Meta-analysis

How it is used

Usually carried out as part of a systematic review. Studies are weighted, effect sizes are pooled and results are often shown in a forest plot. Researchers also check heterogeneity between studies and publication bias. The plural is meta-analyses.

Example sentences

1. A meta-analysis of 52 studies found a moderate effect of feedback on learning.

2. We conducted a meta-analysis using a random-effects model.

Common collocations

• conduct a meta-analysis
• systematic review and meta-analysis
• pooled effect size
• random-effects meta-analysis

Related terms

• systematic reviewA review that uses a clear, pre-planned and repeatable method to find, select and evaluate all relevant studies on a specific question.
• literature reviewA critical summary of what has already been published on a topic, showing the main ideas, debates and gaps that a new study responds to.
• quantitativeDescribing research that collects numerical data and uses statistics to measure, compare or test relationships, often with larger samples.
• p-valueA probability showing how likely results at least as extreme as yours would be if there were really no effect, that is, if the null hypothesis were true.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• meta-analysis · Public Health & Epidemiology

More terms: Literature Review

• literature
• research gap
• theoretical framework
• seminal
• synthesize
• draw on
• build on
• primary source
• secondary source
• database
• body of literature
• consensus