ArticleCureus2024
Challenges and Concerns in the Utilization of Meta-Analysis Software: Navigating the Landscape of Scientific Synthesis.
Article in Cureus, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Depressive Symptoms and Their Relationship to Interoceptive Awareness: A Systematic Review.Alpha psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Enhancing the quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.BJPsych open · 2025Article
- Sex and Gender Differences Between Experiences of Discrimination and Physical Health: A Systematic Review.Women's health reports (New Rochelle, N.Y.)Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Meta-analysis has emerged as a pivotal tool for synthesizing evidence in scientific research, facilitated by the advent of meta-analysis software. While these tools have significantly streamlined the synthesis process, challenges and concerns persist, impacting the reliability and validity of meta-analytic findings. This editorial addresses key issues in the use of meta-analysis software, including heterogeneity, publication bias, data quality, model dependence, and user competence. As the scientific community increasingly relies on meta-analytic approaches, collaborative efforts are needed to establish standardized reporting guidelines, enhance data quality, and improve transparency. This study highlights the importance of addressing these challenges to ensure the continued evolution of meta-analysis as a robust and informative method for evidence synthesis in scientific research.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.