Research synthesis and meta-analysis

Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis – Concepts and Applications

Introduction


Key terms: quantitative research, research synthesis, meta-analysis, advanced course, relevant for students  in any PhD phase.

ECTS: 3
Number of sessions: 5
Hours per session: Session 1-4: 3 hrs, session 5: 8 hrs

Meta-analysis is a quantitative method that is used to combine and analyse data from multiple empirical studies. In doing so, it provides a more comprehensive, robust and systematic understanding of the overall effect or outcome of interest. The method has become common in diverse disciplines, including the social sciences.

The course offers a step-by-step guide on how to conduct a meta-analysis, interpret its findings, and effectively communicate the results. Participants will engage in lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises to master the tools and strategies needed for performing robust meta-analyses.

Participants will be encouraged to apply the concepts and tools of meta-analysis to their own research area. By the end of the course, participants will complete an independent meta-analysis project in their research area and submit a short report or protocol. The report or protocol can ultimately serve as the foundation for a peer-reviewed publishable meta-analysis.

 

Entry level and relevance
 

No prior experience with meta-analysis is required for this course. However, participants should have a basic understanding of systematic literature reviews and key statistical concepts such as correlations, confidence intervals and regression analysis.

Some familiarity with research design and empirical methods is beneficial, but not essential. The course includes hands-on work using Microsoft Excel and Stata software.

Students in mostly quantitative research fields, in any PhD phase, can benefit from the course. The course is particularly valuable, however, for PhD students in the early stages of their studies in social sciences, health sciences, education, economics, development studies, and other policy-relevant fields who are planning or conducting systematic reviews or quantitative syntheses.

Early-career researchers and academics interested in publishing synthesis-based work or using evidence-based approaches in scientific research and policy evaluation will also benefit from this course.

Please contact the lecturer of the course in case you have any doubts or questions about whether you have the required prior knowledge for the course.

 

Relations with other courses

 

While the primary focus of this course is to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to conduct a meta-analysis, it also covers essential components of systematic research synthesis. In this regard, the course complements and overlaps with the EGSH course Doing the systematic literature review, particularly in foundational areas such as defining search strategies. A more extensive introduction to search strategies is offered by the EGSH course Searching and managing your literature.
 

Key Facts & Figures

Type
Course
Start date
Not available yet
Instruction language
English

Start dates for: Research synthesis and meta-analysis

Session 1: March 4 (Wednesday) 2026 | 10.00-13.00 hrs | Offline (Mandeville building, room T19-01)

Session 2: March 11 (Wednesday) 2026 | 10.00-13.00 hrs | Offline (Mandeville building, room T19-01)

Session 3: March 18 (Wednesday) 2026 | 10.00-13.00 hrs | Offline (International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Kortenaerkade 12, 2518 AX, The Hague — Room 4.36)

Session 4: March 25 (Wednesday) 2026 | 10.00-13.00 hrs | Offline (International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Kortenaerkade 12, 2518 AX, The Hague — Room 4.36)

Session 5: April 8 (Wednesday) 2026 | 09.00-17.00 hrs | Offline (International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Kortenaerkade 12, 2518 AX, The Hague — Room 4.36)

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What will you achieve?

  • After this course, you will understand the fundamental principles and rationale behind meta-analysis and research synthesis.
  • After this course, you will be able to search for and retrieve information about relevant studies.
  • After this course, you will be able to identify and calculate effect sizes from various types of research studies.
  • After this course, you will be able to select appropriate statistical techniques for synthesizing and analysing data.
  • After this course, you will be able to address possible bias issues, such as heterogeneity and publication bias.
  • After this course, you will be able to interpret meta-analytic results and present findings in a clear, professional format.
  • After this course, you will be able to apply meta-analytic methods to your own research area and produce a draft report or protocol suitable for publication.

Sessions and preparations

 

Session 1: Introduction to research synthesis and meta-analysis
-    Definition and importance of research synthesis and meta-analysis
-    Historical context and development of meta-analysis
-    Types of research synthesis: narrative, systematic review, and meta-analysis
-    Steps in conducting a meta-analysis
-    Formulating research questions for meta-analysis
-    Introduction to software tools

Session 2: Study selection and data extraction
-    Organize a step-by-step protocol for carrying out a meta-analysis
-    Recap on systematic literature search strategies (this issue is extensively discussed in the course ‘Doing the systematic literature review’)
-    Understanding and handling different types of effect sizes 
-    Coding studies and extracting relevant data to generate reproducible data sets
-    Assessing study quality and risk of bias
-    Dealing with missing data
-    Hands-on exercise: conducting a literature search and data extraction for a given research topic

Session 3: Statistical methods in meta-analysis
-    Use reproducible datasets to combine and analyses.
-    Discuss various techniques to explain differences within and between studies.
-    Understanding the issue of publication bias 
-    Interpreting funnel plots in the context of the research
-    Running basic meta-analyses with retrieved reproducible datasets
-    Hands-on exercise: converting between different effect size measures, explain within- and between-studies differences, calculating summary effect sizes, interpret graphical plots, and choosing appropriate models for economic data

Session 4: Dealing with heterogeneity, bias, and sensitivity analyses
-    Assessing heterogeneity
-    Best practices for visualization and presentation of meta-analysis results
-    Dealing with underlying implied effect accounting for biases and heterogeneities
-    Interpreting and communicating results in a clear and accessible way
-    Sensitivity analysis
-    Writing up a meta-analysis for publication 
-    Discussing limitations and future directions 
-    Hands-on exercise: conducting a multivariate meta-analysis, interpreting and communicate findings

Session 5: Individual or group feedback on final projects
In this session, participants have the opportunity to schedule individual or small group meetings with the instructor to receive personalized feedback on their first draft of a meta-analysis or a specific section of their work. These sessions are designed to offer focused guidance and constructive input, aimed at refining the analysis, improving clarity, and strengthening the overall structure of the meta-analysis. 
Preparation: Submit a short report or protocol (max. 3,000 words) describing the methodology, results, and interpretation of your meta-analysis. The report should be suitable as a draft of a publishable meta-analysis paper or protocol.

Instructor

  • Binyam Afewerk Demena
    Binyam Afewerk Demena holds the Assistant Professor of Development Economics position at the International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, in The Netherlands. He research interests include impact evaluation, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, applied econometrics, international trade, FDI and spillover effects, economic integration, and the formalization of informal enterprises. In addition to his research endeavours, Binyam has substantial experience as a teacher, primarily in Economics, research methodology, and critical assessment of scientific literature. He embraces a “learning by doing” philosophy of teaching, using examples from his own meta-analysis research programmes to guide students through each step of the process. Drawing on real data from his work and other published studies, he helps students understand and apply each component of meta-analysis in a practical context. As the course progresses, he gradually shifts responsibility to the students, encouraging them to undertake an independent project that demonstrates their mastery of the methods. Emphasis is placed throughout on conceptual clarity and hands-on application, using data from diverse disciplines, topics, and published research.
    Email address

Contact

Telephone: +31 (0)10 4082607 (Graduate School).

Facts & Figures

Tax
Not applicable
Start date
Not available yet
Offered by
Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities
Course type
Course
Instruction language
English

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