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identifying effective summary formats is fundamental to multiple fields including science communication, systematic reviews, evidence-based policy and medical decision-making. This study tested whether table or text-only formats lead to better comprehension of the potential harms and benefits of different options, here in a medical context. pre-registered, longitudinal experiment: between-subjects factorial 2 (message format) × 2 topic (therapeutic or preventative intervention) on comprehension and later recall (CONSORT-SPI 2018). longitudinal online survey experiment. 2305 census-matched UK residents recruited through the survey panel firm YouGov. comprehension of harms and benefits and knowledge recall after six weeks. fact boxes—simple tabular messages—led to more comprehension (d = 0.39) and slightly more knowledge …