Best examples of meta-analysis literature review examples (with 2024 updates)

Real examples of meta-analysis literature review examples you can model

When students ask for examples of meta-analysis literature review examples, they’re usually looking for two things at once:

• A published article that uses meta-analysis
• A written literature review that explains and situates that meta-analysis

Below are several widely cited and recent meta-analyses that double as strong literature review models. I’ll flag the moves they make in the introduction and discussion sections, because that’s exactly what you want to imitate.

1. Exercise and depression: A classic health sciences example

One of the most cited examples of meta-analysis literature review examples in mental health is the line of work summarizing how exercise affects depression symptoms. A recent update is Schuch et al. (2023), which builds on earlier meta-analyses to estimate how aerobic and resistance training compare to standard treatments.

Why it’s a strong example of a meta-analysis literature review:

• The introduction does not just say “exercise is good.” It walks the reader through prior narrative reviews, early small trials, and mixed findings.
• It clearly states the problem: individual trials are underpowered, and results vary by age group, setting, and exercise type.
• The authors explain why a meta-analysis is needed now (more trials, better measurement, improved reporting).

If you’re writing your own review, pay attention to how they move from background to gap to purpose. That sequence is visible in nearly all the best examples.

You can see similar structure in health-focused meta-analyses summarized by the National Institutes of Health: https://www.nih.gov

2. Mask use and respiratory infections: A pandemic-era example

During COVID-19, meta-analyses exploded in number. One widely discussed example of meta-analysis literature review is the evidence synthesis on mask use and respiratory virus transmission, often cited in public health guidance.

Good models come from teams that:

• Survey pre-COVID randomized trials on masks and influenza-like illness
• Add COVID-era observational and randomized data
• Explicitly discuss heterogeneity: different settings (schools, hospitals, community), different mask types, and compliance issues

The literature review sections in these papers do more than summarize; they explain why findings conflicted over time and how design differences affected results. That interpretive work is what separates a high-quality meta-analysis literature review from a data dump.

For public-facing summaries and links to underlying research, the CDC is a useful starting point: https://www.cdc.gov

3. Online learning vs. face-to-face instruction: Education example

In education research, one of the clearest examples of meta-analysis literature review examples comes from studies comparing online and traditional classroom instruction.

Recent meta-analyses (2022–2024) typically:

• Start by reviewing early 2000s studies that claimed “no significant difference” between online and in-person learning
• Note the shift to more sophisticated designs, better learning analytics, and large-scale randomized or quasi-experimental studies
• Highlight gaps: for instance, underrepresentation of K–12, low-income students, or STEM-heavy courses

The literature review usually narrows from the huge universe of “e-learning” down to specific modes (fully online vs. blended), specific outcomes (exam performance, course completion), and specific learner groups.

If you’re writing in education, skim meta-analyses summarized by Harvard Graduate School of Education and related centers, which often link to full articles: https://www.gse.harvard.edu

4. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety: Psychology example

Psychology is packed with real examples of meta-analysis literature review examples, especially around psychotherapy effectiveness. CBT for anxiety disorders is a textbook case.

A well-structured CBT meta-analysis literature review typically:

• Opens with epidemiological data: prevalence of anxiety disorders and impact on quality of life
• Reviews earlier narrative and quantitative reviews, noting that older work lumped together very different diagnoses
• Identifies the gap: newer, disorder-specific trials (e.g., social anxiety vs. generalized anxiety) justify a fresh meta-analysis
• Justifies methodological choices, such as including only randomized controlled trials and specifying outcome measures

The best examples include a short, readable explanation of effect sizes (e.g., standardized mean differences) right in the literature review or methods section, so non-statisticians can follow along.

For accessible explanations of mental health evidence and links to meta-analyses, Mayo Clinic is reliable: https://www.mayoclinic.org

5. Homework and academic achievement: K–12 education example

If you’re working on a thesis in education, the homework–achievement debate offers an excellent example of meta-analysis literature review.

Classic and updated meta-analyses in this area tend to:

• Start with the policy controversy: how much homework is too much?
• Summarize decades of mixed findings, including early small-sample studies and more recent large-scale datasets
• Break down the problem by grade level (elementary vs. high school), subject (math vs. reading), and homework type (practice vs. projects)

The literature review usually walks the reader chronologically through how the debate has evolved, then pivots to methodological concerns: measurement of homework time, self-report bias, and socioeconomic status as a confounder.

This sort of example shows how a meta-analysis literature review can balance policy relevance with technical detail, without losing the reader.

6. Minimum wage and employment: Economics and social policy example

Meta-analyses are not just for medicine and psychology. Labor economics offers strong examples of meta-analysis literature review examples, especially in the minimum wage–employment debate.

Recent meta-analyses typically:

• Review the historical arc: from early time-series studies to modern quasi-experimental designs
• Explain why narrative reviews produced polarized interpretations
• Systematically code study features: time period, country, sector (fast food, retail), and identification strategy

The literature review sections in these articles often read like a guided tour of the field: they explain how methods evolved, why certain early studies were influential, and how newer data challenge or refine longstanding claims.

For policy-related syntheses and links to underlying studies, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Congressional Research Service reports can be helpful entry points: https://www.bls.gov

7. Screen time and child development: A fast-moving 2024 topic

From 2022 to 2024, meta-analyses on screen time and child outcomes have multiplied, giving you fresh real examples of meta-analysis literature review examples in a rapidly changing field.

