1. META-FUN-001 — Meta-Analysis Research Design, Research Questions and Protocol Development

Description:

This Master Prompt would focus on establishing the conceptual, methodological and statistical foundation of a meta-analysis before evidence collection begins. It would guide researchers in defining the research problem, formulating meta-analytic research questions, selecting an appropriate framework such as PICO/PICOS/PECO, defining primary and secondary outcomes, establishing inclusion and exclusion criteria, determining eligible study designs, developing an analysis plan, and preparing or registering a systematic-review protocol.

A major emphasis would be placed on distinguishing systematic review, narrative synthesis and quantitative meta-analysis, and determining whether the available evidence is sufficiently comparable to justify statistical pooling. Protocol registration, PRISMA compliance and prospective specification of analytical decisions would be incorporated to reduce selective methodological decision-making. These practices recur throughout the uploaded literature, including studies using PRISMA, predefined eligibility criteria and PROSPERO registration.