The ‘Characteristics of included studies’ table has five entries for each study: Methods, Data, Comparisons, Outcomes and Notes. Up to three further entries may be specified for items not conveniently covered by these categories, for example, to provide information on length of follow-up, funding source, or indications of study quality that are unlikely to lead directly to a risk of bias.
Codes or abbreviations may be used in the table to enable clear and succinct presentation of multiple pieces of information within an entry. Footnotes should be used to explain any codes or abbreviations used (these will be published in the CDSR).