Abstract
Quantitative literature reviews such as meta-analysis are becoming common in evolutionary biology but may be strongly affected by publication biases. Using fail-safe numbers is a quick way to estimate whether publication bias is likely to be a problem for a specific study. However, previously suggested fail-safe calculations are unweighted and are not based on the framework in which most meta-analyses are performed. A general, weighted fail-safe calculation, grounded in the meta-analysis framework, applicable to both fixed- and random-effects models, is proposed. Recent meta-analyses published in Evolution are used for illustration.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 464-468 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Evolution |
Volume | 59 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2005 |
Keywords
- Fail-safe numbers
- File drawer problem
- Meta-analysis
- Publication bias
- Statistical methods
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Genetics
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences