Guidelines for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Open accessAbstract
Meta-analysis is an essential methodology that allows researchers to synthesize the scientific evidence available on a given research question. Due to its wide applicability in most applied research fields, it is really important that meta-analyses be written and reported appropriately. In this paper we propose some guidelines to report the results of a meta-analysis in a scientific journal as Annals of Psychology. Concretely, the structure for reporting a meta-analysis following its different stages is detailed. In addition, some recommendations related to the usual tasks when conducting a meta-analysis are provided. A recent meta-analysis focused on the psychological field is used to illustrate the guidelines proposed. Finally, some concluding remarks are presented.
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References 48 · Cited by 56
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Hedges, L. V., & Olkin, I. (1985). Statistical methods for meta-analysis. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
- In H. Cooper, L. V. Hedges, & J. C. Valentine (Eds.), The handbook of research synthesis and meta-analysis (2nd ed., pp. 295-315). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
- Review Manager (2014). RevMan (Version 5.3) Computer software]. Co- penhagen, Denmark: The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration.
- Authors
- Rubio-Aparicio, M., Sánchez-Meca, J., Marín-Martínez, F., & López-López, J. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Bristol (GB)
- Venue
- Anales de Psicología
- Published
- 2018-04-10
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 412
- ISSN
- 0212-9728 (ISSN-L)
- 1695-2294
- OpenAlex
- W2797936283
- Cited by
- 56
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 0.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- Anales de Psicología (publishedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Hispana (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Funders
- Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital, Gobierno de España
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Psychology Research and Bibliometrics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Academic Writing and Publishing
- Keywords
- reporting guidelines, meta-analysis, systematic reviews, evidence synthesis, scientific writing, psychology research
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