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Graphical displays for meta-analysis: An overview with suggestions for practice

  1. Judith Anzures-Cabrera1,
  2. Julian P. T. Higgins2,*

Article first published online: 23 MAR 2010

DOI: 10.1002/jrsm.6

Issue

Research Synthesis Methods

Research Synthesis Methods

Volume 1, Issue 1, pages 66–80, January/March 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Anzures-Cabrera, J. and Higgins, J. P. T. (2010), Graphical displays for meta-analysis: An overview with suggestions for practice. Research Synthesis Methods, 1: 66–80. doi: 10.1002/jrsm.6

Author Information

  1. 1

    Roche Products Ltd, Welwyn Garden City, U.K.

  2. 2

    MRC, Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, U.K.

*MRC, Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, U.K.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 21 APR 2010
  2. Article first published online: 23 MAR 2010
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 24 JAN 2010
  4. Manuscript Revised: 19 JAN 2010
  5. Manuscript Received: 9 SEP 2009

Funded by

  • MRC. Grant Number: U.1052.00.011

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Keywords:

  • meta-analysis;
  • graphical displays;
  • forest plot;
  • funnel plot;
  • Galbraith plot;
  • L'Abbe plot

Abstract

Meta-analyses are fundamental tools for collating and synthesizing large amounts of information, and graphical displays have become the principal tool for presenting the results of multiple studies of the same research question. We review standard and proposed graphical displays for presentation of meta-analytic data, and offer our recommendations on how they might be presented to provide the most useful and user-friendly illustrations. We concentrate on graphs that specifically aim to present similar sorts of univariate results from multiple studies. We start with forest plots and funnel plots, and proceed to Galbraith (or radial) plots, L'Abbé (and related) plots, further plots useful for investigating heterogeneity, plots useful for model diagnostics and plots for illustrating likelihoods and Bayesian meta-analyses. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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