meta-analysis

noun

meta-anal·​y·​sis ˌme-tə-ə-ˈna-lə-səs 

: a quantitative statistical analysis of several separate but similar experiments or studies in order to test the pooled data for statistical significance

Examples of meta-analysis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This has been the case for several years, with a number of meta-analyses and evaluations of digital health that used the narrow endpoint definitions traditionally used to evaluate medications. —Omar Manejwala, STAT, 22 May 2024

Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies Clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone’s Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2024

One meta-analysis, conducted before COVID, found remote therapy as effective as face-to-face treatment for many disorders. —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 20 May 2024

The studies included in the meta-analysis were ones containing data on how much energy individual animals were burning at baseline, energy used while carrying eggs or young, and/or offspring energy content. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 16 May 2024

According to the Business Trends report by accountancy firm BDO, based on a meta-analysis of employer surveys, the country has seen 10 straight months of decline in its Employment Index, which measures hiring intent. —Adam Gale, Fortune Europe, 13 May 2024

Among people diagnosed with autism, an international meta-analysis in JAMA Psychiatry found, evidence of the psychological and neurological traits associated with the condition declined by up to eighty per cent between 2000 and 2015. —Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024

One of the largest, a 2023 meta-analysis of 252 classroom programs in 53 countries, found that students who participated performed better academically, displayed better social skills and had lower levels of emotional distress or behavioral problems. —Ellen Barry, New York Times, 6 May 2024

These include database studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses—all through work that can be done entirely online. —Byfrederik Joelving, science.org, 3 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

meta-analysis

noun

meta-anal·​y·​sis ˌmet-ə-ə-ˈnal-ə-səs 

: quantitative statistical analysis that is applied to separate but similar experiments of different and usually independent researchers and that involves pooling the data and using the pooled data to test the effectiveness of the results

the report … on low cholesterol presented a comprehensive meta-analysis of 32 randomized studies involving 42,000 individuals

—Scientific American Medicine Bulletin