Strong recent studies tend to:

• Distinguish between passive screen time (TV, scrolling) and interactive use (educational apps, video calls)
• Review earlier alarmist and overly optimistic claims, then contrast them with newer, more nuanced evidence
• Emphasize context: parental involvement, socioeconomic status, and baseline developmental conditions

Their literature reviews are good models for how to handle a messy, public-facing topic where the media often oversimplifies. Notice how they acknowledge uncertainty and mixed findings while still drawing cautious, evidence-based conclusions.

For broader context on child development research, NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) provides accessible summaries and links: https://www.nichd.nih.gov

How these examples structure a meta-analysis literature review

Looking across these examples of meta-analysis literature review examples, you can see a fairly consistent structure emerge. If you’re writing your own, you can borrow this outline and adapt it.

Framing the problem and gap

Strong meta-analysis literature reviews:

• Open with the real-world problem or debate (e.g., depression treatment gaps, online learning outcomes, minimum wage effects)
• Summarize what earlier reviews or key primary studies have found, highlighting inconsistencies
• Identify a specific gap that justifies the new meta-analysis: more recent trials, under-studied populations, better methods, or new outcomes

Notice that the gap is narrow. “No one has ever studied this” is rarely accurate. Instead, the best examples say something like: “Prior reviews focused on adults in high-income countries; recent trials in adolescents justify a new synthesis.”

Defining inclusion criteria in the literature review

Another pattern in the best examples of meta-analysis literature review examples is that inclusion and exclusion criteria are not dumped only in the methods section. They’re often previewed in the literature review itself.

Writers will:

• Explain why they focus on randomized controlled trials vs. observational studies
• Justify age ranges, time windows, or geographic regions
• Clarify why certain outcomes (e.g., standardized test scores) are prioritized over others (e.g., self-reported satisfaction)

This makes the later PRISMA flowchart and methods details feel motivated, not arbitrary.

Explaining key concepts for non-specialists

The best examples remember that not every reader is a statistician. In the literature review or early methods section, they briefly explain:

• What an effect size is and why it matters
• Why studies need to be comparable to be pooled
• How heterogeneity is handled and why it can change the interpretation

You do not need to turn your literature review into a statistics textbook, but a few sentences of plain-language explanation—like you see in top-tier health and psychology meta-analyses—go a long way.

How to use these examples when writing your own review

If you’re not just reading but actively writing, here’s how to turn these examples of meta-analysis literature review examples into practical guidance.

Treat each example as a template, not a script

Pick one or two meta-analyses close to your topic area. Then, instead of copying phrases, reverse-engineer their moves:

• How do they transition from broad background to specific research question?
• Where do they introduce their inclusion criteria?
• How do they summarize conflicting findings without getting lost in detail?

Outline their introduction in bullet points, then create a parallel outline for your own topic.

Borrow language patterns, not content

Meta-analysis literature reviews often reuse certain sentence patterns because they work. You’ll see lines like:

• “Previous studies have yielded mixed findings regarding…”
• “Earlier reviews were limited by…”
• “Since the publication of the last meta-analysis, several large trials have been conducted…”

You can safely adapt these patterns to your own work. This is not about copying; it’s about adopting the genre’s standard ways of signaling gaps and justifying new analyses.

Align your methods section with your literature review

In the best examples, the literature review and methods sections feel like two halves of the same argument. The review explains why certain choices matter; the methods explain how those choices were implemented.

For instance, if your literature review stresses that earlier studies ignored low-income populations, your methods should clearly describe how you included or excluded such studies and how you plan to analyze subgroup effects.

Frequently asked questions about meta-analysis literature review examples

Where can I find free full-text examples of meta-analysis literature review examples?

Look for journals that are open access or that allow free reading after an embargo period. PubMed’s “Free full text” filter is useful for health and psychology topics. Many education and social science journals also offer open access special issues. University repositories often host accepted versions of articles even when the final journal PDF is paywalled.

What’s a good example of a student-level meta-analysis literature review?

Many graduate theses and dissertations now include meta-analytic components. Search your university’s digital repository using terms like “meta-analysis” plus your topic (for example, “meta-analysis homework achievement”). These can be great examples of how to scale the method to a master’s or doctoral project, with more explanation and scaffolding than you’ll see in short journal articles.

How detailed should the literature review be in a meta-analysis paper?

Look at the best examples: they are selective rather than encyclopedic. The literature review is detailed enough to explain the evolution of the field, the main debates, and the rationale for your inclusion criteria. It does not summarize every single study one by one. Instead, it groups studies by method, time period, population, or outcome and focuses on patterns.

Can I write a narrative literature review and then add a meta-analysis later?

Yes, but you should write the narrative review with meta-analysis in mind. The strongest examples of meta-analysis literature review examples are clearly aligned with the quantitative synthesis: the way the literature is grouped and the way the question is framed match the planned analyses. If you bolt on a meta-analysis at the end without that alignment, the paper will feel disjointed.

Are there discipline-specific differences in how meta-analysis literature reviews are written?

Definitely. Health and psychology papers often follow reporting standards like PRISMA and are very explicit about search strategies and bias assessment. Education and social sciences sometimes allow more narrative space for theory and policy context. That said, the core moves you see in the best examples—problem framing, gap identification, clear criteria, and alignment between review and methods—are shared across fields.

By studying these real examples of meta-analysis literature review examples and paying attention to how they frame questions, organize prior work, and justify methodological choices, you can design a literature review that not only summarizes the field but also sets up a persuasive, publishable meta-analysis.