Table 1.

Systematic review inclusion and exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria	Inclusion criteria
1. Does not report on methodological issuesa in conducting meta-ethnography AND 2. is not a reporting guideline/ providing guidance on reporting meta-ethnography	1. Reports on methodological issuesa in conducting meta-ethnography OR 2. Is a reporting guideline for or provides guidance on reporting qualitative syntheses including meta-ethnography
3. Published before 1988 (date of the publication of the original meta-ethnography text by Noblit and Hare)	3. Published after 1988
4. Theses below PhD level	4. Book, book chapter, journal article/ editorial, report or PhD thesis
	5. Any language
	6. Any discipline or topic (not just health related)

^a‘Methodological issues’ included all aspects of the meta-ethnography approach including: the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings; research design and the research practices and procedures including conveying findings and developing theory; also included, providing advice on initially choosing meta-ethnography as suitable for one’s research aim, defining the characteristics of a meta-ethnography, comparing qualitative synthesis methodologies including meta-ethnography as one of those compared, and/or describing in detail any other methodological aspect of meta-ethnography