The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Small studies are more heterogeneous than large ones: a meta-meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
Objectives Between-study heterogeneity plays an important role in random-effects models for meta-analysis. Most clinical trials are small, and small trials are often associated with larger effect sizes. We empirically evaluated whether there is also a relationship between trial size and heterogeneity (τ). Study design and setting We selected the first meta-analysis per intervention review of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Issues 2009-2013 with a dichotomous (n = 2,009) or continuous (n = 1,254) outcome. The association between estimated τ and trial size was evaluated across meta-analyses using regression and within meta-analyses using a Bayesian approach. Small trials were predefined as those having standard errors (SEs) over 0.2 standardized effects. Results Most meta-analyses were based on few (median 4) trials. Within the same meta-analysis, the small study τS(2) was larger than the large-study τL(2) [average ratio 2.11; 95% credible interval (1.05, 3.87) for dichotomous and 3.11 (2.00, 4.78) for continuous meta-analyses]. The imprecision of τS was larger than of τL: median SE 0.39 vs. 0.20 for dichotomous and 0.22 vs. 0.13 for continuous small-study and large-study meta-analyses. Conclusion Heterogeneity between small studies is larger than between larger studies. The large imprecision with which τ is estimated in a typical small-studies' meta-analysis is another reason for concern, and sensitivity analyses are recommended.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“but this is also influenced by unique patient characteristics, treatment techniques, and variability in measured outcomes.58”
From The Effect of Upper Cervical Mobilization/Manipulation on Temporomandibular Joint Pain, Maximal Mouth Opening, and Pressure Pain Thresholds: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2023) · cites this paper as [58]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“This is due to the wide variety of study designs, the wide confidence intervals of individual studies, and the inclusion of low-weight studies, which can have a disproportionate effect on heterogeneity, especially in random-effects models [58].”
From Safety outcomes of statin vs non-statin lipid-lowering interventions in patients with prior statin-associated muscle symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [58]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing
R Core Team (2000) · doi:10.32614/r.manuals · Cited by 355,893
Measuring inconsistency in meta-analyses
Higgins, J. P. T., Thompson, S. G., Deeks, J. J., & Altman, D. G. (2003) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7414.557 · Cited by 63,139
Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test
Egger, M., Smith, G. D., Schneider, M., & Minder, C. (1997) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.315.7109.629 · Cited by 56,722
Meta-analysis in clinical trials
DerSimonian, R., & Laird, N. (1986) · Controlled Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/0197-2456(86)90046-2 · Cited by 39,552
Quantifying heterogeneity in a meta‐analysis
Higgins, J. P. T., & Thompson, S. G. (2002) · Statistics in Medicine · doi:10.1002/sim.1186 · Cited by 36,763
Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package
Viechtbauer, W. (2010) · Journal of Statistical Software · doi:10.18637/jss.v036.i03 · Cited by 20,464
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009) · doi:10.1002/9780470743386 · Cited by 14,225
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2021) · doi:10.1002/9781119558378 · Cited by 9,799
Power failure: why small sample size undermines the reliability of neuroscience
Button, K. S., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Mokrysz, C., Nosek, B. A., Flint, J., Robinson, E. S. J., & Munafò, M. R. (2013) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3475 · Cited by 7,641 · cited 1×
“[11] argued that underpowered studies are prone to several analytical and reporting biases.”
BackgroundSelf-citationWinBUGS - A Bayesian modelling framework: Concepts, structure, and extensibility
Lunn, D. J., Thomas, A., Best, N., & Spiegelhalter, D. J. (2000) · Statistics and Computing · doi:10.1023/a:1008929526011 · Cited by 5,397
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Plea for routinely presenting prediction intervals in meta-analysis.
