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Meta-analysis using Correlation (r) in Microsoft Excel, and Online calculator (Excel-based)
Meta-analysis using Correlation (r)
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1108
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
xᵢ, yᵢ: Individual data points for variables X and Y
xᵢ, yᵢ: Individual data points for variables X and Y x̄, ȳ: M...
xᵢ, yᵢ
: Individual
data points for
variables X and Y
x̄,
ȳ
: Mean of X
and Y respectively
Correlation (r)
Correlation (r)
Correlation
(r)
r = (Σ(xᵢ - x̄)(yᵢ - ȳ)) / √[Σ(xᵢ - x̄)² × Σ(yᵢ - ȳ)²]
r = (Σ(xᵢ - x̄)(yᵢ - ȳ)) / √[Σ(xᵢ - x̄)² × Σ(yᵢ - ȳ)²]
r = (
Σ(
xᵢ
-
x̄)(
yᵢ
-
ȳ)) /
√[
Σ(
xᵢ
-
x̄)
²
×
Σ(
yᵢ
-
ȳ)
²]
formula
formula
formula
Correlation coefficient from each study, ranging from -1 to 1.
Correlation coefficient from each study, ranging from -1 to 1.
Correlation coefficient from
each study, ranging from
-1
to 1.
illustration
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Then
then
then
Usman Zafar Paracha 1
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Usman Zafar Paracha
example
example
example
Usman Zafar Paracha 2
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Usman Zafar Paracha
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.995
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
If the correlation (r) is between:
If the correlation (r) is between: -1.0 to -0.7, → then it is...
If the correlation (r) is between:
-
1.0 to -0.7, → then it is a Strong Negative Correlation;
-
0.7 to -0.3, → then it is a Moderate Negative
Correlation;
-
0.3 to 0, → then it is a Weak Negative Correlation;
0 to 0.3,
→ then it is a Weak Positive Correlation;
0.3 to 0.7,
→ then it is a Moderate Positive Correlation;
and
0.7 to 1.0,
→ then it is a Strong Positive Correlation
Usman Zafar Paracha 4
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
r: Correlation coefficient from each study
r: Correlation coefficient from each study ln: Natural logari...
r
: Correlation coefficient from
each study
ln
: Natural logarithm
Fisher’s z
Fisher’s z
Fisher’s z
z = 0.5 × ln((1 + r) / (1 - r))
z = 0.5 × ln((1 + r) / (1 - r))
z = 0.5 × ln((1 + r) / (1 - r))
formula.1012
formula
formula
Fisher’s z transformation of correlation to stabilize variance.
Fisher’s z transformation of correlation to stabilize varianc...
Fisher’s z transformation of
correlation to stabilize
variance.
Converts r to z to stabilize
variance for meta
-analysis
illustration.1015
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Then.1021
then
then
Usman Zafar Paracha 1.1022
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
example.1023
example
example
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1024
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Suppose we have this data.1025
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1026
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
These values:
These values: - Normalize the distribution of correlation coe...
These values:
-
Normalize the distribution of correlation coefficients
(r), especially when conducting meta
-analysis or
calculating confidence intervals.
-
Make the sampling distribution of correlations more
normally distributed, which improves accuracy in
statistical inference.
-
Enables accurate weighted averages of correlations
-
Allows calculation of confidence intervals and Z-
tests
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1028
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Page break 1
n: Sample size of the study
n: Sample size of the study
n
: Sample size of the study
Variance of z
Variance of z
Variance of z
1 / (n - 3)
1 / (n - 3)
1 / (n - 3)
formula.1054
formula
formula
The variance of Fisher’s z-transformed correlation coefficient...
The variance of Fisher’s z-transformed correlation coefficien...
The variance of Fisher’s z-transformed
correlation coefficient...
It is smaller when sample size is larger
(more precision), i.e.,
The variance of z decreases with larger
sample sizes
illustration.1057
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then
then
Usman Zafar Paracha 1.1064
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
example.1065
example
example
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1066
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Usman Zafar Paracha
Suppose we have this data.1067
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1068
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Usman Zafar Paracha
If Variance ≈ 0.01786
If Variance ≈ 0.01786 ➝ Interpretation: Relatively less preci...
