Exploratory or analytic meta-analysis: Should we distinguish between them?
Key result
Analytic meta-analyses focus on improving effect estimates while exploratory meta-analyses explain variation across studies.
Design
Review
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Meta-analysts should specify analytic versus exploratory intent in protocols; leaves open whether this reduces bias in practice.
Key Points
Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Cite This Study
Anello et al. (1995) reported a review. Meta-analyses can be categorized as analytic, focusing on improving effect estimates, or exploratory, focusing on explaining variation in effect sizes across studies.