metaBUS

I’ve wanted to put a plug in for metaBUS for some time now (specifically since attending the related session at AOM 2014).  The time has come.

What is metaBUS?  Quite simply, it’s an interface that will offer access to over 1,000,000 findings (correlational effect sizes) from top HR, Management, and Applied Psychology Journals from 1980 to present (at the time of this writing, 460,000 coefficients had been coded encompassing all findings from 1990-2013 from 12 journals).  The interface should allow for very simple meta-analysis–perhaps as simple as dragging and dropping variables.  To the degree publication bias and “file drawer” problems are  addressed by the researcher, this incredible database stands to render a significant amount of the work associated with meta analyses obsolete.

While metaBUS is not planned for release until January 2016, there’s still an impressive release you can use right now, via Frank Bosco’s personal website.  His Excel database contains all effect sizes from 1980-2010 reported in Journal of Applied Psychology and Personnel Psychology.  The database contains ~150,000 correlations.

metaBUS also involves a taxonomy of constructs–a first pass at exhaustive categorization and alleviation of construct proliferation concerns.  For academic purposes, a version of the present taxonomy is available by contacting Frank directly as per details in the link to his Excel database.  The taxonomy links to his database as well.

Credit to the metaBUS team for their outstanding work on a groundbreaking project!

As per the metaBUS website, “You’re either omnibus or off the bus.”