Meta Analysis: A Guide to Calibrating and Combining Statistical Evidence (Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics) - Softcover

Kulinskaya, Elena; Morgenthaler, Stephan; Staudte, Robert G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470028645 ISBN 13: 9780470028643

Publisher: Wiley-Interscience, 2008

Synopsis

Meta Analysis: A Guide to Calibrating and Combining Statistical Evidence acts as a source of basic methods for scientists wanting to combine evidence from different experiments. The authors aim to promote a deeper understanding of the notion of statistical evidence.

The book is comprised of two parts – The Handbook, and The Theory. The Handbook is a guide for combining and interpreting experimental evidence to solve standard statistical problems. This section allows someone with a rudimentary knowledge in general statistics to apply the methods. The Theory provides the motivation, theory and results of simulation experiments to justify the methodology.

This is a coherent introduction to the statistical concepts required to understand the authors’ thesis that evidence in a test statistic can often be calibrated when transformed to the right scale.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. E. Kulinskaya – Director, Statistical Advisory Service, Imperial College, London.

Professor S. Morgenthaler – Chair of Applied Statistics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland. Professor Morgenthaler was Assistant Professor at Yale University prior to moving to EPFL and has chaired various ISI committees.

Professor R. G. Staudte – Department of Statistical Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne. During his career at La Trobe he has served as Head of the Department of Statistical Science for five years and  Head of the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences for two years. He was an Associate Editor for the Journal of Statistical Planning & Inference for 4 years, and is a member of the American Statistical Association, the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society and the Statistical Society of Australia.

From the Back Cover

Studies based on small sample sizes often suffer from low power in detecting effects of interest, but this can be overcome by a meta analysis: the combination and analysis of results from a number of studies. This procedure allows for a more accurate estimation of effects, while taking into account differences between study conditions.

In Meta Analysis the results from different studies are transformed to a common calibration scale, where it is simpler to combine and interpret them. This unique approach, developed by the authors, is applicable to many study designs and conditions, and also leads to a deeper understanding of statistical evidence. The book is presented in two parts: Part 1 illustrates the methods required to combine and interpret statistical evidence, while Part 2 provides the motivation, theory and simulation experiments which justify the methods.

The book:

• Provides a user-friendly guide for readers wishing to combine evidence from different statistical experiments.

• Examines methods of continuous and discrete measurement, and regression, before presenting alternative methods for combining evidence.

• Contains many worked examples throughout.

• Is supported by a website containing examples with software instructions for the R environment.

Meta Analysis is ideally suited for statistical consultants and researchers in the fields of medicine, the social sciences and forensic statistics. Medical professionals undertaking basic training in statistics will also find this guide invaluable, as will practitioners of statistics interested in evidentiary statistics and related topics.

In Meta Analysis the results from different studies are transformed to a common calibration scale, where it is simpler to combine and interpret them. This unique approach, developed by the authors, is applicable to many study designs and conditions, and also leads to a deeper understanding of statistical evidence. The book is presented in two parts: Part 1 illustrates the methods required to combine and interpret statistical evidence, while Part 2 provides the motivation, theory and simulation experiments which justify the methods.

The book:

• Provides a user-friendly guide for readers wishing to combine evidence from different statistical experiments.

• Examines methods of continuous and discrete measurement, and regression, before presenting alternative methods for combining evidence.

• Contains many worked examples throughout.

• Is supported by a website containing examples with software instructions for the R environment.

Meta Analysis is ideally suited for statistical consultants and researchers in the fields of medicine, the social sciences and forensic statistics. Medical professionals undertaking basic training in statistics will also find this guide invaluable, as will practitioners of statistics interested in evidentiary statistics and related topics.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470028645
• ISBN 13: 9780470028643
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288