Spurious precision in meta-analysis of observational research
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11230%2F25%3A10505811" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11230/25:10505811 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=.Cioq3hVor" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=.Cioq3hVor</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63261-0" target="_blank" >10.1038/s41467-025-63261-0</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Spurious precision in meta-analysis of observational research
Original language description
Meta-analysis assigns more weight to studies with smaller standard errors to maximize the precision of the overall estimate. In observational settings, however, standard errors are shaped by methodological decisions. These decisions can interact with publication bias and p-hacking, potentially leading to spuriously precise results reported by primary studies. Here we show that such spurious precision undermines standard meta-analytic techniques, including inverse-variance weighting and bias corrections based on the funnel plot. Through simulations and large-scale empirical applications, we find that selection models do not resolve the issue. In some cases, a simple unweighted mean of reported estimates outperforms widely used correction methods. We introduce MAIVE (Meta-Analysis Instrumental Variable Estimator), an approach that reduces bias by using sample size as an instrument for reported precision. MAIVE offers a simple and robust solution for improving the reliability of meta-analyses in the presence of spurious precision.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10103 - Statistics and probability
Result continuities
Project
Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Nature Communications
ISSN
2041-1723
e-ISSN
2041-1723
Volume of the periodical
16
Issue of the periodical within the volume
1
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
12
Pages from-to
8454
UT code for WoS article
001582555200020
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105017375297