title: Systematic review and meta-analysis methodology.
abstract: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are being increasingly used to summarize medical literature and identify areas in which research is needed. Systematic reviews limit bias with the use of a reproducible scientific process to search the literature and evaluate the quality of the individual studies. If possible the results are statistically combined into a meta-analysis in which the data are weighted and pooled to produce an estimate of effect. This article aims to provide the reader with a practical overview of systematic review and meta-analysis methodology, with a focus on the process of performing a review and the related issues at each step.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Worcester, United Kingdom. crowthrm@mcmaster.ca
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crowther
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Crowther
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012196:Review Literature as Topic