Evidence Synthesis
Carry Table Footnotes Into an Evidence Extraction
Keep the table as a unit while reading it
Locate the numbered table in the full text and capture its caption, headings, footnotes, and study identifier together. In JATS XML, the table wrapper provides context around the tabular representation. A parser that extracts only cell text can discard qualifiers essential to interpreting the numbers.
Trace each selected cell upward to all applicable column and spanning headers, then left to its row label. Follow superscript markers to their notes. Check whether a note changes the denominator for just one row, defines a subgroup, or states that a displayed value is an adjusted estimate. Save the location and the relevant note in the extraction record.
Verify a hypothetical percentage
A table heading lists 100 participants. A row reports 12 events and a note says that only 80 participants had the measurement. The row percentage is 15%, while using the heading total would give 12%. Record both the enrollment total and the row-specific denominator with distinct labels. This allows another analyst to reproduce the result without inferring the denominator from the percentage.
Compare the XML representation with the rendered table for complex headings or graphic-only tables. If the note cannot be linked unambiguously, retain the cell as provisional and document which interpretation would change the extracted result.
Related worksheet: Extraction discrepancy resolution worksheet.
Source checked on 5 November 2026.