THE CASE OF INTERNET-BASED META ANALYSIS RESEARCH

Online versus offline differences in meta-analysis data collection must be considered. Internet-based research can collect large data sets from a diverse world population. Therefore, it is necessary to describe the sample of participants in detail to verify whether this potential of Internet-based research is used and how.
Relevant sample information, therefore, includes which country and in which languages the study was carried out, the age of the participants, and whether only university students were considered to assess the heterogeneity and generalizability of the results (Kaufman, 2024).

Like meta-analyses on traditional studies, for meta-analyses on Internet-based research for study aggregation, it is necessary to collect the number of participants and effect sizes for the output variables of interest. Especially for Internet-based surveys, the number of participants who dropped out is a valuable effect size to consider in meta-analyses.

Ideally, the coding procedure is conducted by a team of experts in the research area who will meta-analyse and agree on the different codes. At least two coders are required for any subsequent calculation of intercoder reliability values.

Freelon's (2010, 2013) ReCal software is ideal for intercoder reliability estimation and provides a data set quality value for subsequent analysis*. ReCal comprises three separate modules, each designed to handle specific types of data, whether nominal, ordinal, or interval/ratio-level. and is based on an online survey requesting study coding sent to the first authors. This strategy saves time and increases reliability in future meta-analyses. Additionally, Kaufmann & Reips (2024) provide a survey model for meta-analyses (Univ. Konstanz)**.

Text mining is a valuable support tool in the coding procedure of systematic reviews, as it can potentially increase the objectivity of the review process.
Before performing any data aggregation analysis, a data description must be provided first, typically summarized in a table.

Thus, the general steps to follow are:

• Identify the objectives and formulate the research question.
• Develop a protocol.
• Conduct a literature search.
• Define inclusion and exclusion criteria.
• Select articles according to the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria.
• Explore and interpret the selected articles.
• Analyse and report the results obtained.

*https://ln.run/PEGc4
**https://acesse.dev/dDDv5