Wt: 95% CI: ZaragozaLane1994 Exp. 4 3.05 8.69% 0.272, 1.96 OR: Wt: 95% CI:
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.

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