Three-Line Table Guide (Typst)

This guide defines the standard for professional academic tables using the "three-line" convention in Typst documents.

Three-Line Table Standard

A three-line table has exactly three horizontal rules and no vertical lines:

1. Top rule: above column headers
2. Mid rule: below column headers, above data rows
3. Bottom rule: below the last data row

Typst Implementation

#figure(
  table(
    columns: 3,
    stroke: none,
    table.hline(stroke: 0.8pt),
    [*Model*], [*Precision*], [*Recall*],
    table.hline(stroke: 0.5pt),
    [Baseline], [85.3], [82.1],
    [Ours], [*91.2*], [*89.5*],
    table.hline(stroke: 0.8pt),
  ),
  caption: [Comparison of model accuracy (%).],
) <tab:accuracy>

Key Points

• Set stroke: none on the table to remove all default borders
• Use table.hline(stroke: 0.8pt) for top and bottom rules (heavier)
• Use table.hline(stroke: 0.5pt) for the mid rule (lighter)
• Never use table.vline() — no vertical lines in three-line tables
• Never add extra table.hline() between data rows

Anti-Patterns (must flag)

• table.vline() anywhere in the table
• More than 3 table.hline() calls
• Default stroke (non-none) that produces grid lines
• stroke: 1pt or similar on the table element itself

Number Alignment

Typst does not have a built-in siunitx equivalent. For decimal alignment:

• Right-align numeric columns using align: right
• Ensure consistent decimal places manually

table(
  columns: (auto, 1fr, 1fr),
  align: (left, right, right),
  // ...
)

Statistical Significance Markers

Symbol	Meaning
*	p < 0.05
**	p < 0.01
***	p < 0.001

Number Precision Rules

Data type	Precision	Example
Percentage	1 decimal place	85.3%
Mean +/- SD	2 decimal places	3.14 +/- 0.05
p-value	3 significant figures	0.003

Precision must be consistent within each column.

Caption and Note Placement

• Caption: Use #figure(caption: [...]) — Typst places table captions above by default when using figure.where(kind: table) show rule
• Label: <tab:name> after the figure
• Table note: Add below the table inside the figure: [Note. Bold values indicate best performance.]

Bold Best Values

Use *bold* syntax in Typst: [*91.2*] for bold emphasis on best values.

Word Compatibility Note

When converting to .docx:

1. Create a standard table in Word
2. Select all -> Borders -> No Border
3. Add top border, header bottom border, table bottom border
4. Result: three-line table