These videos, originally part of the Cochrane Learning Live webinar series, are aimed at review authors and editors, and are about improving transparent reporting of synthesis without meta-analysis of effect sizes.

In these videos, the presenters give an overview of current use of, and reasons for using narrative approaches to synthesis. They describe use of the term “narrative synthesis” and common issues in narrative synthesis including transparency in reporting and ambiguity about narrative synthesis as a method. They also provide an overview of how transparency can be improved and finish by introducing the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) reporting guideline, which is the focus of the second webinar. The work presented is from the ICONS-Quant (Improving the Conduct and reporting of Narrative Synthesis of Quantitative data) project which is funded by the Cochrane Strategic Methods Fund (May 2017-May 2019).

The webinar was delivered in February 2020 and below you will find the videos from the webinar, together with accompanying slides to download [PDF].

Part 1: Definition and use of ‘narrative synthesis’
Part 2: Reasons for using ‘narrative synthesis’
Part 3: Common issues in ‘narrative synthesis’
Part 4: Improving transparency in synthesis without meta-analysis; moving from ‘narrative synthesis’ to SWiM
Part 5: Questions and answers

Presenter Bios

Dr Hilary Thomson, co-ordinating editor of Cochrane Public Health, Senior Research Fellow, University of Glasgow. Hilary Thomson has extensive experience in conducting large complex reviews of questions about the health impacts of social policy interventions such as housing, transport, and welfare. Her work focusses on ways to improve the reliability and utility of systematic reviews that address public health policy relevant questions.

Mhairi Campbell, Systematic Reviewer, University of Glasgow. Mhairi Campbell has broad experience of conducting complex systematic reviews, including: qualitative evidence of policy interventions, review of theories linking income and health, and research investigating the reporting of narrative synthesis methods of quantitative data in public health systematic reviews.