I got a bacterial isolate databank form 7 studies, all from the same laboratory and from the same advisor (low inter-studies heterogenity), and I'm now finishing a paper on it. Is this considered a meta-analysis, a review paper, or an original article? My only criterion for selection papers was if they were from our laboratory, and I lack any meta-analysis tool to scale the data. I do not wish to call my paper something it is not.
Pedro,
I'd be hesitant to call this a meta-analysis. A meta-analysis, traditionally, follows a set of prescribed rules for searching and screening relevant databases and including all similar research. Now, if these studies are the only of its kind, then maybe they do represent the population of studies. But in order to call this a meta-analysis, you must first be reasonably sure that they truly represent the population.
That said, this may very well use meta-analytic synthesis techniques, for instance weighting an outcome by the inverse of the statistic's variance. However, just because you use meta-analytic synthesis techniques does not constitute a true meta-analysis. Therefore, I would probably consider this an original article.
With more information I might be able to guide you further, but I hope that helps.
Josh
Dear Pedro,
You do not need to make the final study a meta-analysis.
Meta-analysis is a method to account for the data we do not completely have in hand statistically. Now you have all the available data in details and all variables. So, make it an original article using SPSS or other statistical softwares.
Ramin
Joshua and Ramin,
Thank you for your reply! I indeed have all raw data available, and those studies do not represent the full population of studies of it's kind - unless I chose to be terribly specific. I will therefore consider it as an original article.
thank you once again!
Pedro
- Badges
- Science method
- Similar topics
- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Statistical Techniques
- Meta-Analysis