Meta-analysis
Background resources on systematic reviews and meta-analysis — start here if you are new to the topic.
What is a systematic review / meta-analysis?
An introduction to systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and how the two terms relate.
Meta-analysis steps
The steps involved in conducting a meta-analysis, from defining the research area to publishing the results.
Assessing study quality and risk of bias
Risk-of-bias tools for different study designs, and how quality assessment feeds back into the analysis.
Methods and formulas
Effect sizes, heterogeneity, moderators, and publication bias — with the underlying formulas.
Statistical models: fixed-effect, random-effects, and multilevel
How each model combines effect sizes into a pooled estimate, including multilevel models for dependent effect sizes, and how to choose between them.
PRISMA flow diagram and reporting guideline
How to read the PRISMA flow diagram, what the checklist covers, and where it fits among other reporting guidelines.
Glossary
Definitions of the most important terms used in meta-analysis.
References
Books and articles on meta-analysis, organized by topic.
Specialized topics
Extensions of the standard process above, relevant only for specific kinds of data or research questions.
Network meta-analysis
Comparing three or more treatments at once by combining direct and indirect evidence, and the transitivity assumption it relies on.
Meta-analysis of single-case experimental designs
Overlap-based effect sizes (PND, NAP, Tau-U) for single-subject A-B designs, where standard effect sizes don't apply.