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Software Tool Article

RRORPair: An Interactive R/Shiny Dashboard for Comprehensive Risk Ratio and Odds Ratio Meta-Analysis

[version 1; peer review: 2 not approved]
PUBLISHED 27 Oct 2025
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OPEN PEER REVIEW
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This article is included in the RPackage gateway.

Abstract

Background

Meta-analysis is central to evidence-based practice, yet conducting comprehensive analyses—especially involving binary outcomes such as risk ratios (RR) and odds ratios (OR)—often demands specialized software and statistical programming skills. These requirements can pose barriers to many researchers.

Methods

We introduce RRORPair, an open-source R/Shiny web application for RR/OR meta-analysis. Built on widely-used R packages (meta, metafor, dmetar, and ggplot2), it offers an intuitive interface enabling data import via CSV, selection of analytical models, and extensive customization of visual outputs. RRORPair supports classical and Bayesian methods, publication bias detection, heterogeneity diagnostics, meta-regression, and subgroup or cumulative analyses.

Results

RRORPair provides: Forest plots (standard, JAMA, RevMan5 style)

Funnel plots, Egger’s test, trim-and-fill, limit meta-analysis, and p-curve analysis

Heterogeneity statistics (I2, τ2), Baujat plots, and influence diagnostics

Meta-regression with up to three moderators, cumulative and subgroup analysis

Bayesian meta-analysis

Outputs include interactive plots and downloadable reports.

Conclusions

RRORPair is a powerful and user-friendly tool that makes advanced meta-analysis of binary outcomes accessible without programming. It supports robust evidence synthesis and encourages transparency and reproducibility in research.

Keywords

Keywords: Meta-analysis, Risk Ratio, Odds Ratio, R, Shiny, Bayesian Meta-Analysis, Publication Bias, Heterogeneity, Meta-regression, Open-source Software

Introduction

Meta-analysis allows researchers to synthesize results from multiple studies, enhancing statistical power and clarifying effects of interventions (Higgins et al., 2011). For binary outcomes, risk ratios (RR) and odds ratios (OR) are commonly used effect measures. However, conducting high-quality meta-analyses often involves steep learning curves with statistical software or access to commercial packages such as Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) or Stata.

To address these barriers, we developed RRORPair, an open-source, interactive web application built with R and Shiny. RRORPair allows users to conduct advanced meta-analytic procedures through an intuitive graphical interface without writing code. By integrating functions from popular R packages (meta, metafor, dmetar, ggplot2), the tool supports rigorous analyses, extensive visualization, and comprehensive diagnostics—enabling a wide range of users to undertake binary outcome meta-analyses.

Methods

Software and implementation

RRORPair is developed in R (≥4.0.0; R Core Team, 2023) using the Shiny web framework (≥1.7.0; Chang et al., 2023). It is designed as a modular application using the following R packages:

  • - meta: For traditional meta-analysis calculations (e.g., metabin; Balduzzi et al., 2019)

  • - metafor: For meta-regression, robust estimation, and publication bias methods (Viechtbauer, 2010)

  • - dmetar: For influence analysis, p-curve diagnostics, and enhanced visual outputs (Harrer et al., 2021)

  • - ggplot2 and ggbeeswarm: For customizable plots (Wickham, 2016)

  • - bayesmeta: For Bayesian meta-analyses

  • - shinyjs, bs4Dash, fontawesome: For UI customization and layout enhancements

  • - PerformanceAnalytics, dplyr: For data wrangling and diagnostics

User interface and workflow

RRORPair consists of the following modules:

  • - Data Import & Settings

  • - Meta-Analysis Summary

  • - Forest Plots

  • - Publication Bias Analysis

  • - Heterogeneity Assessment

  • - Meta-Regression

  • - Bayesian Analysis

  • - Advanced Analyses (e.g., subgroup and cumulative)

Data input

Users upload a CSV file containing:

  • - Required columns: eventintervention, totalintervention, eventcontrol, totalcontrol, author

  • - Optional: year (for cumulative meta-analysis), Reg, Reg2, Reg3 (moderators), subgroup

Analytical options

The user can choose:

  • - Effect measure: Risk Ratio (RR) or Odds Ratio (OR)

  • - Model: Fixed-effect or random-effects

  • - Heterogeneity estimator: e.g., Paule-Mandel, DL, ML, REML

Output and features

  • - Forest plots (standard, JAMA-style, RevMan5)

  • - Funnel plots with Egger’s test, trim-and-fill, limit meta-analysis

  • - I2, τ2, Q-tests, Baujat, L’Abbé, and influence diagnostics

  • - Meta-regression (up to three moderators)

  • - Bayesian RR/OR analysis

  • - Exportable results (PNG, TXT, HTML)

Results

Functionality highlights

Forest Plots: Available in standard, JAMA-style, and RevMan5 formats

Bias Assessment: Funnel plots, contour-enhanced versions, Egger’s test, trim-and-fill, limit meta-analysis, p-curve

Heterogeneity Exploration: I2, τ2, Q-test, Baujat, influence, L’Abbé, and drapery plots

Meta-Regression: Up to three moderators with bubble plots and correlation matrices

Bayesian Analysis: Basic Bayesian RR/OR models

Cumulative/Subgroup Analysis: By year or subgroup variable

Influence Diagnostics: Leave-one-out analysis, outlier detection

All plots and summaries can be exported (e.g., PNG, TXT). Educational tooltips and embedded tutorials are included.