IntHout, J., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Rovers, M. M., & Goeman, J. J. (2016) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010247 · Cited by 2,264
Self-citationPhysical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews
Geneen, L. J., Moore, R. A., Clarke, C., Martin, D., Colvin, L. A., & Smith, B. H. (2017) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd011279.pub3 · Cited by 1,222
Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews
Geneen, L. J., Moore, R. A., Clarke, C., Martin, D., Colvin, L. A., & Smith, B. H. (2017) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd011279.pub2 · Cited by 719
Röver, C., Knapp, G., & Friede, T. (2015) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/s12874-015-0091-1 · Cited by 527
Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis
de Witte, M., Pinho, A. D. S., Stams, G.-J., Moonen, X., Bos, A. E. R., & van Hooren, S. (2022) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2020.1846580 · Cited by 444
Perioperative intravenous ketamine for acute postoperative pain in adults
Brinck, E. C. V., Tiippana, E., Heesen, M. A., Bell, R. F., Straube, S., Moore, A., & Kontinen, V. (2018) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012033.pub4 · Cited by 385
Heterogeneity in ecological and evolutionary meta‐analyses: its magnitude and implications
Senior, A. M., Grueber, C. E., Kamiya, T., Lagisz, M., O'Dwyer, K., Santos, E. S. A., & Nakagawa, S. (2016) · Ecology · doi:10.1002/ecy.1591 · Cited by 299
Fodor, L. A., Coteț, C. D., Cuijpers, P., Szamoskozi, Ș., David, D., & Cristea, I. A. (2018) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-018-28113-6 · Cited by 284
Meta‐analysis of few small studies in orphan diseases
Friede, T., Röver, C., Wandel, S., & Neuenschwander, B. E. (2016) · Research Synthesis Methods · doi:10.1002/jrsm.1217 · Cited by 187
Lessons From Pinocchio: Cues to Deception May Be Highly Exaggerated
Luke, T. J. (2019) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691619838258 · Cited by 174
Gillespie, B. M., Harbeck, E., Rattray, M., Liang, R., Walker, R., Latimer, S. L., Thalib, L., Andersson, A. E., Griffin, B. R., Ware, R. S., et al. (2021) · International Journal of Surgery · doi:10.1016/j.ijsu.2021.106136 · Cited by 182
Linden, A. H., & Hönekopp, J. (2021) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691620964193 · Cited by 159
Han, M. A. T., Altayar, O., Hamdeh, S., Takyar, V. K., Rotman, Y., Etzion, O., Lefebvre, E. A., Safadi, R., Ratziu, V., Prokop, L. J., et al. (2018) · Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology · doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2018.06.011 · Cited by 135
On the phantom-like appearance of bilingualism effects on neurocognition: (How) should we proceed?
Leivada, E., Westergaard, M. R., Duñabeitia, J. A., & Rothman, J. (2020) · Bilingualism Language and Cognition · doi:10.1017/s1366728920000358 · Cited by 141
Purgato, M., Carswell, K., Tedeschi, F., Acarturk, C., Anttila, M., Au, T., Bajbouj, M., Baumgartner, J., Biondi, M., Churchill, R., et al. (2021) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000517504 · Cited by 132
A comparison of methods for meta‐analysis of a small number of studies with binary outcomes
Mathes, T., & Kuß, O. (2018) · Research Synthesis Methods · doi:10.1002/jrsm.1296 · Cited by 136
Picard, M., Robitaille, G., Karam, F., Daigle, J.-M., Bédard, F., Biron, É., Tardif, M. R., Lacombe‐Barrios, J., & Bégin, P. (2019) · The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology In Practice · doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2019.05.038 · Cited by 125
