inflation&purchasing power
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ModernResearchMethods.pptxModern Research Methods
Individual Task 01
RIGA Technical university
22000 Faculty of Engineering economics and Management.
What is a research ?
IT is Creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humans, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications. A research project may also be an expansion on past work in the field. Research projects can be used to develop further knowledge on a topic research may replicate elements of prior projects or the project as a whole. The primary purposes of basic research. There are several forms of research: scientific, humanities, artistic, economic, social, business, marketing, practitioner research, life, technological, etc. The scientific study of research practices is known as meta-research.
INTRODUCTION OF META ANALYSIS
PROCESS.
we heard the phrase meta-analysis reasonably early on in our academic career, probably in one of the first few lessons of our Introduction to Psychology course. At its simplest, a meta-analysis is “the analysis or analyses” or integrating the results of individual studies to draw one large conclusion (Glass, 1976). As Glass (1976) said “the need for meta-analysis is clear… the literature on dozens of topics in education is growing at an astounding rate” And he said this in 1976 before the internet was even around and the whole world of research opened up!
Name and nature of the research meathod:
Meta Research method.
What is meta-analysis research method ?
Meta-analysis is the statistical procedure for combining data from multiple studies. When the treatment effect (or effect size) is consistent from one study to the next, meta-analysis can be used to identify this common effect. When the effect varies from one study to the next, meta-analysis may be used to identify the reason for the variation.
Where does meta-analysis fit in the research process?
Publications
Many journals encourage researchers to submit systematic reviews and meta-analyses that summarize the body of evidence on a specific question, and this approach is replacing the traditional narrative review. Meta-analyses also play supporting roles in other papers. For example, a paper that reports results for a new primary study might include a meta-analysis in the introduction to synthesize prior data and help to place the new study in context.
Planning new studies
Meta-analyses can play a key role in planning new studies. The meta-analysis can help identify which questions have already been answered and which remain to be answered, which outcome measures or populations are most likely to yield significant results, and which variants of the planned intervention are likely to be most powerful.
Grant applications
Meta-analyses are used in grant applications to justify the need for a new study. The meta-analysis serves to put the available data in context and to show the potential utility of the planned study. The graphical elements of the meta-analysis, such as the forest plot, provide a mechanism for presenting the data clearly, and for capturing the attention of the reviewers. Some funding agencies now require a meta-analysis of existing research as part of the grant application to fund new research.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantage:
Results can be generalized to a larger population.
The precision and accuracy of estimates can be improved as more data is used. This, in turn, may increase the statistical power to detect an effect.
Inconsistency of results across studies can be quantified and analyzed. For instance, inconsistency may arise from sampling error or study results(partially) influenced by differences between study protocols
Hypothesis testing can be applied on summary estimates
Moderators can be included to explain variation between studies
The presence of publication bias can be investigated
Disadvantages:
Meta-analysis may discourage large definitive trials
Increase tendency to unwittingly mix different trials and ignore differences.
Potential for tension between mate-analyst conductors of original trials may introduce biasness.
Meta analysis of several small studies may not predict the result of a single line study.
Source of bias are not controlled by the methods.
A good meta analysis of a badly designed studies will still in bad statistics.
The Meta-analysis process:
Potential Problems of meta analysis process:
While this may seem straight forward, Arendt describes a few things to keep in mind and problems that we may encounter when conducting a meta-analysis (Arendt, 2007). The first is that the search for articles needs to be as through and well-defined as possible. This should be common sense, but it can often lead to problems. This not only entails doing a thorough search of the databases that are the most common, but also looking outside of these areas. One example that Arendt uses is that our searches tend to be for English articles, which could prevent us from conducting a thorough search.
Besides this, Arendt discusses the problem of not being able to look at unpublished research, also known as the “file drawer problem”. Originally coined by Rosenthal (1979), the “file drawer problem” concerns the problem of researchers not being able to find journals to publish non-significant findings (Rosenthal, 1979).
Two other problems that we may encounter when performing a meta-analysis are the problems of “mixing apples and oranges” and “garbage in, garbage out”. The first of these problems has to do with the combination and comparison of what may not be considered comparable variables. As Borenstein, Hedges, Higgins, and Rothstein say, this may be unavoidable but the key is thinking of a meta-analysis as “asking a question about fruit, for which both apples and oranges contribute valuable information”.
The second problem, “garbage in, garbage out”, is relatively straight forward and refers back to the importance of doing a thorough search for articles. A meta-analysis is only as good as the studies included in the analysis. So, while collecting your data it’s not just finding relevant articles, but critically evaluating these articles to ensure that their methods meet your standards. Borenstein, Hedges, Higgins, and Rothstein describe how before a search is even begun strict eligibility criteria (like relevance, bias, and the ability to yield results that can be interpreted) need to be determined in order to prevent the inclusion of articles that weaken the final analysis (Borenstein, Hedges, Higgins, & Rothstein, 2009
Conclusion:
I’ve just described what a meta-analysis is, the process it entails, and some problems that we may encounter along the way. There are many other factors that need to be considered when performing a meta-analysis, and maybe I’ll cover them in a future blog if we come across them, but for now this is what we will be doing as we move forward with the study.
References:
Arendt, J. (2007). How do Psychology Researchers Find Studies to Include in Meta-analyses? Behavioral and Social Sciences Librarian
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Introduction to Meta-Analysis. Wiley.
Dalton, D. R., Aguinis, H., Dalton, C. M., Bosco, F. A., & Pierce, C. A. (2012). Revisiting the File Drawer Problem in Meta-Analysis: An Assessment of Published and Non published Correlation Matrices. Personnel Psychology.
Glass, G. V. (1976). Primary, Secondary, and Meta-Analysis of Research. Educational Researcher.
Rosenthal, R. (1979). The file drawer problem and tolerance for null results. Psychological Bulletin.
Schell, C. L., & Rathe, R. J. (1992). Meta-analysis: a tool for medical and scientific discoveries. Bulletin of the Medical Library Association.
