what is the definiton of meta analysis

is a statistical procedure by which the results of many studies are combined to estimate the magnitude if a particular effect.

So basically it procedure for estimating the magnitude of experimental effects reported by published studies

Although Sairas answer is correct, I searched Google under the key words "meta analysis" to get these possible sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-analysis
http://wilderdom.com/research/meta-analysis.html
http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/lecture/lec1171/003.htm
http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Meta-analysis
http://www.JerryDallal.com/LHSP/meta.htm

In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search. Also see http://hanlib.sou.edu/searchtools/.

This may be more information than you wanted, but I hope it helps a little more. Thanks for asking.

Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that combines the results of multiple scientific studies to provide an overall summary and draw conclusions on a particular research question or topic. It involves systematically reviewing and analyzing data from various sources, such as published research papers or clinical trials, and quantitatively synthesizing the findings to generate more reliable and robust results than those obtained from individual studies.

To understand the definition of meta-analysis, you can follow these steps:

1. Identify the term: Meta-analysis.
2. Break down the term: "Meta" means "beyond" or "transcending," and "analysis" refers to the systematic examination and interpretation of data. So, the combination of these words suggests an analysis that goes beyond individual studies.
3. Put it together: Meta-analysis, therefore, refers to a statistical method that goes beyond individual studies by combining and analyzing data from multiple sources to draw more comprehensive conclusions.

By following these steps, you can gain a clearer understanding of the term "meta-analysis."