PRC Literature Review & Synthesis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A funnel plot asymmetry in a meta-analysis most commonly suggests the presence of:
- Heterogeneity among studies
- Publication bias (Correct answer)
- Measurement error
- Sampling bias
Correct answer: Publication bias
Asymmetry in a funnel plot, where smaller studies cluster unevenly, is often interpreted as evidence of publication bias.
Question 2: When conducting a literature review, 'grey literature' refers to:
- Older, outdated publications
- Research produced outside traditional publishing channels (Correct answer)
- Unpeer-reviewed opinion articles
- Studies with inconclusive results
Correct answer: Research produced outside traditional publishing channels
Grey literature includes reports, theses, conference papers, and government documents produced outside commercial peer-reviewed publishing.
Question 3: The I² statistic in a meta-analysis quantifies:
- The overall effect size
- The percentage of variation due to heterogeneity (Correct answer)
- The number of studies included
- The risk of bias across studies
Correct answer: The percentage of variation due to heterogeneity
I² measures the proportion of total variation in study estimates that is attributable to heterogeneity rather than sampling error.
Question 4: In a literature review, 'citation chasing' or 'snowballing' involves:
- Using automated citation management software
- Following references of retrieved articles to find additional sources (Correct answer)
- Counting how many times an article has been cited
- Removing duplicate citations from a reference list
Correct answer: Following references of retrieved articles to find additional sources
Snowballing involves examining the reference lists of retrieved studies and the articles that have cited them to identify additional relevant sources.
Question 5: Which approach to synthesis preserves the original language and concepts from primary qualitative studies rather than translating them into a new framework?
- Meta-ethnography (Correct answer)
- Grounded theory synthesis
- Framework synthesis
- Thematic synthesis
Correct answer: Meta-ethnography
Meta-ethnography, developed by Noblit and Hare, synthesizes qualitative studies by translating concepts between studies while preserving their original meaning.
Question 6: A researcher is conducting a rapid review to inform a policy decision. Compared to a systematic review, this approach is characterized by:
- Greater comprehensiveness and more rigorous bias assessment
- Streamlined methods that trade completeness for speed (Correct answer)
- Inclusion of only randomized controlled trials
- Use of meta-analysis to pool all study findings
Correct answer: Streamlined methods that trade completeness for speed
Rapid reviews deliberately streamline systematic review methods—such as limiting search scope or single-reviewer screening—to deliver evidence faster at the cost of some rigor.
Question 7: Inter-rater reliability in the context of literature review screening refers to:
- Agreement between the reviewer and the study authors
- Consistency between two or more independent reviewers making screening decisions (Correct answer)
- The reliability of the search databases used
- The consistency of results across included studies
Correct answer: Consistency between two or more independent reviewers making screening decisions
Inter-rater reliability measures the degree of agreement between independent reviewers when deciding whether to include or exclude studies, often reported as Cohen's kappa.
PRC Literature Review & Synthesis 3
A funnel plot asymmetry in a meta-analysis most commonly suggests the presence of: