The Life Event Calendar Method in Criminological Research

Abstract

Meta-analysis is a statistical method of synthesizing quantitative results across studies examining a common research question. This chapter discusses the logic and methods of meta-analysis with specific application to the field of criminology and criminal justice. A key feature of meta-analysis is the effect size, which encodes the study findings on a common index, such as the standardized mean difference, correlation coefficient, or odds-ratio. Analysis of these effect sizes considers not only the central tendency of effects across studies but also the relationship of study features to variability in effects. Both fixed- and random-effects models are discussed, as are the important issue of publication selection bias. Meta-analysis applies social science methodology and statistical methods to the task of taking stock of the evidence in an area, providing a robust foundation for future research and theorizing.