Topics
This course examines research synthesis and meta-analysis as they are conducted today in the
behavioral and social sciences. Research synthesis employs primary studies as the units of data and
arrives at overall descriptions ofa body ofevidence. In this course, the major topics wiII include:
- common and unique aspects of research questions when conducting primary research and
research synthesis,
- ways to ocate research and how research found through different commun~cation
channels might differ,
- extracting information from research reports and what to do when needed information is
not reported,
- schemes to evaluate the quahty of the studies that go into a research synthesis,
- quantitative techniques for summarizing research findings across studies,
- appropriate interpretation of research synthesis findings, and
- how to prepare reports of research syntheses.