Transcript META-ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH

LECTURE 8
META ANALYSIS
EPSY 642 FALL 2009
Victor L. Willson
Meta-Analysis Report-Writing
 Traditional journal approach:
-Intro, lit review, methods, results, discussion
-References: background, studies in meta analysis*
-Tables: effects, SEs, Q’s, mediators, moderators
-Figures: Cluster diagrams, funnel plots, graphs of effects
by features
 Literature review approach:
-Thematic or theory focus: what lit exists, what does it say
Tabular summarizations of works
Theory section
 What is already proposed or known about the outcome
 What are the purported major mediators and
moderators in the literature to date
 What does the literature say about each above? What
is the controversy
Purpose of Study
 Explain why a meta-analysis will resolve problems in
the literature
 State what the major outcome(s) to be examined
 State the major theoretical predictors to be examined
[email protected]
Methods
 Sample (or population) of studies
 Sources used to find articles
 Procedures for cross-referencing
 Coding procedure
 Coding menu (either as a table or appendix if possible)
 Procedures for reliability of coding
 Data analysis approach (eg. Lipsey & Wilson)
Results
 Descriptives: mean, SD, Q total, funnel plot or other
figure of effects (see Lipsey & Wilson, for example)
 Design artifacts- do any cause interpretation
problems, and if so what did you do about them
 Revised descriptives after design issues
 Mediators and moderators of substantive interest
Data Tables
1. summary of all articles- may have mean effect size or
effects for each construct along with major
independent variables
2. Table of Q statistics (may be in Table 1 above also)
3. Table of mediators and moderators
4. Any multiple regression analyses (vw does not
recommend generally unless good theory for order of
entry of predictors)
Summary/Discussion
 Refer to your original discussion of literature and
theory
 What did you find that resolves problems or
differences
 What new problems have arisen
 What research was missing from your meta analysis?
What should people study?