Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The term meta-research covers all systematic attempts to critically assess a research field or a research question—especially its theory, methodology and findings based on a transparently recorded sample of primary research articles in pertinent scientific journals. Although there is hardly any tradition of meta-analytic literature reviews in the field of media and telecommunication policy, such analysis is a useful, valuable and feasible research method in order to establish the state of research on a certain subject. It should be seen as an appropriate means to integrate elaborated research projects and to allow a holistic and critical perspective. Therefore, the following contribution aims to suggest a meta-analytic literature review for policy topics on the meso-level by demonstrating strengths and limits of this approach. It starts with an explanation of how to conduct such an analysis, followed by an explanatory example on network neutrality. The contribution concludes with the most vital points emphasizing the pros and cons of a meta-analytic literature review.