Abstract
Meta-narrative review is one of an emerging menu of new approaches to qualitative and mixed-method systematic review. A meta-narrative review seeks to illuminate a heterogeneous topic area by highlighting the contrasting and complementary ways researchers have studied the same or a similar topic. No previous publication standards exist for the reporting of meta-narrative reviews. This publication standard was developed as part of the RAMESES (Realist And MEta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards) project. The project's aim is to produce preliminary publication standards for meta-narrative reviews. A mixed method study synthesising data between 2011 to 2012 from a literature review, online Delphi panel and feedback from training, workshops and email list. We: (a) collated and summarized existing literature on the principles of good practice in meta-narrative reviews; (b) considered the extent to which these principles had been followed by published reviews, thereby identifying how rigor may be lost and how existing methods could be improved; (c) used a three-round online Delphi method with an interdisciplinary panel of national and international experts in evidence synthesis, meta-narrative reviews, policy, and/or publishing to produce and iteratively refine a draft set of methodological steps, and publication standards; (d) provided real-time support to ongoing meta-narrative reviews and the open-access RAMESES online discussion list so as to capture problems and questions as they arose; and (e) synthesized expert input, evidence review, and real-time problem analysis into a definitive set of standards. We identified nine published meta-narrative reviews, provided real-time support to four ongoing reviews, and captured questions raised in the RAMESES discussion list. Through analysis and discussion within the project team, we summarized the published literature, and common questions and challenges into briefing materials for the Delphi panel, comprising 33 members. Within three rounds this panel had reached consensus on 20 key publication standards, with an overall response rate of 90%. This project used multiple sources to draw together evidence and expertise in meta-narrative reviews. For each item we have included an explanation for why it is important and guidance on how it might be reported. Meta-narrative review is a relatively new method for evidence synthesis and as experience and methodological developments occur, we anticipate that these standards will evolve to reflect further theoretical and methodological developments. We hope that these standards will act as a resource that will contribute to improving the reporting of meta-narrative reviews.
Highlights
Explain why the review is needed and what it is likely to contribute to existing understanding of the topic area
If we were to summarize this topic area in a way that was faithful to what each different group set out to do, we would have to start by asking how each of them approached the topic, what aspect of ‘dams in India’ they chose to study and how
We have developed these publication standards for meta-narrative review by drawing together a range of sources - namely existing published evidence, a Delphi panel and comment, discussion and feedback from a mailing list, training sessions and workshops
Summary
Explain why the review is needed and what it is likely to contribute to existing understanding of the topic area. A number of relatively new approaches are available to those seeking to undertake ‘mixed method’ literature reviews that combine qualitative and quantitative evidence, explore the nature and impact of complex interventions, and identify the mechanisms by which programs achieve their goals (or why they fail to do so) [1,2,3] These approaches seek to address the questions ‘what works?’ and ‘what is the effect size?’ but to illuminate and clarify a complex topic area and highlight the strengths and limitations of different research approaches to that topic [4]. When we had begun to understand the different perspectives, we could summarize them in an over-arching narrative, highlighting what the different research teams might learn from one another’s approaches
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