Alruqi, W. M., & Hallowell, M. R. (2019) · Journal of Construction Engineering and Management · doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001626 · Cited by 122
Synthesizing Evidence from Diagnostic Accuracy TEsts : the SEDATE guideline
Sotiriadis, A., Papatheodorou, S., & Martins, W. P. (2015) · Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1002/uog.15762 · Cited by 119
Serghiou, S., Kyriakopoulou, A., & Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2016) · Molecular Cancer · doi:10.1186/s12943-016-0535-1 · Cited by 112
Self-citationPharmacological interventions for chronic pain in children: an overview of systematic reviews
Eccleston, C., Fisher, E., Cooper, T. E., Grégoire, M.-C., Heathcote, L. C., Krane, E. J., Lord, S. M., Sethna, N. F., Anderson, A.-K., Anderson, B. J., et al. (2019) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001609 · Cited by 111
Gjuladin-Hellon, T., Davies, I. G., Penson, P., & Amiri Baghbadorani, R. (2019) · Nutrition Reviews · doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuy049 · Cited by 108
Risk of stroke in hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected patients: A multinational study
Shahjouei, S., Naderi, S., Li, J., Khan, A., Chaudhary, D. P., Farahmand, G., Male, S., Griessenauer, C. J., Sabra, M., Mondello, S., et al. (2020) · EBioMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102939 · Cited by 106
Calibrating the Scientific Ecosystem Through Meta-Research
Hardwicke, T. E., Serghiou, S., Janiaud, P., Danchev, V., Crüwell, S., Goodman, S. N., & Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2020) · Annual Review of Statistics and Its Application · doi:10.1146/annurev-statistics-031219-041104 · Cited by 98
Self-citationProfessionals underestimate patients' pain: a comprehensive review
Seers, T., Derry, S., Seers, K., & Moore, A. (2018) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001165 · Cited by 105
Man, S. S., Wen, H., & So, B. C. L. (2023) · Journal of Safety Research · doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2023.11.011 · Cited by 120
Tian, T., Wang, M., Lin, S., Guo, Y., Dai, Z., Liu, K., Yang, P., Dai, C., Zhu, Y., Zheng, Y., et al. (2018) · Molecular Therapy — Nucleic Acids · doi:10.1016/j.omtn.2018.05.018 · Cited by 103
Rapid reviews may produce different results to systematic reviews: a meta-epidemiological study
Marshall, I. J., Marshall, R., Wallace, B. C., Brassey, J., & Thomas, J. (2019) · Journal of Clinical Epidemiology · doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2018.12.015 · Cited by 95
Oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for cancer pain in adults
Derry, S., Wiffen, P. J., Moore, A., McNicol, E. D., Bell, R. F., Carr, D. B., McIntyre, M., & Wee, B. (2017) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012638.pub2 · Cited by 136
Wood, L., Byrne, R., Varese, F., & Morrison, A. P. (2016) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2016.05.001 · Cited by 93
Oral paracetamol (acetaminophen) for cancer pain
Wiffen, P. J., Derry, S., Moore, A., McNicol, E. D., Bell, R. F., Carr, D. B., McIntyre, M., & Wee, B. (2017) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012637.pub2 · Cited by 97
The Use of (Network) Meta-Analysis in Clinical Oncology
ter Veer, E., van Oijen, M. G. H., & van Laarhoven, H. W. M. (2019) · Frontiers in Oncology · doi:10.3389/fonc.2019.00822 · Cited by 83
“However, usually there are many factors that are related to the same outcome and are also somehow related to each other, which leads to heterogeneity between studies, especially the small studies (2, 99).”
