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Meta-Analysis

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The Palgrave Handbook of Methods for Media Policy Research

Abstract

The term meta-research covers all systematic attempts to critically assess a research field or a research question—especially its theory, methodology and findings based on a transparently recorded sample of primary research articles in pertinent scientific journals. Although there is hardly any tradition of meta-analytic literature reviews in the field of media and telecommunication policy, such analysis is a useful, valuable and feasible research method in order to establish the state of research on a certain subject. It should be seen as an appropriate means to integrate elaborated research projects and to allow a holistic and critical perspective. Therefore, the following contribution aims to suggest a meta-analytic literature review for policy topics on the meso-level by demonstrating strengths and limits of this approach. It starts with an explanation of how to conduct such an analysis, followed by an explanatory example on network neutrality. The contribution concludes with the most vital points emphasizing the pros and cons of a meta-analytic literature review.

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Further Reading

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  • Cooper, H. (2017). Research synthesis and meta-analysis (5th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Werner A. Meier

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  1. Werner A. Meier
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA

    Hilde Van den Bulck

  2. Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland

    Manuel Puppis

  3. Department of Communication Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Karen Donders

  4. Department of Communication Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Leo Van Audenhove

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Meier, W.A. (2019). Meta-Analysis. In: Van den Bulck, H., Puppis, M., Donders, K., Van Audenhove, L. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Methods for Media Policy Research. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16065-4_6

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