Meta-Analysis in Library and Information Science: Method, History, and Recommendations for Reporting Research

Meta-analysis is a method for summarizing statistical findings across multiple research studies. It is a useful method for assessing the level of agreement or disagreement surrounding a given research question. The ability to perform meta-analysis is dependent on the level of consistency in measures and the amount of data shared in published research. Guidelines to minimum standards for reporting research may improve the quality of writing in published research. Inconsistencies in reporting research findings across studies, failing to provide enough detail on method and instrumentation to facilitate replication, and the multiplicity of different operational definitions or measures for the same concept all pose difficulties to successfully attempting any form of research synthesis. This article presents a methodological explanation of meta-analysis, a literature review describing the application of meta-analysis in library and information science, and guidelines for reporting quantitative research that would enable subsequent researchers to perform meta-analysis.