Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A random-effects meta-analysis of 23 RCTs of a drug, with I² = 45% and pooled OR 0.78 (95% CI 0.68-0.89)
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A narrative summary of effect sizes without statistical pooling is not a meta-analysis
Editorial commentary
Meta-analysis is typically embedded within a systematic review (which provides the protocol and study identification) but the meta-analysis is the specific quantitative step. Network meta-analysis compares multiple interventions; individual-patient-data meta-analysis pools raw data rather than effect estimates.
References
- PRISMA 2020 (Page et al. BMJ)
- Cochrane Handbook Chapter 10 on Meta-Analysis
Also known as
Meta analysis · Quantitative synthesis
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
xml
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Meta-analysis"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/meta-analysis" />json
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"name": "Meta-analysis",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/meta-analysis",
"description": "A quantitative synthesis of effect estimates from multiple studies on a common question, using statistical methods (typically random-effects models) to compute a pooled estimate with confidence interval and heterogeneity diagnostics.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/research-outputs-expanded/",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/meta-analysis",
"sameAs": [
"Meta analysis",
"Quantitative synthesis"
],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}
