Meta-Analytic Psychotherapy Research,

Open for Everyone.

Tools & Features of the Metapsy Project

A Unified Framework of Meta-Analytic Databases

Metapsy implements the concept of a “meta-analytic research domain” (MARD) for psychological interventions. We provide access to “living” databases that cover an entire research field, and are therefore broader than what can be covered by a single systematic review.

Our goal is to provide up-to-date data on the effects psychotherapy compared to various control groups and alternative treatments, and across all major mental disorders.

Documentation, Versioning & Indexing

All meta-analytic databases included in Metapsy are provided with rich metadata, in which the study search, extraction and coding steps are detailed. We also provide a detailed documentation for each database to increase transparency. All databases are versioned and archived on a public research data repository.

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is provided for all versions of each database, which can be used to unambiguously reference each database (and its specific version).

Meta-Analytic Synthesis

Simplified versions of all databases can be explored using the online meta-analysis tool included in Metapsy. This tool allows to select clinical trial data of interest, analyze overall effects in real-time using state-of-the-art meta-analysis methods, and explore effect heterogeneity using subgroup tests and meta-regression models.

An improved version of the online meta-analysis tool is currently under construction and will be released soon.

R Packages

Metapsy includes two R packages to simplify the use of the provided data for researchers. The metapsyData package can be used to download all databases (and versions thereof) directly into an R environment. All data is provided in a standardised format, and codebooks are provided in the documentation. Using metapsyTools, all databases can be analyzed “out of the box” using state-of-the-art statistical methods. To export all databases and metadata in a machine-readable format, the Metapsy API can be used.

Documentation ↗

Helpful Information

Practical Meta-Analysis Guide ↗

Meta-Analysis Online Lectures ↗

Doing Meta-Analysis with R ↗

Yes! All data provided as part of the Metapsy project is open-access. You are free to use the meta-analysis tools and software packages for your own research in any way or form, provided that you include a reference in your report. In the online meta-analysis tool, it is also possible to download the current state of the database, for example as a .csv file. All versions of a database can be downloaded on its respective documentation page. The metapsyData package allows you to download the latest version of the databases directly into your R environment. Databases and their metadata can also be retrieved as JSON exports using the Metapsy API.

To get an overview of all available software and data developed as part of the Metapsy project, you can visit the Metapsy documentation. In the documentation, we also provide detailed information for each released database, including digital object identifiers (DOIs) for all versions. All databases and software of the Metapsy project is hosted by the metapsy-project organization account on GitHub.

On the documentation page, we provide a preferred citation for each database at the end of its documentation entry. This suggested citation also includes the database version and DOI. Metadata on the documentation page is automatically updated once a new update is released.

The metapsyData package allows to directly download all released databases using R, including older database versions. The most recent release of the package and preferred citation can be found here.

The metapsyTools package allows to run meta-analyses of Metapsy databases, or databases prepared in the same format. The most recent release of the package and preferred citation can be found here.

All databases are created by experienced, university-based research teams using state-of-the-art methods. Relevant documentation for the databases is provided on the Metapsy documentation website.

Details concerning the online meta-analysis tool can be found in the "About" section while the tool is running. We are currently working on a documentation page in which all technical details will be summarized and updated.

We are also working on an improved version of the online meta-analysis tool that will include more functionality, including the possibility to generate detailed PDF reports of analyses conducted using the online meta-analysis tool.

For general queries concerning the Metapsy databases, the easiest way to reach us is via e-mail. Current addresses are displayed on the contact page. You may also contact us if you have found potential errors in the databases released on Metapsy.

For metapsyData and metapsyTools packages, technical support addresses can be found on their respective documentation pages.

Users with a Github account can also raise issues on the designated Git repositories hosted by the metapsy-project account.

This website is intended for healthcare professionals.