Meta‐analytic structural equation modeling made easy: A tutorial and web application for one‐stage MASEM

Meta‐analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) refers to fitting structural equation models (SEMs) (such as path models or factor models) to meta‐analytic data. Currently, fitting MASEMs may be challenging for researchers that are not accustomed to working with R software and packages. Therefore, we developed webMASEM; a web application for MASEM. This app implements the one‐stage MASEM approach, and allows users to apply MASEM in a user‐friendly way. The aim of this article is to provide a tutorial on one‐stage MASEM and a practical guide to webMASEM. We will pay specific attention to how the data should be structured and prepared for webMASEM, because mistakes in this step may lead to faulty results without receiving an error message. The use of webMASEM is illustrated with an analysis of a meta‐analytic path model in which the path coefficients are moderated by a study‐level variable, a meta‐analytic factor model in which the factor loadings are moderated by a study‐level variable, and a meta‐analytic panel model in which the effects are moderated by a study‐level variable. All used datafiles and R scripts are available online.