Best-practice recommendations for estimating interaction effects using meta-analysis

One of the key advantages of meta-analysis (i.e., a quantitative literature review) over a narrative literature review is that it allows for formal tests of interaction effects-namely, whether the relationship between two variables is contingent upon the value of another (moderator) variable. Interaction effects play a central role in organizational science research because they highlight boundary conditions of a theory: Conditions under which relationships change in strength and/or direction. This article describes procedures for estimating interaction effects using meta-analysis, distills the technical literature for a general readership of organizational science researchers, and includes specific best-practice recommendations regarding actions researchers can take before and after data collection to improve the accuracy of substantive conclusions regarding interaction effects investigated meta-analytically. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.