The field of a table consists of cells (ie, the points at which the columns and rows intersect) that contain the information being presented. Cells can contain numerals, text, or symbols,
4 but to avoid confusion authors should not use signs and symbols (eg, “+” or “−”) when the information can easily be put into words (eg, “present” or “absent”).
6 Every cell in the table should contain information. If no information is appropriate for the cell, authors should enter “NA” and define it in the footnote (ie, “not applicable” or “not available”) or enter some kind of mark that indicates the cell is empty (eg, ellipses, dash marks).
Each column should contain like information; authors should avoid mixing data with different units of measure.
3 The content of the column should also be aligned according to convention. For most tables, words should be left aligned and numerals should be aligned at the decimal.
5 If all cells in a column contain the same information, it may be appropriate to delete the column and include the information in a footnote (eg, “all participants were women”).
5
Authors should provide raw data—not just percentages—in tables. If applicable, authors should include a column for summary statistics. Of note, the difference between the means and the confidence interval are more clinically significant than
P values and thus may be more helpful to readers.
3
It is preferable for information in tables to be original. Authors should cite sources for any information that is not original.