ResultMisra, D. P., Rathore, U., Patro, P., Agarwal, V., & Sharma, A. (2021) · Clinical Rheumatology · doi:10.1007/s10067-021-05743-2 · Cited by 84
A meta-analysis of loneliness and risk of dementia using longitudinal data from >600,000 individuals
Luchetti, M., Aschwanden, D., Sesker, A. A., Zhu, X., O’Súilleabháin, P. S., Stéphan, Y., Terracciano, A., & Sutin, A. R. (2024) · Nature Mental Health · doi:10.1038/s44220-024-00328-9 · Cited by 91
Kobashi, H., & Tsubota, K. (2019) · Cornea · doi:10.1097/ico.0000000000002092 · Cited by 80
Effects of antibullying programs on teachers’ interventions in bullying situations. A meta‐analysis
van Verseveld, M. D. A., Fukkink, R. G., Fekkes, M., & Oostdam, R. (2019) · Psychology in the Schools · doi:10.1002/pits.22283 · Cited by 83
Lacasse, Y., Cates, C. J., McCarthy, B., & Welsh, E. J. (2015) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.ed000107 · Cited by 77
Mojtahedi, M. F., Sepidarkish, M., Almukhtar, M., Eslami, Y., Mohammadianamiri, F., Moghadam, K. B., Rouholamin, S., Razavi, M., Tadi, M. J., Naghibi, A. F., et al. (2023) · Journal of Hospital Infection · doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2023.05.019 · Cited by 93
Zimbudzi, E., Lo, C., Misso, M. L., Ranasinha, S., Kerr, P. G., Teede, H. J., & Zoungas, S. (2018) · Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1186/s13643-018-0748-z · Cited by 76
Moore, A., Fisher, E., Finn, D. P., Finnerup, N. B., Gilron, I., Haroutounian, S., Krane, E. J., Rice, A. S. C., Rowbotham, M. C., Wallace, M. S., et al. (2020) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001941 · Cited by 83
Effects of cannabinoid administration for pain: A meta-analysis and meta-regression.
Yanes, J. A., McKinnell, Z. E., Reid, M. A., Busler, J. N., Michel, J. S., Pangelinan, M. M., Sutherland, M. T., Younger, J., González, R., & Robinson, J. L. (2019) · Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1037/pha0000281 · Cited by 68
Prasitlumkum, N., Cheungpasitporn, W., Chokesuwattanaskul, A., Thangjui, S., Thongprayoon, C., Bathini, T. J., Vallabhajosyula, S., Kanitsoraphan, C., Leesutipornchai, T., & Chokesuwattanaskul, R. (2020) · Archives of cardiovascular diseases · doi:10.1016/j.acvd.2020.05.015 · Cited by 68
Adler, D., Mohan, B., Jayaraj, M., Asokkumar, R., Shakhatreh, M. K., Pahal, P., Ponnada, S., & Navaneethan, U. (2019) · Endoscopic Ultrasound · doi:10.4103/eus.eus_7_19 · Cited by 62
Wang, C., Bakhet, M., Roberts, D., Gnani, S., & El-Osta, A. (2020) · Public Health · doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2020.07.007 · Cited by 61
Brini, S., Sohrabi, H. R., Hébert, J. J., Forrest, M. R. L., Laine, M., Hämäläinen, H., Karrasch, M., Peiffer, J. J., Martins, R. N., & Fairchild, T. J. (2020) · Neuropsychology Review · doi:10.1007/s11065-020-09426-8 · Cited by 68
Fajardo-Bernal, L., Aponte-González, J., Vigil, P. D., Ángel‐Müller, E., Rincón, C., Gaitán, H., & Low, N. N. (2015) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd011317.pub2 · Cited by 54
Hallam, C., Simmonds‐Buckley, M., Kellett, S., Greenhill, B., & Jones, A. (2021) · Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice · doi:10.1111/papt.12286 · Cited by 54
Transepithelial versus epithelium-off corneal crosslinking for corneal ectasia
Kobashi, H., Rong, S. S., & Ciolino, J. B. (2018) · Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery · doi:10.1016/j.jcrs.2018.08.021 · Cited by 54
Clinical Pharmacy Services in Older Inpatients: An Evidence-Based Review
der Linden, L. R. V., Hias, J., Walgraeve, K., Flamaing, J., Tournoy, J., & Spriet, I. (2020) · Drugs & Aging · doi:10.1007/s40266-019-00733-1 · Cited by 53
