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Research and scholarly methods: Meta‐analysis

Meta‐analysis refers to the statistical combination of findings from individual studies and is a component of many published systematic reviews. Several considerations are critically important to ensure researchers conduct a high‐quality study. These include appropriate choice of analytic model, consideration of the presence and sources of heterogeneity, sensitivity/subgroup analyses or meta‐regression where appropriate, and evaluation of small‐study effects, amongst others. Advanced applications such as network meta‐analysis and individual participant data meta‐analysis allow for the comparison of a broad number of potential interventions and evaluating effect modifiers. Various free and subscription‐based software packages are available depending on the needs of the analyst and their familiarity with programming language and contemporary methods. While not an exhaustive review of these methods, we present a general overview of key concepts for those interested in performing or evaluating a meta‐analysis.