Which of the following are the stages of meta analysis A. Understand the literature B. Conduct new studies to fill the gap C. Develop inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study D. Locating primary studies E. Identify secondary data Choose the correct answer from the options given below :?

Option 3 : A, C and D only

Meta-analysis is the statistical analysis of data from independent primary studies focused on the same subject. 

• Meta-analytic approaches objectively appraise and synthesize outcomes across studies to determine statistical significance and relevance.
• Stage of meta-analysis: 
  • Formulate the research question.
  • Identify or Understand relevant literature. 
  • Extract and consolidate study-level data. 
  • Locating primary studies
  • Data appraisal and preparation.
  • Synthesize study-level data into a summary measure. 
  • Exploratory analyses. 
  • Knowledge synthesis. 

​Therefore, A, C, and D are the correct options. 

• It tries to give a quantitative assessment of the examined phenomenon, such as the effectiveness of an intervention. 
• Narrative reviews are common in basic research, and attempts to examine past material in such a rigorous and quantitative manner are rare.