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5029251 
Book/Book Chapter 
Chapter 19: Meta-analysis of results from multisite studies 
Gurevitch, J 
2013 
Princeton University Press 
Princeton, NJ 
Handbook of Meta-analysis in Ecology and Evolution 
English 
is part of a larger document 5029185 Handbook of Meta-analysis in Ecology and Evolution
Research synthesis in ecology has typically been based on literature reviews, as is also common in other fields. That is, a search is conducted for relevant data addressing a particular research question, the utility of published and unpublished data is assessed, and the results are synthesized to address questions based on all of the available evidence. This chapter discusses the case of individual researchers who wish to combine the results of distinct experiments that they have conducted themselves or within a single research group, sometimes over the course of many years. Such efforts have many similarities with literature-based quantitative research synthesis, but differ in some important ways. It begins with several examples of such work, and investigates the challenges, potential pitfalls, advantages, and issues involved in using meta-analysis for the synthesis of such large-group collaborative experimental work.