CRA Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis 3

Question 1

In meta-analysis, the trim-and-fill method is used to:

Accepted Answer

Impute missing effect sizes from unpublished studies to correct for publication bias

Answer

The trim-and-fill method estimates and imputes potentially missing studies to produce an adjusted pooled effect corrected for funnel plot asymmetry.

Question 2

A systematic review searching only MEDLINE and PubMed without grey literature is most at risk for which bias?

Accepted Answer

Publication bias

Answer

Restricting searches to major indexed databases omits unpublished or informally published studies, which tend to show null results, inflating apparent effect sizes.

Question 3

Which effect size measure is most commonly used to pool continuous outcomes across studies in a meta-analysis?

Accepted Answer

Standardized mean difference (SMD)

Answer

The SMD (e.g., Cohen's d, Hedges' g) enables pooling of continuous outcomes measured on different scales across studies.

Question 4

GRADE methodology in systematic reviews evaluates certainty of evidence across how many domains that can downgrade quality?

Accepted Answer

5

Answer

GRADE uses five downgrading domains: risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, and publication bias.

Question 5

A Galbraith plot in meta-analysis is an alternative diagnostic tool used to visualize:

Accepted Answer

Heterogeneity and potential outlier studies

Answer

The Galbraith (radial) plot plots standardized effect estimates against their precision, helping identify studies contributing to heterogeneity.

(CRA) Certified Research Associate Practice Test

(CRA) Certified Research Associate Practice Test

CRA Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis 3