Meta-analysis in ecology, evolution and environmental sciences (METR01)

This course will be delivered by Prof. Julia Koricheva who has co-edited “Handbook of meta-analysis in ecology and evolution” (Princeton University Press, 2013), the first handbook on meta-analysis written specially for ecologists and evolutionary biologists and Prof. Elena Kulinskaya.

This course will run form 24 - 28 July 2017 at SCENE field centre, Loch Lomond, Glasgow.

http://www.prstatistics.com/course/meta-analysis-in-ecology-evolution-and-environmental-sciences-metr01/

Course overview: 
This 5-day course will involve combination of lectures and practical sessions where students will practice conducting meta-analysis using the metafor package in R. In addition, students will conduct their own mini-meta-analyses by working in small groups on an assigned ecological topic with 8-10 primary research papers provided per topic. Students would need to decide on effect size metric to use and inclusion criteria, extract the data from the primary studies, design the extraction spreadsheet, conduct meta-analysis using the metafor package and present their results in the form of a PowerPoint Presentation.

After successfully completing this course students should be able to:
1) formulate questions for meta-analysis
2) formulate inclusion criteria for primary studies to be included in the analysis
3) design spreadsheets for data extraction
4) conduct literature search on the topic
5) extract data from published studies
6) conduct meta-analysis using metafor package in R
7) present the results of the meta-analysis

Course programme
Day 1
Lectures:
Types of quantitative research synthesis (vote counting, combining probabilities, meta-analysis)
History of meta-analysis and its applications in ecology
Types of ecological data and their conversion to effect sizes
Question formulation and inclusion criteria
Literature search and data extraction
Practical:
Work in groups: students decide on inclusion criteria and metrics of effect size for their own meta-analysis based on 8-10 studies and begin data extraction

Day 2
Lectures:
Combining effect sizes across studies, fixed vs random effects models
Practicals:
Using metafor package in R to calculate effect sizes and overall mean effects using fixed and random effect models.
Work in groups: completing data extraction for own meta-analysis and running meta-analysis.

Day 3
Lectures:
Exploring the causes of heterogeneity in effect sizes by meta-regression
Practical:
Meta-regression analyses using metafor.
Lectures:
Dealing with non-independence of observations (including phylogeny bias)
Practical:
Work in groups: testing for moderators, considering sources of non-independence.

Day 4
Lectures:
Publication bias
Statistical methods for bias detection
Practical:
Exploring publication and related biases in metafor
Lectures:
Dealing with missing data and variable research quality
Format of meta-analysis report: good and bad examples, critique of meta-analysis 
Practical:
Work in groups: testing for bias in own dataset; finalizing analyses;
preparing Power Point presentation with results of the analyses

Day 5
Morning:
Student presentations on the results of their analyses + Discussion
Afternoon:
Individual consultations for students planning to do meta-analysis in their own research projects

If you have any questions please email [log in to unmask] or visit www.prstatistics.com

To book online go to http://www.prstatistics.com/course/meta-analysis-in-ecology-evolution-and-environmental-sciences-metr01/

Other up-coming courses are as follows

1.	ADVANCING IN STATISTICAL MODELLING FOR EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGISTS AND ECOLOGISTS USING R #ADVR
17th – 21st April 2017, Scotland, Dr. Luc Bussiere, Dr. Ane Timenes Laugen
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advancing-statistical-modelling-using-r-advr06/

2.	CODING, DATA MANAGEMENT AND SHINY APPLICATIONS USING RSTUDIO FOR EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGISTS AND ECOLOGISTS #CDSR
15th - 19th May, Scotland Dr. Aline Quadros
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/coding-data-management-and-shiny-applications-using-rstudio-for-evolutionary-biologists-and-ecologists-cdsr01/

3.	GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRICS USING R #GMMR
5th – 9th June 2017, Scotland, Prof. Dean Adams, Prof. Michael Collyer, Dr. Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/geometric-morphometrics-using-r-gmmr01/

4.	MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA #MASE
19th – 23rd June, Canada, Prof. Subhash Lele, Dr. Peter Solymos
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/multivariate-analysis-of-spatial-ecological-data-using-r-mase01/

5.	TIME SERIES MODELS FOR ECOLOGISTS USING R (JUNE 2017 #TSME
26th – 30th June, Canada, Dr. Andrew Parnell
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/time-series-models-foe-ecologists-tsme01/

6.	BIOINFORMATICS FOR GENETICISTS AND BIOLOGISTS #BIGB
3rd – 7th July 2017, Scotland, Dr. Nic Blouin, Dr. Ian Misner
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/bioinformatics-for-geneticists-and-biologists-bigb02/

