Statistical methodologists have sometimes criticized the use of conventional statistics in meta-analysis, and in recent years a number of them have advocated the use of a special new statistical methodology for research synthesis. An examination of recent books describing this methodology shows that it is seriously limited in its applicability to social science research findings. The new methodology produces interpretable meta-analytic results only in exceptional circumstances (e.g., when each study in a collection uses the same unblocked, posttest-only experimental design). The new statistical methodology for meta-analysis has produced uninterpretable results when applied to typical collections of social science studies with varied experimental designs. (Author)