Table overflowing the column width in a 2 column document (svjour3)

Question

I am trying to write the following simple table within one column under springer svjour3 format. It is not only overflowing the column but also producing lots of bad boxes. I have tried with l/c/r/manual width specification under tabular and tabularx respectively without success.

\documentclass[twocolumn]{svjour3}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[english]{babel}
\usepackage{comment}
\usepackage[center]{caption}
\usepackage{subcaption}
\usepackage{float}
\usepackage[misc]{ifsym}
\usepackage{tabularx}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage[figuresright]{rotating}
\setlength{\rotFPtop}{0pt plus 1fil}
\usepackage{makecell}
\renewcommand{\theadfont}{\bfseries}

\begin{document}

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Accuracy comparison %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\begin{table}
% table caption is above the table
\caption{Accuracy comparison with similar approaches}
\label{tab:accuracy comparison}       % Give a unique label
% For LaTeX tables use
\begin{tabularx}{\linewidth}{>{\raggedright\arraybackslash}p{0.5in}
                            >{\raggedright\arraybackslash}p{0.75in}
                            >{\raggedright\arraybackslash}p{0.75in}
                            X
                             }
\toprule
\thead{Reference} &\thead{ Learning\\approach} & \thead{Initial\\movement}& \thead{Accuracy\\claimed(\%)}\\
\midrule\\
\textbf{[1]} & KNN(K=1) & Walking/running & 93\\
\addlinespace
\textbf{[2]} & Threshold & Walking & 72\\
\addlinespace
\textbf{[3]} & Threshold & Walking & 87.5\\
\addlinespace
\textbf{Implemented system} & Threshold & Walking & 94.45\\
\bottomrule
\end{tabularx}
\end{table}
\end{document}

Please help.

Answer 1

Like this?

Edid: with changed reference data:

• reduced is font size in column headers
• for last column is used S column type defined in the \siunitx package
• remove \tabcolsep at front and the end of table
• enable multi lines cells' contents

\documentclass[twocolumn]{svjour3}
\usepackage{caption}
\usepackage{booktabs, makecell, tabularx}
\renewcommand{\theadfont}{\footnotesize\bfseries}
\renewcommand\theadgape{}
\usepackage{siunitx}

\usepackage{lipsum}

\begin{document}
\lipsum[1]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Accuracy comparison %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\begin{table}[ht]
% table caption is above the table
\caption{Accuracy comparison with similar approaches}
\label{tab:accuracy comparison}       % Give a unique label
% For LaTeX tables use
\renewcommand\tabularxcolumn[1]{m{#1}}
\renewcommand\arraystretch{1.2}
\begin{tabularx}{\linewidth}{@{} >{\bfseries}X X X S[table-format=2.2] @{}}
    \toprule
\thead{Reference} 
                &\thead{ Learning\\approach} 
                    & \thead{Initial\\movement}
                        & {\thead{Accuracy\\claimed (\%)}}   \\
    \midrule
{[1]}       & KNN(K=1) & Walking/ running & 93\\
{[2]}       & Threshold & Walking & 72\\
{[3]}       & Threshold & Walking & 87.5\\
Our system  & Threshold & Walking & 94.45\\
    \bottomrule
\end{tabularx}
    \end{table}
\lipsum[2-7]
\end{document}

Note: if you not like to use siunitx package and SI units systems, than simple delete this package in preamble in replace S[table-format=2.2] in table headers with desired column type (for example c, etc.). This mater of personal preferences, i.e. it is opinion based. In any case, tabel not spill out of column, as you asked in question.

Answer 2

I would simplify and streamline the look of the table by using much less bold-facing. AFter all, the table is quite small -- there's no chance the readers will become confused over what's the header material and what's the "body" of the table.

The svjour3 document class has some particular idea about captions are supposed to look like, and these ideas are not compatible with those of the caption and subcaption packages. Hence, I wouldn't load these two packages.

\documentclass[twocolumn]{svjour3}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[english]{babel}
\usepackage{tabularx,booktabs}

\newcolumntype{P}[1]{>{\raggedright\arraybackslash\hspace{0pt}}p{#1}}
\newcolumntype{C}{>{\centering\arraybackslash}X}
\newlength\mylenA \settowidth\mylenA{Implemented}
\newlength\mylenB \settowidth\mylenB{KNN ($K=1$)}
\newlength\mylenC \settowidth\mylenC{movement}

\begin{document}

\begin{table}
\setlength\tabcolsep{4pt} % default value: 6pt
\caption{Accuracy comparison with similar approaches}
\label{tab:accuracy comparison} 

\begin{tabularx}{\linewidth}{@{} P{\mylenA} P{\mylenB} P{\mylenC} C @{}}
\toprule
Reference &
Learning approach & 
Initial movement  & 
Accuracy claimed~(\%) \\
\midrule
{[1]} & KNN ($K=1$) & Walking\slash running & 93\phantom{.00}\\
{[2]} & Threshold & Walking & 72\phantom{.00}\\
{[3]} & Threshold & Walking & 87.5\phantom{0}\\
Implemented system & Threshold & Walking & 94.45 \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabularx}
\end{table}
\end{document}

Answer 3

\documentclass[10pt]{scrartcl}
\usepackage[margin=25mm,paper=a4paper]{geometry}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage[colaction]{multicol}
\usepackage{setspace}
\usepackage{lipsum}
\usepackage{graphicx, array, tabularx, booktabs, makecell}
\title{Table formatting}
\author{The geniuses at SE}

\begin{document}
    \maketitle
    \doublespacing
    
    \begin{multicols}{2}
        
        \section{Introduction}      
        \lipsum[1-1]
        \noindent
        \begin{minipage}{\columnwidth}
                \begin{tabular}
                    {p{0.5in}p{0.75in}p{0.75in}p{0.75in}}
                    \toprule
                    \thead{Reference} &\thead{ Learning\\approach} & \thead{Initial\\movement}& \thead{Accuracy\\claimed(\%)}\\
                    \midrule\\
                    \textbf{[1]} & KNN(K=1) & \makecell[l]{Walking/\\running} & 93\\
                    \addlinespace
                    \textbf{[2]} & Threshold & Walking & 72\\
                    \addlinespace
                    \textbf{[3]} & Threshold & Walking & 87.5\\
                    \addlinespace
                    \textbf{\makecell[l]{Implemented \\system}} & \makecell[l]{\\Threshold} & \makecell[l]{\\Walking} & \makecell[l]{\\94.45}\\
                    \bottomrule
                \end{tabular}
        \end{minipage}
        
        \addvspace{\intextsep}
        
        \lipsum[1-2]
        
    \end{multicols}
    
\end{document}