If Variance ≈ 0.01786
➝
Interpretation: Relatively less precise estimate
➝
Likely Reason: Smaller sample size
If Variance
≈ 0.00366
➝
Interpretation: More precise estimate
➝
Likely Reason: Larger sample size
If Variance
≈ 0.00209
➝
Interpretation: Very precise estimate
➝
Likely Reason: Large sample size and high
confidence
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1070
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Variance of z: the variance of Fisher’s z-transformed correlation coefficient
Variance of z: the variance of Fisher’s z-transformed correla...
Variance of z:
the variance
of Fisher
’
s z
-
transformed
correlation coefficient
Weight
Weight
Weight
1 / variance of z
1 / variance of z
1 / variance of z
formula.1075
formula
formula
Inverse of variance -
Inverse of variance - Reflects importance of each study in po...
Inverse of variance -
Reflects importance of each study in
pooled analysis.
A lower variance (i.e., more precise
estimate) gives a higher weight.
The weight tells how much influence a
study has in the final combined
estimate.
illustration.1078
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Then.1084
then
then
Usman Zafar Paracha 1.1085
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
example.1086
example
example
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1087
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Suppose we have this data.1088
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1089
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Study 1: Weight = 56 (less precise)
Study 1: Weight = 56 (less precise) Study 2: Weight = 273 (mo...
Study 1: Weight = 56 (less precise)
Study 2: Weight = 273 (more precise than Study 1)
Study 3: Weight = 478 (most precise; contributes the
most to pooled estimate)
A large, well
-conducted study with a small variance will
carry more weight and affect the pooled result more
than a small study with high uncertainty.
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1091
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Page break 3
Weight: 1 / variance of z (for each study)
Weight: 1 / variance of z (for each study) Fisher’s z: Fisher...
Weight:
1 / variance of z (for
each study)
Fisher
’s z
:
Fisher
’
s z
transformation of correlation to
stabilize variance (for each study)
Weight * Fisher's z
Weight * Fisher's z
Weight *
Fisher's z
weight * Fisher’s z
weight * Fisher’s z
weight * Fisher’s z
formula.1096
formula
formula
Product of weight and Fisher’s z; contributes to the overall weighted average, i.e., Used to compute the weighted average.
Product of weight and Fisher’s z; contributes to the overall ...
Product of weight and Fisher’s z;
contributes to the overall weighted
average, i.e., Used to compute the
weighted average.
It shows the contribution of each
individual study to the overall meta
-
analytic effect size.
illustration.1099
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then
then
example.1107
example
example
Suppose we have this data.1109
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1110
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Study 1 has a negative Fisher’s z (likely a negative correlation), and contributes -16.11 to the sum.
Study 1 has a negative Fisher’s z (likely a negative correlat...
Study 1 has a negative Fisher’s z (likely
a negative correlation), and contributes
-
16.11 to the sum.
Studies 2 and 3 contribute positively,
with larger values suggesting stronger
or more heavily weighted correlations.
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1112
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Page break 4
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1114
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Weight: 1 / variance of z (for each study).1115
Weight: 1 / variance of z (for each study) Fisher’s z: Fisher...
Weight:
1 / variance of z (for
each study)
Fisher
’s z
:
Fisher
’
s z
transformation of correlation to
stabilize variance (for each study)
Weighted z sum
Weighted z sum
Weighted z
sum
Sum of Weight * Fisher's z
Sum of Weight * Fisher's z
Sum of Weight
* Fisher's z
formula.1118
formula
formula
It shows that total impact of each study's Fisher z, considering its weight.
It shows that total impact of each study's Fisher z, consider...
It shows that total impact of each
study's Fisher z, considering its weight.
illustration.1121
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Then.1127
then
then
example.1128
example
example
Suppose we have this data.1129
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1130
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
It reflects the cumulative, weighted effect of all studies in the meta-analysis—before averaging and back-transforming to the correlation scale.
It reflects the cumulative, weighted effect of all studies in...
It reflects the cumulative, weighted effect of all
studies in the meta
-analysis—before averaging
and back
-transforming to the correlation scale.
