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Accepted manuscript

Re-evaluating Heterogeneity in Evidence Synthesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2025

Alkistis Elliott-Graves*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Bielefeld University, 33165 Bielefeld, Germany
*
*Corresponding author: a.elliott-graves@uni-bielefeld.de
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Abstract

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Evidence Synthesis has seen an enormous increase recently, across many different scientific disciplines. Despite its popularity, it has also been the subject of significant criticism. One of the main critiques of evidence synthesis, is the existence and treatment of heterogeneity between primary studies. The aim of this paper is to re-examine heterogeneity in evidence synthesis, including perspectives from evolutionary biology, ecology and conservation. I argue that while some of the critiques of heterogeneity remain valid, there are contexts where it is much less problematic. Furthermore, I propose that heterogeneity can be useful, as analysing it can provide valuable information.

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Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Philosophy of Science Association