Greetings Qamar,

Thank you for your question.

General Surgery is a broad specialty with a plethora of sub-specialties and sub-subspecialties underneath it.

To find a valid meta-analysis idea, I would personally advise you to narrow down your scope to a subspecialty of your interest. Try subscribing to journals & updates falling under this particular specialty and read - as frequently as possible - the most recent publications. Additionally, you may use websites such as "Medscape" to remain up-to-date with the latest advancements in your specialty of choice. This approach may help you identify possible gaps in literature which may be addressed appropriately by conducting a meta-analysis.

When validating your meta-analytic idea, try making sure it follows the FINER criteria [Although ethics might be overlooked when conducting secondary research as the primary studies you're trying to pool have already had their ethical approval].

Hopefully this answers your question!

Best Regards,

Mohamed Ibrahim