Coope Harris M. Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis: A Step-by-Step Approach

5th Ed. — SAGE Publications, Inc, 2016. — 278 p. — (Applied Social Research Methods). — ISBN: 1483331156. — ISBN: 978-1483331157.This book serves as an introductory methods text on how to conduct a research synthesis of literature in the social, behavioural, or the medical sciences. Harris Cooper applies the basic tenets of sound data-gathering to the task of producing a comprehensive assessment of past research.
In this book, the process of research synthesis is conceptualized as five stages: problem formulation;
data collection or the literature search;
data evaluation;
analysis and interpretation; and
presentation of results. Cooper leads the reader through the comprehensive synthesis via a five- stage, step-by-step process.
In the fifth edition, chapter 4 on conducting a literature search has been extensively revised to include recent developments brought about by the increasing use of the internet for scientific communication. Other new developments in the techniques for meta-analysis are covered in chapter 6, including new statistics for describing meta-analytic results and combining complex data structure. These new statistics are introduced but briefly because more in-depth treatment they would require more advanced knowledge that is not appropriate for this book. This new edition reflects careful revisions throughout along with a thorough updating of the references.
Readers who are engaged in writing a research report, dissertation, or book will find Cooper's tips a welcome aid for doing more effective and more efficient literature review.