Thread by @DrJoannaT

We are exploring evidence synthesis this morning and questioning their assumptions, led by @margaret_bea in her @DeakinREDI #CARSymposium keynote

@margaret_bea @DeakinREDI There are many types of reviews - systematic, meta-analysis, scoping, integrative, realist synthesis, meta-ethnography, meta-narrative review... #CARSymposium

We go from literature review - a broad term, towards evidence synthesis - which implies data, and interpretive work ... and @margaret_bea declares it research in its own right: it's not "just" a literature review. Evidence synthesis has significant impact in clinical fields

@margaret_bea There's some rhetoric circulating around how health uses evidence - and how education should use similar approaches. But this assumes evidence is uncomplicated and easy to synthesise! #CARSymposium

@margaret_bea Margaret now asks - what does systematic mean to you? Search terms, similar data, being comprehensive in your overview, need to ensure all data has same underlying meaning.. in health, it is a specific process #CARSymposium

@margaret_bea The Cochrane Collaboration holds all the meta-analyses: cochranelibrary.com helps us to understand across studies what are the true effects. #CARSymposium

Margaret gives an example of a systematic review - one she did herself on empathy and simulation: insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=01…

However, she contends that the 'interventions', study arms, and outcome measures were all different so meta-analysis was not possible. #CARSymposium

If you're going to do a meta-analysis, oranges really need to be compared to oranges. Don't mush together things that are very different!

Reference to Maclure 2005 who criticises systematic review: "Clarity bordering on stupidity" tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…

Now we move to realist review - it draws from systematic review, but rejects the notion that context doesn't count. Asks what works, for whom, and in which situations. Pawson is the person who came up with it - from realist evaluation. #CARSymposium

Margaret's example for a realist synthesis is the realist review of feedback on open-ended tasks in uni classrooms, led by @r_ajjawi. The ontic assumption - post-positivist, epistemic assumption is that we can describe what happens through mid-range theories
#CARSymposium

There are also assumptions of causality - but this comes through unpacking and interpretation. It might bridge the divide between qual and quant, but might also be accepted by neither. #CARSymposium

Another paper cited on methods for qualitative synthesis Barnett-Page & Thomas bmcmedresmethodol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11…
#CARSymposium

Margaret asks: how can you untangle the data from its context in a qualitative synthesis? How do you interpret something which has already been interpreted? #CARSymposium

Finally - it is very easy to be caught up in the mechanics of the literature review. Authorial interpretation and judgement are critical to review quality - it needs to contribute to meaning. #CARSymposium