In this tutorial, we briefly introduce the xmeta package and its main functions.

1.  X-meta denotes “a toolbox for multivariate meta-analysis”. 

2.  This package includes a collectin of functions:

   • The mmeta function: making inference in multivariate meta-analysis. The aim of the function is to estimate the underlying pooled effects and the components of the between-study covariance matrix for multivariate random-effects meta-analysis.

   • The SSE function: detecting and quantifying small study effects (SSE), which include publication bias, in multivariate meta-analysis. This function implementing the multivariate Egger’s regression test and multivariate trim and fill method for detecting SSE, as well as a novel method to quantify SSE. 

   • The galaxy function: visualizing features of multivariate meta-analysis. This function implementing the the commonly used visualization tools for meta-analysis, including the forest plot, the bubble plot, the SROC curve, the cross-hairs plot, and the galaxy plot. The galaxy plot is a novel visualization tool for MMA, which preserves all information contained in two separate funnel plots in a two-dimentional space.

 

We are going to talk about more details about the three main function in later tutorials.