The differences between meta-analysis and meta-study: part I.

A s mentioned in the previous issue, the prefix meta comes from the Greek meaning to Btranscend,^ among other things. Meta-study, the focus of this article, has its roots in the social sciences and developed during a time when scientists were looking for an approach to analyze complex concepts from a variety of different perspectives. Meta-dataYanalysis refers to the strategy used to reanalyze the data in the aggregate. Both concepts are relatively new to the qualitative research environment. The process for developing meta-studies is time intensive because the researchers revisit previously completed work about a specific phenomenon and summarize the studies to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. Thus, a new study that transcends the primary research evolves. The purpose of this article, the second of 2 parts, is to provide an overview of the process of conducting a meta-study and meta-dataYanalysis.