LibGuides: Systematic Reviews: Meta-analysis

What is a Meta-analysis?

A meta-analysis is a type of systematic review. A systematic review seeks to systematically search for, appraise, and synthesize research evidence. A meta-analysis is the use of statistical methods to summarize the results of these studies. Not all systematic reviews contain meta-analysis, but all meta-analyses contain a systematic review.

Benefits of a Meta-Analysis

Improved precision
Greater confidence in results of the systematic review
The ability to answer questions not posed by the individual studies
Can settle controversies and conflicts among the original studies

Detailed flow diagram guideline for systematic review and meta-analysis steps

Tawfik, G.M., Dila, K.A.S., Mohamed, M.Y.F. et al. A step by step guide for conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis with simulation data. Trop Med Health 47, 46 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-019-0165-6

Deeks JJ, Higgins JPT, Altman DG (editors). Chapter 10: Analysing data and undertaking meta-analyses. In: Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, Welch VA (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 6.1 (updated September 2020). Cochrane, 2020. Available from www.training.cochrane.org/handbook.

Guidance on Meta-analysis

Chapter 10: Analysing data and undertaking meta-analyses
A chapter from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions on meta-analyses.
How to do a meta-analysis
This article describes the process of conducting meta-analysis: selecting articles, developing inclusion criteria, calculating effect sizes, conducting the actual analysis (including information on how to do the analysis on popular computer packages such as IBM SPSS and R) and estimating the effects of publication bias. Guidance is also given on how to write up a meta-analysis.
Meta-analysis: pitfalls and hints
The present work is an overview of the main pitfalls which may occur when a researcher performs a meta-analysis.
A step by step guide for conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis with simulation data
This methodology study aimed to provide a step-by-step approach mainly for beginners and junior researchers, in the field of tropical medicine and other health care fields, on how to properly conduct a SR/MA, in which all the steps here depicts our experience and expertise combined with the already well-known and accepted international guidance.
Ten simple rules for carrying out and writing meta-analyses
Although there are several published articles describing comprehensive guidelines for specific types of meta-analyses, there is still the need for an abridged article with general and updated recommendations for researchers interested in the development of meta-analyses. We present here ten simple rules for carrying out and writing meta-analyses.

Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis by Richard D. Riley (Editor); Jayne F. Tierney (Editor); Lesley A. Stewart (Editor)
ISBN: 9781119333722
Publication Date: 2021-06-08

Example Meta-analyses

Impact of health service interventions on acute hospital use in community-dwelling persons with dementia: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.
The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize available evidence on the impact of health service interventions on acute hospital use in community-dwelling persons with dementia compared to usual care.
Psychometric properties of measures of substance use: a systematic review and meta-analysis of reliability, validity and diagnostic test accuracy.
The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of literature on measures of substance classes associated with HIV risk (heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy, alcohol) that were published in English before June 2016 that reported at least one of the following psychometric outcomes of interest: internal consistency (alpha), test-retest/inter-rater reliability (kappa), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Hospitalised Current Smokers and COVID-19.
By means of the meta-analysis, the authors offer epidemiological evidence showing that smokers were statistically less likely to be hospitalized (OR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.14-0.23, p < 0.01).
Systematic review and meta‐analyses of randomized control trials of the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for homeless adults.
Aims: To evaluate the effect of psychosocial interventions for homeless adults on their psychosocial outcomes. Design: A systematic review and meta‐analyses were performed for critical appraisal and synthesis of the included studies

Research Support

Please be aware that the library cannot help with the advanced statistical methods needed to conduct a meta-analysis. For assistance with statistical analysis, please reach out to ATSU Research Support.

Meta-Analysis Tools

OpenMeta[Analyst]
OpenMeta[Analyst] is an open-source, cross-platform, point and click tool to perform meta-analysis.