Bayesian Random-Effects Meta-Analysis Using the bayesmeta R Package

2017/11/30 by Christian Röver · 280 citations
Decision Sciences · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Mathematics · #Artificial intelligence #Bayesian inference #Bayesian probability #Computer science #Context (archaeology) #Data mining #Economic and Environmental Valuation #Inference #Meta-analysis #Meta-analysis and systematic reviews #Programming language #R package #Random effects model #Range (aeronautics) #Statistical Methods and Bayesian Inference #stat.CO

paper · pdf · doi:10.18637/jss.v093.i06

published in Journal of Statistical Software 93(6) (Foundation for Open Access Statistics) · 51 pages, 8 figures

openalex created_date 2017/12/04 · arxiv created 2018/10/10 · openalex publication_date 2020/01/01 · arxiv updated 2020/04/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

The random-effects or normal-normal hierarchical model is commonly utilized in a wide range of meta-analysis applications. A Bayesian approach to inference is very attractive in this context, especially when a meta-analysis is based only on few studies. The bayesmeta R package provides readily accessible tools to perform Bayesian meta-analyses and generate plots and summaries, without having to worry about computational details. It allows for flexible prior specification and instant access to the resulting posterior distributions, including prediction and shrinkage estimation, and facilitating for example quick sensitivity checks. The present paper introduces the underlying theory and showcases its usage.

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Cited by

• Meta-analysis of few small studies in orphan diseases
• A meta-analysis on mobile-assisted vocabulary learning: Do mobile applications help?
• Quantification of empirical determinacy: the impact of likelihood\n weighting on posterior location and spread in Bayesian meta-analysis\n estimated with JAGS and INLA
• netmeta: An R Package for Network Meta-Analysis Using Frequentist Methods
• Discrete Approximation of a Mixture Distribution via Restricted Divergence
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Related

• A Bayesian Nonparametric Meta-Analysis Model
• Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis of aggregate data on clinical events
• On weakly informative prior distributions for the heterogeneity parameter in Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis
• A Re-Evaluation of Random-Effects Meta-Analysis
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