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1132
Usman Zafar Paracha
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Page break 5
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1135
Usman Zafar Paracha
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Weight: 1 / variance of z (for each study).1136
Weight: 1 / variance of z (for each study)
Weight:
1 / variance of z (for
each study)
Weight sum
Weight sum
Weight
sum
Sum of weights across all studies
Sum of weights across all studies
Sum of weights
across all
studies
formula.1139
formula
formula
Total cumulative weight from all studies
Total cumulative weight from all studies
Total cumulative weight from all
studies
illustration.1141
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Then.1147
then
then
example.1148
example
example
Suppose we have this data.1149
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1150
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
807 represents the total weight; higher weight studies have more influence on the overall result.
807 represents the total weight; higher weight studies have m...
807 represents the total weight; higher weight
studies have more influence on the overall result.
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1152
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Page break 6
Weighted z sum: Sum of Weight * Fisher's z
Weighted z sum: Sum of Weight * Fisher's z Weight sum: Sum of...
Weighted z sum
:
Sum of Weight *
Fisher's z
Weight sum
:
Sum of weights across
all studies
Weighted Mean of z
Weighted Mean of z
Weighted
Mean of z
Weighted z sum / Weight sum
Weighted z sum / Weight sum
Weighted z
sum / Weight
sum
formula.1158
formula
formula
It is Pooled Fisher’s z value from all studies
It is pooled Fisher’s z value from all studies
It is pooled Fisher’s z value from all
studies
illustration.1160
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then
then
example.1167
example
example
Suppose we have this data.1168
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1169
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
This shows the pooled Fisher's z value, which is 0.5521.
This shows the pooled Fisher's z value, which is 0.5521.
This shows the pooled Fisher's z value, which is
0.5521.
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1171
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Page break 7
Excel example data
Excel Example Data correlation
Excel example data.240
Excel Example Fishers z
Excel example data.242
Excel Example variance of z
Excel example data.244
Excel example weight
Excel example data.246
Excel Example weight and fishers z
Excel example data.248
Excel Example weight z sum
Excel example data.250
Excel Example weight sum
Excel example data.252
Excel Example weighted mean of z
e: Euler’s number (~2.71828), base of the natural logarithm
e: Euler’s number (~2.71828), base of the natural logarithm z...
e
: Euler
’
s number (~2.71828), base
of the natural logarithm
z
: Weighted mean of Fisher
’
s z
Back-transform Fisher’s z to r
Back-transform Fisher’s z to r
Back-
transform
Fisher
’s z
to r
r = (e^(2z) - 1)/(e^(2z) + 1)
r = (e^(2z) - 1)/(e^(2z) + 1)
r = (e^(2z) -
1)/(e^(2z) + 1)
formula.1183
formula
formula
It is pooled correlation estimate
It is pooled correlation estimate
It is pooled correlation estimate
illustration.1185
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Then.1191
then
then
example.1192
example
example
Suppose we have this data.1193
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1194
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
In this case, the correlation is moderate positive: 0.50.
In this case, the correlation is moderate positive: 0.50.
In this case, the correlation is moderate positive:
0.50.
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1196
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Page break 8
Excel example data.1198
Excel Example z to r
Weight sum: Sum of weights across all studies
Weight sum: Sum of weights across all studies
Weight sum
:
Sum of weights across
all studies
Standard Error of Mean z
Standard Error of Mean z
Standard
Error of
Mean z
=SQRT(1/Weight sum)
=SQRT(1/Weight sum)
=SQRT(1/
Weight sum
)
formula.1204
formula
formula
Standard error of the weighted average z
Standard error of the weighted average z
Standard error of the weighted average
z
illustration.1206
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Then.1214
then
then
example.1215
example
example
Suppose we have this data.1216
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1217
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1219
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Page break 9
Excel example data.1221
Excel Example SE mean r
Standard error is a measure of how much the sample mean z is expected to vary if you repeated the sampling many times.
Standard error is a measure of how much the sample mean z is ...
Standard error is a measure of how much the sample
mean z is expected to vary if you repeated the
sampling many times.
The "mean z" refers to the average value of some
variable z across your sample or study.
A standard error of 0.0352 means the estimate of the
mean z is quite precise, with an expected variability of
about 0.0352 around the true population mean, i.e., If
you took many samples and computed the mean z for
each, those sample means would typically vary by
about 0.0352.
Weighted mean of Fisher’s z,
Weighted mean of Fisher’s z, Standard error of the weighted m...
