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<Article 17271 of 17292 (sci.stat.consult) (57 lines) Wed Apr 10 21:20:17 1996
<Subject: Meta-analysis literature searches
<From: Thomas.L.Mead@dartmouth.edu (Thomas L. Mead)

<Sometimes, when I read the METHODS sections of published meta-analysis
<research (in any field), I'm disappointed by what I consider to be
<cursory or inadequate descriptions of the literature search which
<precedes the statistical work.



Your concerns are well founded and I believe outlined in 

L'Abbe KA, Detsky AS, O'ROURKE K.  Meta-analysis in clinical research. Annals of Internal Medicine
107:224-33, 1987.

More current references should also talk about study registries so that searches are less critical.  

It might not be a silly idea to "insist" that all published meta-analysis include a 1-800 number and a
request that anyone aware of any study, published or not, call and leave a message.  

<Working with these projects is interesting -- indeed exciting -- and when I've been a part of an M-A
<team I have taken my role very seriously.  I don't understand the statistics work;

You may wish to look at the following for some further encouragement (the critical issues in a
metaanalysis are usually not statistical)  


O'ROURKE K, Detsky AS.  Meta-analysis in Medical Research:  Strong encouragement for higher
quality in individual research efforts.  Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 42(10):1021-1024, 1989.

Keith O'Rourke
The Toronto Hosp.