Erausquin, J. T., Tan, R. K. J., Uhlich, M., Francis, J. M., Kumar, N., Campbell, L., Zhang, W., Hlatshwako, T. G., Kosana, P., Shah, S., et al. (2022) · Clinical Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1093/cid/ciac102 · Cited by 51
Chatard, A., Hirschberger, G., & Pyszczynski, T. (2020) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/ejubn · Cited by 51
Salimi, Y., Taghdir, M., Sepandi, M., & Zarchi, A. A. K. (2019) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-019-6484-z · Cited by 50
Gastrointestinal Bleeding in COVID‐19 Patients: A Systematic Review with Meta‐Analysis
Marasco, G., Maida, M. F., Morreale, G. C., Licata, M., Renzulli, M., Cremon, C., Stanghellini, V., & Barbara, G. (2021) · Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology · doi:10.1155/2021/2534975 · Cited by 52
Belias, M., Rovers, M. M., Reitsma, J. B., Debray, T. P. A., & IntHout, J. (2019) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/s12874-019-0817-6 · Cited by 50
Self-citationDing, H., Chen, S. H., Edwards, I., Jayasena, R., Doecke, J. D., Layland, J. J., Yang, I. A., & Maiorana, A. (2020) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/20032 · Cited by 49
Dolan, N., Simmonds‐Buckley, M., Kellett, S., Siddell, E., & Delgadillo, J. (2021) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjc.12288 · Cited by 61
Location‐scale models for meta‐analysis
Viechtbauer, W., & López-López, J. A. (2022) · Research Synthesis Methods · doi:10.1002/jrsm.1562 · Cited by 46
Trečiokienė, I., Postma, M. J., Nguyen, T. N., Fens, T., Petkevicius, J., Kubilius, R., Gulbinovič, J., & Taxis, K. (2021) · BMC Family Practice · doi:10.1186/s12875-021-01421-z · Cited by 57
A meta-analysis of the effect of virtual reality on reducing public speaking anxiety
Lim, M. H., Aryadoust, V., & Esposito, G. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02684-6 · Cited by 51
Oral paracetamol (acetaminophen) for cancer pain
Wiffen, P. J., Derry, S., Moore, R. A., McNicol, E. D., Bell, R. F., Carr, D. B., McIntyre, M., & Wee, B. (2017) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012637 · Cited by 45
Nagendran, M., Pereira, T., Kiew, G., Altman, D. G., Maruthappu, M., Ioannidis, J. P. A., & McCulloch, P. G. (2016) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.i5432 · Cited by 44
Self-citationComparing Treatment Modalities For End-Stage Renal Disease: A Meta-Analysis
Queeley, G. L., & Campbell, E. S. (2014) · Value in Health · doi:10.1016/j.jval.2014.03.1690 · Cited by 43
High-altitude alpine therapy and lung function in asthma: systematic review and meta-analysis
Vinnikov, D. V., Khafagy, A. A., Blanc, P. D., Brimkulov, N. N., & Steinmaus, C. (2016) · ERJ Open Research · doi:10.1183/23120541.00097-2015 · Cited by 43
Naterstad, I. F., Joensen, J., Bjordal, J. M., Couppé, C., Lopes‐Martins, R. Á. B., & Stausholm, M. B. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059479 · Cited by 42
The Personality Panorama: Conceptualizing Personality through Big Behavioural Data
Boyd, R. L., Pasca, P., & Lanning, K. (2020) · European Journal of Personality · doi:10.1002/per.2254 · Cited by 52
Adler, D., Mohan, B., Asokkumar, R., Shakhatreh, M. K., Garg, R., Ponnada, S., & Navaneethan, U. (2019) · Endoscopic Ultrasound · doi:10.4103/eus.eus_63_18 · Cited by 40
Nikniaz, Z., Beheshti, S., Farhangi, M. A., & Nikniaz, L. (2021) · International Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1002/eat.23561 · Cited by 41
The prevalence of intrusive memories in adult depression: A meta-analysis
Payne, A., Kralj, A., Young, J., & Meiser‐Stedman, R. (2019) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.055 · Cited by 41
