A comparison of 20 heterogeneity variance estimators in statistical synthesis of results from studies: a simulation study

When we synthesize research findings via meta‐analysis, it is common to assume that the true underlying effect differs across studies. Total variability consists of the within‐study and between‐study variances (heterogeneity). There have been established measures, such as I 2 , to quantify the proportion of the total variation attributed to heterogeneity. There is a plethora of estimation methods available for estimating heterogeneity. The...