Meta-analysis:integrating accumulated knowledge

Abstract

Building a foundation of marketing theory requires developing effective ways to aggregate research results. Meta-analyses that accumulate knowledge within a research domain is an important means for summarizing research findings and increasingly is being conducted in various substantive marketing domains. Moderator analysis and structural models using meta-analytic inputs have emerged as a powerful means to advance current knowledge in a research domain, and, importantly, identify fruitful areas for future inquiry. This article reviews the growth of meta-analysis in marketing and identifies several important issues researchers must consider when conducting and reporting a meta-analysis.</p