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journal article Aug 04, 2010

Debunking Myths and Urban Legends About Meta-Analysis

Herman Aguinis ORCID Charles A. Pierce Frank A. Bosco Dan R. Dalton Catherine M. Dalton
Organizational Research Methods Vol. 14 No. 2 pp. 306-331 · SAGE Publications
View at Publisher Save 10.1177/1094428110375720
Abstract
Meta-analysis is the dominant approach to research synthesis in the organizational sciences. We discuss seven meta-analytic practices, misconceptions, claims, and assumptions that have reached the status of myths and urban legends (MULs). These seven MULs include issues related to data collection (e.g., consequences of choices made in the process of gathering primary-level studies to be included in a meta-analysis), data analysis (e.g., effects of meta-analytic choices and technical refinements on substantive conclusions and recommendations for practice), and the interpretation of results (e.g., meta-analytic inferences about causal relationships). We provide a critical analysis of each of these seven MULs, including a discussion of why each merits being classified as an MUL, their kernels of truth value, and what part of each MUL represents misunderstanding. As a consequence of discussing each of these seven MULs, we offer best-practice recommendations regarding how to conduct meta-analytic reviews.
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Metrics
200
Citations
142
References
Details
Published
Aug 04, 2010
Vol/Issue
14(2)
Pages
306-331
License
View
Authors
H
Herman Aguinis

Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA,

C
Charles A. Pierce

Department of Management, Fogelman College of Business & Economics, University of Memphis, TN, USA

F
Frank A. Bosco

Department of Management, Fogelman College of Business & Economics, University of Memphis, TN, USA

D
Dan R. Dalton

Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA

C
Catherine M. Dalton

Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA

Cite This Article
Herman Aguinis, Charles A. Pierce, Frank A. Bosco, et al. (2010). Debunking Myths and Urban Legends About Meta-Analysis. Organizational Research Methods, 14(2), 306-331. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428110375720
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