A meta-analysis is a statistical technique that combines the results of multiple studies to identify overall trends and effects. By pooling data from various research projects, it provides a more comprehensive understanding of a specific topic, such as the effectiveness of a treatment or intervention. This approach helps to increase the reliability of findings and can reveal patterns that individual studies may not show. Researchers conduct meta-analyses to address questions in fields like medicine, psychology, and education. They follow systematic methods to select studies, assess their quality, and analyze the combined data. This process helps to inform evidence-based practices and guide future research.