[R-meta] Seeking feedback on meta-analysis software prototype

[Alex Kale]

Hello,

My name is Alex Kale <http://students.washington.edu/kalea/>, and I'm a PhD
candidate at UW. I'm recruiting researchers who are experienced with
scientific review to help evaluate a software prototype for conducting
meta-analysis.

*The tool:* We designed the software prototype to improve robustness and
streamline meta-analyses to answer practical questions about scientific
evidence on an intervention. The core of the tool is a guided process for
extracting evidence from scientific articles while considering the kinds of
epistemic uncertainties that come up during literature review, such as
risks of bias or incommensurable measurements across studies. The tool
stores the information extracted from each study by the user in a
relational database and automatically converts from the statistics that are
reported in individual studies to the standardized units needed to conduct
a meta-analysis. An interactive visualization interface is provided to
support reasoning about study groupings and other factors of interest.

*The evaluation*: We are looking for people with experience conducting
scientific review and meta-analysis to provide feedback on and to test
drive our tool. The primary part of the evaluation is an *hour-long guided
tour of the tool and interview* about its potential benefits and
drawbacks. *Optionally,
if a participant is interested in using the tool* (e.g., to extend or
replicate a previous analysis, or to analyze a new set of studies), we are
looking for case studies to test our software. Participants who complete a
meta-analysis using the tool will be asked to schedule a follow-up
interview and will receive a $200 gift card to compensate for their time
(only participants who complete a case study will receive payment).

Please email me at *kalea using uw.edu <kalea using uw.edu>* if you have questions or
if you are interested in participating. Also, please share this message
widely with peers and collaborators who might be interested in our tool.

Thanks for your consideration,
Alex

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