7.	META-ANALYSIS IN ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES #METR01
24th – 28th July, Scotland, Prof. Julia Koricheva, Prof. Elena Kulinskaya
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/meta-analysis-in-ecology-evolution-and-environmental-sciences-metr01/

8.	SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R #SPAE
7th – 12th August 2017, Scotland, Prof. Jason Matthiopoulos, Dr. James Grecian
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/spatial-analysis-ecological-data-using-r-spae05/

9.	ECOLOGICAL NICHE MODELLING USING R #ENMR
16th – 20th October 2017, Scotland, Dr. Neftali Sillero
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/ecological-niche-modelling-using-r-enmr01/

10.	INTRODUCTION TO BIOINFORMATICS USING LINUX #IBUL
16th – 20th October, Scotland, Dr. Martin Jones
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-bioinformatics-using-linux-ibul02/

11.	GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS AND EXPLORATION USING R #GDAR
23rd – 27th October, Wales, Dr. Thibaut Jombart, Zhian Kavar
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/genetic-data-analysis-exploration-using-r-gdar03/

12.	STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGISTS USING R #SEMR
23rd – 27th October, Wales, Prof Jarrett Byrnes, Dr. Jon Lefcheck
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/structural-equation-modelling-for-ecologists-and-evolutionary-biologists-semr01/

13.	LANDSCAPE (POPULATION) GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R #LNDG
6th – 10th November, Wales, Prof. Rodney Dyer
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/landscape-genetic-data-analysis-using-r-lndg02/

14.	APPLIED BAYESIAN MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS #ABME
20th - 25th November 2017, Scotland, Prof. Jason Matthiopoulos, Dr. Matt Denwood
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/applied-bayesian-modelling-ecologists-epidemiologists-abme03/

15.	INTRODUCTION REMOTE SENSING AND GIS APPLICATIONS FOR ECOLOGISTS #IRMS
27th Nov – 1st Dec, Wales, Dr Duccio Rocchini, Dr. Luca Delucchi
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-remote-sensing-and-gis-for-ecological-applications-irms01/

16.	INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR BIOLOGISTS #IPYB
27th Nov – 1st Dec, Wales, Dr. Martin Jones 
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-python-for-biologists-ipyb04/

17.	DATA VISUALISATION AND MANIPULATION USING PYTHON #DVMP
11th – 15th December 2017, Wales, Dr. Martin Jones
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/data-visualisation-and-manipulation-using-python-dvmp01/

18.	ADVANCING IN STATISTICAL MODELLING USING R #ADVR
11th – 15th December 2017, Wales, Dr. Luc Bussiere, Dr. Tom Houslay, Dr. Ane Timenes Laugen,
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/advancing-statistical-modelling-using-r-advr07/

19.	INTRODUCTION TO BAYESIAN HIERARCHICAL MODELLING #IBHM
29th Jan – 2nd Feb 2018, Scotland, Dr. Andrew Parnell
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/introduction-to-bayesian-hierarchical-modelling-using-r-ibhm02/

20.	ANIMAL MOVEMENT ECOLOGY (February 2018) #ANME
??th - ??th February 2018, Wales, Dr Luca Borger, Dr. John Fieberg

21.	AQUATIC TELEMENTRY DATA ANALYSIS USIR R (TBC) #ATDAR
??th - ??th February 2018, Wales,

22.	FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY FROM ORGANISM TO ECOSYSTEM: THEORY AND COMPUTATION #FEER
5th – 9th March 2018, Scotland, Dr. Francesco de Bello, Dr. Lars Götzenberger, Dr. Carlos Carmona
http://www.prstatistics.com/course/functional-ecology-from-organism-to-ecosystem-theory-and-computation-feer01/

23.	ADVANCES IN MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R #MVSP
Prof. Pierre Legendre, Dr. Olivier Gauthier - Date and location to be confirmed

24.	STABLE ISOTOPE MIXING MODELS USING SIAR, SIBER AND MIXSIAR #SIMM
Dr. Andrew Parnell, Dr. Andrew Jackson – Date and location to be confirmed

25.	NETWORK ANAYLSIS FOR ECOLOGISTS USING R #NTWA
Dr. Marco Scotti - Date and location to be confirmed

26.	MODEL BASE MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF ABUNDANCE DATA USING R #MBMV0
Prof David Warton - Date and location to be confirmed

27.	ADVANCED PYTHON FOR BIOLOGISTS #APYB
Dr. Martin Jones - Date and location to be confirmed

28.	PHYLOGENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING R (TBC) #PHYL
Dr. Emmanuel Paradis – Date and location to be confirmed

-- 
Oliver Hooker PhD.
PR statistics

2017 publications - 

Ecosystem size predicts eco-morphological variability in post-glacial diversification. Ecology and Evolution. In press.

The physiological costs of prey switching reinforce foraging specialization. Journal of animal ecology.

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