1365-2656/asset/olbannerleft.gif?v=1&s=4f0919eca9042f833d018453e8f48b1e3e3123ec)
1365-2656/asset/olbannerright.gif?v=1&s=92164cf20561f2dc5785bff8431569e5b40f87aa)
You have full text access to this OnlineOpen article
Review of methodology of quantitative reviews using meta-analysis in ecology
Article first published online: 12 JUL 2002
DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2656.2002.00634.x
1365-2656/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=e1c445961d632cd41e33852af907c4900097559b "Journal of Animal Ecology")
Additional Information
How to Cite
Gates, S. (2002), Review of methodology of quantitative reviews using meta-analysis in ecology. Journal of Animal Ecology, 71: 547–557. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2656.2002.00634.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 12 JUL 2002
- Article first published online: 12 JUL 2002
- Received 1 November 2001; accepted 20 February 2001
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- meta-analysis;
- methodology;
- systematic review
Summary
- 1Statistical methods for combination of independent results have been well publicized in the ecological literature, and have begun to be used for reviewing research. They provide a considerable advance in scientific rigour over traditional narrative or ‘vote-counting’ reviews.
- 2However, other methodological developments for research synthesis have not yet been widely adopted.
- 3This review briefly summarizes some of the techniques used for carrying out rigorous reviewing and synthesis of results in medical science, and surveys techniques used by ecological meta-analyses.
- 4Many of the methods used to reduce bias and enhance the accuracy, reliability and usefulness of reviews in medical science have not yet been widely used by ecologists.
- 5The quality of ecological reviews could be improved by adoption of some of these methods, such as specifying the methods used for literature searching, stating the types of study combined in the review and the strength of evidence they provide, presenting results as a point estimate with a confidence interval, investigating bias in selection of studies using funnel plots, making a clear distinction between the main analysis and subsidiary analyses and interpreting the latter with caution, and performing sensitivity analyses.