Published meta-analysis in ecology and evolution for re-analysis

We want to empirically test for the potential benefits of using open data as opposed to using results as published in journal articles when conducting a meta-analysis in ecology and evolutionary biology. We have developed a simulation framework that predicts these benefits, and the conditions when they should be the largest. To see if the empirical data correspond to the estimates of our model (in prep), we also want to conduct a study based on the concrete data. For this, we want to compare meta-analysis estimates of the published meta-analysis, and recalculate their estimates based on raw data from the primary studies these meta-analyses have used. For this, we will use the 15 most cited meta-analyses in ecology and evolutionary biology published between 2014-2020. Then, we will pursue raw data from the primary studies used in these meta-analyses. Some of these data will be already open, while for those that are not we will email the authors of the primary studies. If we collect at least 15 raw datasets for each metaanalysis, we can proceed to recalculate the effect sizes based on raw datasets. We have conducted a search to identifiy suitable meta-analyses (see the document 'Meta-analyses for reuse' for the search procedure and outcome). The results of the search are listed in 'MA_ecology_evo_original' and the dataset containing citation counts in 'MA_ecology_evo_included_with_citation'.