Description of the meta-analyses included in this report
| Variable | Number (%) |
|---|---|
| Country of the first author | |
| USA/Canada | 85 (37.8) |
| United Kingdom | 53 (23.6) |
| Other countries of the European Union | 69 (30.7) |
| Other countries | 18 (8.0) |
| Type of journal of publication | |
| Cardiology | 66 (29.3) |
| Other specialties | 43 (19.1) |
| Medicine in general | 52 (23.1) |
| Epidemiology/public health | 12 (5.3) |
| Cochrane Library | 52 (23.1) |
| Impact factor (Science Citation Reports) | |
| <British Medical Journal | 171 (76.0) |
| ≥British Medical Journal | 54 (24.0) |
| Epidemiologist among the authors | |
| Yes | 83 (36.9) |
| No | 142 (63.1) |
| Statistician among the authors | |
| Yes | 30 (13.3) |
| No | 195 (86.7) |
| Number of primary studies included in meta-analysis | |
| 0–5 | 61 (27.1) |
| 6–7 | 49 (21.8) |
| 8–10 | 42 (18.7) |
| >10 | 73 (32.4) |