Abstract: Meta-analysis has become the gold standard for summarizing research in psychology. However, different researchers have conducted meta-analyses examining the same research question and produced different answers. This demonstrates that meta-analyses range in quality and require considerable forethought and conscientiousness in finding, coding, and analysing effect sizes. The purpose of this workshop is to teach participants how to conduct a comprehensive meta-analysis, including establishing inclusion criteria and searching for studies, selecting and coding the best effect size (including transforming data to different effect size metrics), aggregating the findings, and conducting moderator analyses. Participants will learn the basic concepts behind the statistical formulae and how to run the analyses in SPSS and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis. Both fixed-effect and random-effects meta-analyses techniques will be covered. Detailed handouts including sample SPSS syntax will be provided.

Dr. Kelly Babchishin is a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Mental Health Research (Royal Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa) and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden). Her current research involves identifying causal candidates for the onset of sexual offending. Other research interests include change in sexual offending behaviours in the lifespan, pedophilia, and online sexual offending. Dr. Babchishin has received the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers Pre-doctoral Research Grant and is a recipient of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship.

Leslie Helmus, M.A., is a graduate student in forensic psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and a researcher with Correctional Services Canada. Her research interests focus on the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders. She has received specialized training in meta-analysis and has at least a dozen meta-analyses published or submitted for publication, and has assisted on other meta-analyses (e.g., provided training and ongoing consultation). Leslie has also taught a graduate-level statistics course on meta-analysis. She is a certified trainer for two actuarial risk assessment scales and has received numerous grants and academic awards including the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers Pre-doctoral Research Grant.