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spec: add funnel-meta-analysis specification (#4609)
## New Specification: `funnel-meta-analysis` Related to #4590 --- ### specification.md # funnel-meta-analysis: Meta-Analysis Funnel Plot for Publication Bias ## Description A funnel plot used in meta-analysis to assess publication bias by plotting individual study effect sizes against their precision (typically standard error). Studies scatter around a summary effect line, with pseudo 95% confidence limits forming an inverted funnel shape. In the absence of bias, studies distribute symmetrically around the summary effect; asymmetry suggests publication bias or systematic heterogeneity. This is a standard tool in systematic reviews and Cochrane-style meta-analyses. ## Applications - Systematic review authors assessing whether small-study effects indicate publication bias across included trials - Cochrane reviewers generating standard funnel plots as part of required reporting for intervention reviews - Research methodologists evaluating selective reporting by visually inspecting funnel asymmetry - Epidemiologists checking meta-analytic robustness before drawing pooled conclusions ## Data - `effect_size` (float) - Point estimate from each study (e.g., odds ratio, mean difference, risk ratio) - `std_error` (float) - Standard error of each study's effect estimate - `study` (str, optional) - Study label or identifier for annotation - Size: 8-30 studies - Example: Meta-analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials comparing drug vs placebo, with log odds ratios and standard errors ## Notes - Y-axis shows standard error (inverted so that larger/more precise studies appear at the top) - X-axis shows the effect size measure - Draw a vertical line at the summary/pooled effect size - Draw pseudo 95% confidence limits as diagonal lines forming the funnel shape (summary effect +/- 1.96 * SE) - Plot individual studies as points (optionally sized by weight or sample size) - Include a vertical dashed reference line at the null effect (0 for differences, 1 for ratios) if different from summary effect - Asymmetry in the scatter pattern suggests publication bias --- **Next:** Add `approved` label to the issue to merge this PR. --- :robot: *[spec-create workflow](https://github.com/MarkusNeusinger/pyplots/actions/runs/22779545440)* Co-authored-by: github-actions[bot] <github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
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# funnel-meta-analysis: Meta-Analysis Funnel Plot for Publication Bias
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## Description
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A funnel plot used in meta-analysis to assess publication bias by plotting individual study effect sizes against their precision (typically standard error). Studies scatter around a summary effect line, with pseudo 95% confidence limits forming an inverted funnel shape. In the absence of bias, studies distribute symmetrically around the summary effect; asymmetry suggests publication bias or systematic heterogeneity. This is a standard tool in systematic reviews and Cochrane-style meta-analyses.
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## Applications
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- Systematic review authors assessing whether small-study effects indicate publication bias across included trials
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- Cochrane reviewers generating standard funnel plots as part of required reporting for intervention reviews
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- Research methodologists evaluating selective reporting by visually inspecting funnel asymmetry
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- Epidemiologists checking meta-analytic robustness before drawing pooled conclusions
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## Data
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- `effect_size` (float) - Point estimate from each study (e.g., odds ratio, mean difference, risk ratio)
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- `std_error` (float) - Standard error of each study's effect estimate
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- `study` (str, optional) - Study label or identifier for annotation
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- Size: 8-30 studies
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- Example: Meta-analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials comparing drug vs placebo, with log odds ratios and standard errors
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## Notes
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- Y-axis shows standard error (inverted so that larger/more precise studies appear at the top)
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- X-axis shows the effect size measure
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- Draw a vertical line at the summary/pooled effect size
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- Draw pseudo 95% confidence limits as diagonal lines forming the funnel shape (summary effect +/- 1.96 * SE)
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- Plot individual studies as points (optionally sized by weight or sample size)
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- Include a vertical dashed reference line at the null effect (0 for differences, 1 for ratios) if different from summary effect
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- Asymmetry in the scatter pattern suggests publication bias
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# Specification-level metadata for funnel-meta-analysis
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# Auto-synced to PostgreSQL on push to main
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spec_id: funnel-meta-analysis
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title: Meta-Analysis Funnel Plot for Publication Bias
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# Specification tracking
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created: "2026-03-06T19:55:04Z"
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updated: null
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issue: 4590
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suggested: MarkusNeusinger
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# Classification tags (applies to all library implementations)
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# See docs/reference/tagging-system.md for detailed guidelines
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tags:
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plot_type:
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- scatter
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- funnel
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data_type:
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- numeric
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- continuous
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domain:
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- statistics
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- healthcare
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- research
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features:
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- annotated
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- comparison
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- confidence-interval

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