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When extracting data using tags, it can be helpful for some tags to have a simple text excerpt as associated data, and for some tags to have a table to fill out. But when is it best for a tag to have text contents vs table contents?
Tag Tables can serve as an alternative to our module: Meta-analytical Extraction, since it is much less time-intensive. If you are not performing a network meta-analysis and/or your project doesn't have explicit interventions but you still want to collect quantitative data, then tag tables may be a great option. Especially since this tool has far greater flexibility and customizability than MA Extraction.
A tag table is:
Since tag tables is compatible with Standard and Form-based Tagging modes, they can truly be configured and useful for a variety of use cases including the collection of:
Read our blog on Tag Table Use Cases for more information.
Configuring tags with table contents is compatible with all tagging modes (Standard and Form-based). Once a tag has been created, a table can be configured alongside it. To do so, select the tag, and head to “Contents.” The below examples are for configuring a tag table for collecting data on subgroup populations in Form-based Tagging mode.
Text contents are selected by default, click into the “Content Mode” dropdown and select “Table.” After select Table Contents, you can customize the columns of your table for data extraction. Note: this feature is tag-specific, it only applies to tags where it is toggled on and tables are created from scratch for each tag of choice.
To add columns, type in the column title and click Add. The columns will be added below, and can be reordered, edited or deleted anytime. A preview is also shown for how the table will look in the Tagging module and table columns are autosaved.
Each tag may only have a text or a table contents. You may switch between Text and Table Contents anytime, and the customized columns will be restored when turned back on. When clicking out of the modal, you will see tags with Table Contents on now have a square-shaped tag to differentiate from tags with text content (round tags). Tags with table contents do not affect child tags.
Since this tag table is also configured as a question, the square-shaped tag also contains a “Q.” This tag table would then look as follows in the Tagging module to be filled out from the abstract or full text (note this nest is also configured for Form-based mode):
Below is an example of how data may be filled out:
Columns headers can be altered in Configure Tagging or on the fly during Tagging by clicking the header.
Tag tables can be particularly useful in reducing the size of your tag hierarchy, since large amounts of data will be collected within a single table in a single tag rather than across a range of tags.
Ultimately, if you are looking to extract any type of data into a spreadsheet from underlying studies, you’re far better served to turn a Tag into a Tag Table.
By default, the cells in the configured tables allow input of free text (see above example). While free text allows for flexibility, Table Cell Options enables you to create drop-downs with predetermined options to select from. For example, instead of typing in the interventions repeatedly in the above screenshot, this column could have configured options to choose from.
To do so, navigate to the applicable tag, toggle “Contents” and select the column in which you'd like to configure options for. Toggle on Options and input your custom options. This replaces the open cell with a drop down of only these options. You can have only text input or a dropdown of options, not both.
So in Tagging, the table looks like this instead, displaying the configured options to be chosen from:
Note: an arbitrary number of rows are displayed but when the last row is filled, the table will automatically add additional rows.
Switching options on and off is non-destructive, meaning you can always switch without any data loss.
Configuring Options is not limited to Table Contents and may be configured for Tags with Text Contents. Learn more about configuring text options.
