The Integrative Research Review: A Systematic Approach Sage Publications: Beverly Hills, 1984, 143 pp.

amples of, and less attention to, research syntheses directed solely at the research community. Yet this is not a severe criticism since most of the issues raised in the policy context are equally important in the research context. The book will not stand alone as the only source for serious research reviewers, nor do we assume that this was the intent of the authors. Summing Up supports the conception of the research review as rigorous scientific enterprise. It is not a source book on the details of technical procedures for research reviews. Although it provides an introduction to quantitative methods for research reviews, Summing Up does not provide a detailed exposition of these methods, nor does it deal with more complex model-fitting procedures, such as analogues of ANOVA or multiple regression analysis for effect sizes, random effects modeling to estimate variance components as quantitative measures of between-study variability, or tests of combined significance, and particularly their limitations. A novice would certainly want to consult other sources for a more detailed treatment of the more technical aspects of quantitative methodology. Although Summing Up should be supplemented with more technical details on quantitative methods, every technical book on quantitative methods for research synthesis could be enhanced by using this book as a supplement. Every practitioner of quantitative reviewing should read this book. Appreciation of its lessons could reduce substantially the number of mindless applications of quantitative techniques to research reviews. Summing Up is destined to become a classic in the literature of research synthesis. It is wonderfully clear, down-to-earth, filled with concrete examples and illustrations, and a pleasure to read. It stresses broad conceptual issues that lie at the heart of the problem of accumulating evidence in scientific research. By focusing on these fundamental issues, the authors have ensured that their book will continue to be relevant long after debates about particular technical issues have been forgotten.