Use case example

A researcher investigating the effect of a new drug on adverse event occurrence across 10 studies prepares a CSV with columns:

author, year, eventintervention, totalintervention, eventcontrol, totalcontrol, Reg (average age)

They upload the file, select RR, Paule-Mandel estimator, random-effects model, and explore:

Results Tab: Summary table with pooled RR, CI, prediction interval, heterogeneity stats

Forest Plot Tab: Customizable visual output

Bias Tab: Funnel plot, Egger’s test, p-curve

Heterogeneity Tab: Baujat plot identifies influential studies

Meta-Regression Tab: Bubble plot visualizes age as a moderator

Discussion

RRORPair aims to democratize meta-analysis by making high-level statistical methods accessible via an interactive platform.

Strengths

Comprehensive: RR, OR, publication bias, heterogeneity, regression, Bayesian options

User-Friendly: No programming required

Interactive & Exportable: Real-time adjustments, downloadable visuals

Open-Source: Transparent and community-extensible

Educational: Built-in guidance and references

Limitations

Currently supports only binary outcomes

Depends on correct formatting of input data

Some advanced or niche meta-analytic methods not yet included

Future development

Plans include support for continuous outcomes, network meta-analysis, and integration with risk of bias tools.

License

The software and data are licensed under the Apache License 2.0, an OSI-approved open license.

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CITE
how to cite this article
Khan L, khan M, Rzayev N et al. RRORPair: An Interactive R/Shiny Dashboard for Comprehensive Risk Ratio and Odds Ratio Meta-Analysis [version 1; peer review: 2 not approved]. F1000Research 2025, 14:1168 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.167961.1)
NOTE: If applicable, it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.
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Open Peer Review

Current Reviewer Status: ?
Key to Reviewer Statuses VIEW
ApprovedThe paper is scientifically sound in its current form and only minor, if any, improvements are suggested
Approved with reservations A number of small changes, sometimes more significant revisions are required to address specific details and improve the papers academic merit.
Not approvedFundamental flaws in the paper seriously undermine the findings and conclusions
Version 1
VERSION 1
PUBLISHED 27 Oct 2025
Views
4
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Reviewer Report 11 Dec 2025
Angel Garza Reyna, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA 
Not Approved
VIEWS 4
Khan et al present RRORPair -- an alternative to existing shiny apps, which aim to conduct binary outcome meta-analyses. RRORPair is deployed online via shinyapps.io and as a standalone published on GitHub. Both were functional to me.

... Continue reading
CITE
CITE
HOW TO CITE THIS REPORT
Garza Reyna A. Reviewer Report For: RRORPair: An Interactive R/Shiny Dashboard for Comprehensive Risk Ratio and Odds Ratio Meta-Analysis [version 1; peer review: 2 not approved]. F1000Research 2025, 14:1168 (https://doi.org/10.5256/f1000research.185111.r432423)
NOTE: it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.
Views
7
Cite
Reviewer Report 24 Nov 2025
Naomi Bradbury, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK 
Not Approved
VIEWS 7
The authors have produced an R Shiny application for conducting meta-analysis for binary outcomes (odds ratios and risk ratios). The app is available online and the underlying R code is viewable through the provided GitHub link. However, there are ... Continue reading
CITE
CITE
HOW TO CITE THIS REPORT
Bradbury N. Reviewer Report For: RRORPair: An Interactive R/Shiny Dashboard for Comprehensive Risk Ratio and Odds Ratio Meta-Analysis [version 1; peer review: 2 not approved]. F1000Research 2025, 14:1168 (https://doi.org/10.5256/f1000research.185111.r430306)
NOTE: it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.

Comments on this article Comments (0)

Version 1
VERSION 1 PUBLISHED 27 Oct 2025
Comment
Alongside their report, reviewers assign a status to the article:
Approved - the paper is scientifically sound in its current form and only minor, if any, improvements are suggested
Approved with reservations - A number of small changes, sometimes more significant revisions are required to address specific details and improve the papers academic merit.
Not approved - fundamental flaws in the paper seriously undermine the findings and conclusions
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