Kietpeerakool, C., Aue-aungkul, A., Galaal, K. A., Ngamjarus, C., & Lumbiganon, P. (2019) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012828.pub2 · Cited by 38
Pateras, K., Nikolakopoulos, S., & Roes, K. C. B. (2017) · Statistics in Medicine · doi:10.1002/sim.7569 · Cited by 38
Verschueren, S., Eskes, A. M., Maaskant, J. M., Roest, A. M., Latour, C. H. M., & Reimer, W. J. M. S. O. (2017) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.11.018 · Cited by 41
Misra, D. P., Rathore, U., Patro, P., Agarwal, V., & Sharma, A. (2021) · Rheumatology International · doi:10.1007/s00296-021-04958-5 · Cited by 38
Applewhite, B., Cankaya, Z., Heiderscheit, A., & Himmerich, H. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19095150 · Cited by 45
Reis, D. J., Kaizer, A. M., Kinney, A. R., Bahraini, N. H., Holliday, R. P., Forster, J. E., & Brenner, L. A. (2022) · Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy · doi:10.1037/tra0001316 · Cited by 36
Prognostic factors for streptococcal toxic shock syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis
Bartoszko, J. J., Elias, Z. F., Rudziak, P., Lo, C. K. L., Thabane, L., Mertz, D., & Loeb, M. B. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063023 · Cited by 37
Aiolfi, A., Tornese, S., Bonitta, G., Cavalli, M., Rausa, E., Micheletto, G., Campanelli, G., & Bona, D. (2019) · Asian Journal of Surgery · doi:10.1016/j.asjsur.2019.03.019 · Cited by 35
Dietary inflammatory index and breast cancer risk: an updated meta-analysis of observational studies
Hayati, Z., Jafarabadi, M. A., & Pirouzpanah, S. (2021) · European Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1038/s41430-021-01039-5 · Cited by 34
Beyond Random Effects: When Small-Study Findings Are More Heterogeneous
Stanley, T. D., Doucouliagos, H., & Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2022) · Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/25152459221120427 · Cited by 36
Self-citationKowalski, M., Obama, B. M., Catho, G., Dewez, J. E., Merglen, A., Ruef, M., Andrey, D. O., Hassoun‐Kheir, N., de Kraker, M. E. A., Combescure, C., et al. (2024) · EClinicalMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102512 · Cited by 37
Model-based assessment of replicability for genome-wide association meta-analysis
McGuire, D., Jiang, Y., Liu, M., Weissenkampen, J. D., Eckert, S., Yang, L., Chen, F., Liu, M., Jiang, Y., Wedow, R., et al. (2021) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-021-21226-z · Cited by 30
Lopes-Silva, J. P., Reale, R., & Franchini, E. (2019) · Journal of Sports Sciences · doi:10.1080/02640414.2018.1524739 · Cited by 32
Dogan, O. B., Aditya, A., Ortúzar, J., Clarke, J., & Wang, B. (2021) · Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety · doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12860 · Cited by 34
The Cognitive Profile of Math Difficulties: A Meta-Analysis Based on Clinical Criteria
Haberstroh, S., & Schulte‐Körne, G. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.842391 · Cited by 44
Han, M., Woo, K.-S., & Kim, K. (2024) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu16244350 · Cited by 35
Kaur, M., Sharma, P. P., Kaur, R., & Khetarpal, P. (2021) · Gynecological Endocrinology · doi:10.1080/09513590.2021.1942450 · Cited by 31
Increasing antipsychotic dose for non response in schizophrenia
Samara, M. T., Klupp, E., Helfer, B., Rothe, P., Schneider‐Thoma, J., & Leucht, S. (2018) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd011883.pub2 · Cited by 30
Beets, M. W., Weaver, R. G., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Pfledderer, C. D., Jones, A., von Klinggraeff, L., & Armstrong, B. (2023) · Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1186/s13643-023-02184-7 · Cited by 33