Weighted mean of
Fisher
’s z
,
Standard error of
the weighted mean
z
Z statistic
Z statistic
Z statistic
Weighted mean of Fisher’s z / Standard error of the weighted mean z
Weighted mean of Fisher’s z / Standard error of the weighted ...
Weighted mean of Fisher’s
z / Standard error of the
weighted mean z
formula.1229
formula
formula
Test statistic = Mean z / SE; very high, suggesting significance.
Test statistic = Mean z / SE; High value, suggest significance.
Test statistic = Mean z / SE;
High value, suggest significance.
illustration.1231
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Then.1239
then
then
example.1240
example
example
Suppose we have this data.1241
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1242
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1243
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Page break 10
Excel example data.1245
A Z statistic of 15.6835 is very large in absolute terms.
A Z statistic of 15.6835 is very large in absolute terms. Suc...
A Z statistic of 15.6835 is very large in absolute terms.
Such a high Z value strongly suggests that the result is
highly statistically significant
— meaning the null
hypothesis is almost certainly false under conventional
significance levels
Excel example Z
Weighted mean of Fisher’s z,.1250
Weighted mean of Fisher’s z, Standard error of the weighted m...
Weighted mean of
Fisher
’s z
,
Standard error of
the weighted mean
z
95% CI for z (Lower & Upper)
95% CI for z (Lower & Upper)
95% CI for
z (Lower &
Upper)
Lower = (Weighted mean of Fisher’s z) - 1.96 × (Standard error of the weighted mean z)
Lower = (Weighted mean of Fisher’s z) - 1.96 × (Standard erro...
Lower = (Weighted mean of
Fisher
’s z) - 1.96 × (Standard
error of the weighted mean
z)
Upper = (Weighted mean of
Fisher
’s z) + 1.96 × (Standard
error of the weighted mean
z)
formula.1253
formula
formula
Confidence interval for mean z
Confidence interval for mean z
Confidence interval for mean z
illustration.1255
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Then.1263
then
then
example.1264
example
example
Suppose we have this data.1265
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1266
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1267
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Page break 11
Excel example data.1269
We are 95% confident that the true population mean of z lies between 0.4831 and 0.6211.
We are 95% confident that the true population mean of z lies ...
We are 95% confident that the true population mean
of z lies between 0.4831 and 0.6211.
95% confidence interval means that if we repeat the
sampling process many times, 95% of those
confidence intervals would contain the true mean of
the variable z.
Excel example CI
e: Euler’s number (~2.71828), base of the natural logarithm.1274
e: Euler’s number (~2.71828), base of the natural logarithm L...
e
: Euler
’
s number
(~2.71828), base of
the natural
logarithm
Lower:
95% CI for z (Lower)
Upper:
95% CI for z
(Upper)
Back-transform CI to r (Lower & Upper)
Back-transform CI to r (Lower & Upper)
Back-
transform
CI to r
(Lower &
Upper)
r_lower = (e^(2 × Lower) - 1) / (e^(2 × Lower) + 1)
r_lower = (e^(2 × Lower) - 1) / (e^(2 × Lower) + 1) r_upper =...
r_lower = (e^(2 × Lower) -
1) / (e^(2 × Lower) + 1)
r_upper = (e^(2 × Upper)
-
1) / (e^(2 × Upper) + 1)
formula.1277
formula
formula
Final 95% CI for pooled correlation estimate
Final 95% CI for pooled correlation estimate
Final 95% CI for pooled correlation
estimate
illustration.1279
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Then.1287
then
then
example.1288
example
example
Suppose we have this data.1289
Suppose we have this data
Suppose we have
this data
Usman Zafar Paracha 2.1290
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha 4.1291
Usman Zafar Paracha
Usman Zafar Paracha
Page break 12
Excel example data.1293
The CI values of 0.4487 to 0.5519 represent the range of plausible values for the true population correlation after back-transforming from Fisher’s z.
The CI values of 0.4487 to 0.5519 represent the range of plau...
The CI values of 0.4487 to 0.5519 represent the range
of plausible values for the true population correlation
after back
-transforming from Fisher’s z.
It shows that we are 95% confident the true
correlation lies between 0.45 and 0.55
Excel Example Back to r
Page break 13
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