Hi everyone.
I'm conducting a meta-analysis of observational papers and I have nearly 150 eligible papers.
Do you think that such a high number of papers in a forest plot is open to criticism?
I have not found any guidelines in this regard but at the same time I have never found in the literature a forest plot with such a high number of articles.
Thank so much.
Gianfranco
Perhaps use important studies from HI journals but if you want to use 150, it is fine :)
150 seems fine. However it is not about the amount of papers, but the way you present their content (in tables, figures etc.).
If the papers are published in high impact journal, than I think it's enough. Moreover, the data content of the papers also a important factor as well.
It depends on your subject, is it general or not ? and it depends on the quality of the included papers, can you confirm that the 150 papers are from respected journals or not?, if so, then go ahead and do your meta-analysis.
150 papers is fine, bare in mind you do not have to use all of them, but, there are some papers, journals, which do not allow any pares as bibliography. There could be a limit on the number of papers used.
150 papers seems fine, but it also depends on journal reviewers
150 studies will not be fun but is doable. A few years back, I did a systematic review/meta-analysis with 223 studies. Remember that the number of studies in your systematic review/meta-analysis is determined by your research question and study eligibility criteria. You are supposed to include all studies that meet those criteria. You must be able to defend your study eligibility criteria.
Gianfranco Di Gennaro
It depends on the study relevance, how much amount of research has been conducted in the specific domain. Numbers can definitely vary, and it should justify the a to z of the specific area you are referring to. Some studies are novel, and you may find less literature related to them, but it should comprise every specific domain of the study. Then we can say that the meta-analysis aim of a particular study is fulfilled
It would depend on the objective of your review. Are they all relevant to what you want to achieve , look at the outcomes in each study and trim them accordingly. In terms of forest plots you can create based on outcomes
Your sample size seems to be reasonably sufficient if not more than adequate. Now you have to be careful in how you analyse the details and present it in your literature.
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