The Handbook of Research Synthesis

Ed Harris Cooper, Larry V Hedges, Russell Sage Foundation, $49.95, pp 573 ISBN 0-87154-226-9 Methods for combining results across different studies have existed since the early ‘thirties, but the use of quantitative techniques for synthesising research results was rare until about 15 years ago. Meta- analysis, as the statistical analysis of a large collection of results from individual studies is called, has now achieved a status of respectability in medicine. This respectability, when combined with the slight hint of mystique …