Which of the following is a disadvantage of using meta-analysis?

The chosen response addresses a significant drawback of meta-analysis known as publication bias. Publication bias occurs when studies with positive or significant results are more likely to be published than those with negative or nonsignificant outcomes. This can skew the overall findings in a meta-analysis, leading to an overestimation of effects or drawing misleading conclusions about the efficacy of an intervention or relationship being analyzed.

By relying on published studies, a meta-analysis may not account for a complete set of data, particularly if many studies with null results remain unpublished. As a result, the conclusions derived from the analysis may not accurately reflect the real-world effectiveness of the interventions or phenomena being studied, thus impacting the integrity and utility of the meta-analytic findings.

The other options do not accurately reflect disadvantages inherent to meta-analysis. Instead, meta-analysis is known for its ability to synthesize and aggregate findings from multiple studies, rather than providing detailed analysis of singular studies (which generally falls under systematic reviews). It typically deals with quantitative data rather than qualitative, and it does not require a single source of data to validate findings, as it aims to synthesize results from various studies.