I think meta-analyses are a great way of exploring a hypothesis when available evidence is heterogeneous. Usually however when conducting a meta-analysis one puts aggregated data in a model, possibly losing information.
Therefore I am considering gathering data from published research from the authors in order to be able to conduct analysis on 'raw data' rather then aggregated data (my field is neuroscience/psychology/psychiatry).
Questions
- Where can I learn more about conducting such analyses?
- Are researchers typically willing to share their data?
- Would ethical guidelines preclude such data sharing?