Intermediate meta-analysis of data from animal studies in R

Course description

Meta-analysis is a rigorous statistical method that systematically combines and synthesizes results from multiple independent studies. By aggregating data across multiple research outputs, meta-analysis provides a powerful tool for drawing robust conclusions, identifying patterns, and quantifying effect sizes. 

During this intensive workshop, participants will delve into the practicalities of conducting meta-analysis on animal studies. From understanding data types to mastering meta-regression modelling techniques, this course equips learners with practical skills to conduct robust meta-analyses. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or a curious novice, join us to develop hands-on skills in conducting meta-analysis on data from animal experiments using R. Prior to attending this workshop, we recommend completion of the Introduction to Systematic Review & Meta Analysis of Animal Studies workshop and basic familiarity with R, see meta-analysis tutorial web-application for more information. 

Learning objectives

• Understand different data types (continuous, categorical, etc.) relevant to meta-analysis. 
• Define outcomes and effect sizes commonly encountered in animal studies. 
• Extract relevant data from primary animal study publications. 
• Calculate commonly used effect sizes using R code. 
• Understand the underlying theoretical principles of combining study results with meta-analytic models. 
• Run meta-analysis in R and understand default settings for meta-analysis. 
• Design R code to create basic forest plots and customize forest plots for better visualization. 
• Interpret heterogeneity statistics in meta-analyses. 
• Explore sources of heterogeneity by writing meta-regression code and interpret the output. 
• Interpret meta-regression outputs and describe significance for explaining between-study variability. 
• Understand the importance for exploring study quality in meta-analysis of animal studies. 
• Understand funnel plots and their significance in meta-analysis of animal studies. 
• Design R code to generate funnel plots and interpret the outputs. 

Target audience

Members of the BIH, Charité, BUA and external interested parties. The workshop is targeted at research fellows, PhDs and students. 

Participation requirements

Prior to attending this workshop, we recommend completion of the Introduction to Systematic Review & Meta Analysis of Animal Studies workshop and basic familiarity with R. See meta-analysis tutorial web-application for more information. 

Lecturers

• Dr. Daniel Schulze, Institut für Biometrie und Klinische Epidemiologie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Dr. Alexandra Bannach-Brown, BIH QUEST Center