Third, conducting a meta-analytic review can help one build a deeper
understanding of a research area and make an important contribution to the literature. In the future,
the accumulation of knowledge surely will continue to accelerate, fuelling the need to synthesise
and make sense of research relevant to interventions for addictions and other conditions. Indeed,
the increasing emphasis on evidence-based interventions means that clinicians, policy makers and
researchers will be ever more reliant on the guidance of those who can synthesise complex literatures
using meta-analytic skills.