Self-citationTaylor, J. A., Kowalski, S. M., Polanin, J. R., Askinas, K., Stuhlsatz, M. A. M., Wilson, C. D., Tipton, E., & Wilson, S. J. (2018) · AERA Open · doi:10.1177/2332858418791991 · Cited by 32
Trkulja, V., & Barić, H. (2020) · Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology · doi:10.1007/978-981-32-9705-0_22 · Cited by 28
Riedel, A. S., Beatson, A., Worsteling, A., Mulcahy, R. F., & Keating, B. W. (2023) · Journal of service management · doi:10.1108/josm-08-2022-0250 · Cited by 31
Belete, M. A., Gedefie, A., Alemayehu, E., Debash, H., Mohammed, O., Gebretsadik, D., Ebrahim, H., & Tilahun, M. (2023) · Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control · doi:10.1186/s13756-023-01291-3 · Cited by 32
Tadros, M., Newby, J. M., Li, S., & Werner‐Seidler, A. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0317125 · Cited by 36
Bidonde, J., Fisher, E., Perrot, S., Moore, R. A., Bell, R. F., Makri, S., & Häuser, W. (2023) · Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism · doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2023.152248 · Cited by 27
Hao, Y., Guo, H., Xu, Z., Qi, H., Wang, Y., Lu, C., Liu, J., & Yuan, P.-W. (2018) · Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research · doi:10.1186/s13018-018-0861-7 · Cited by 27
Torp-Pedersen, C. T., Goette, A., Nielsen, P. B., Potpara, T., Fauchier, L., Camm, A. J., Arbelo, E., Boriani, G., Skjoeth, F., Rumsfeld, J. S., et al. (2019) · EP Europace · doi:10.1093/europace/euz210 · Cited by 27
Caughey, L. E., Lensen, S. F., White, K. M., & Peate, M. (2021) · Fertility and Sterility · doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.07.1195 · Cited by 27
Alamolhoda, M., Ayatollahi, S. M. T., & Bagheri, Z. (2017) · BMC Research Notes · doi:10.1186/s13104-017-2768-5 · Cited by 26
Fisher, E., Eccleston, C., Degenhardt, L. J., Finn, D. P., Finnerup, N. B., Gilron, I., Haroutounian, S., Krane, E. J., Rice, A. S. C., Rowbotham, M. C., et al. (2019) · PAIN Reports · doi:10.1097/pr9.0000000000000741 · Cited by 26
Bastazini, V. A. G., Galiana, N., Hillebrand, H., Estiarte, M., Ogaya, R., Peñuelas, J., Sommer, U. J., & Montoya, J. M. (2021) · Global Ecology and Biogeography · doi:10.1111/geb.13308 · Cited by 25
Effects of exercise on obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Bottoms, L. M., Pons, M. P., Fineberg, N. A., Pellegrini, L., Fox, O., Wellsted, D. M., Drummond, L. M., Reid, J. E., Baldwin, D. S., Hou, R. H., et al. (2022) · International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1080/13651501.2022.2151474 · Cited by 25
Metadata
- Authors
- IntHout, J., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Borm, G. F., & Goeman, J. J.
- Affiliations
- Radboud University Medical Center (NL)
- Stanford Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- IntHout, Joanna
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-08
- Volume
- 68
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 860-869
- ISSN
- 0895-4356 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1973158091
- Cited by
- 314
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 33 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 2.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Delphi Technique in Research
- Keywords
- study heterogeneity, small-study effects, trial size, random effects models, meta-analysis, sensitivity analysis, meta-meta-analysis
- MeSH terms
- Bayes Theorem, Clinical Trials as Topic, Epidemiologic Methods, Humans, Models, Theoretical, Research Design
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
