Finding out more about how the data are gathered and measured is an important task for a smaller group of our audience, namely technical users. Providing short and clear explanations of our methodology helps us establish trust and credibility in our statistics. 

In fewer than 200 words, provide explanations of the data used in your bulletin, covering the following:

• where we get the data from, for example, the survey or source
• how we measure the data, for example, sample size and collection method
• time periods covered, for example, the time periods and geography covered by the data

See the October 2019 Labour market overview bulletin for an example.

If necessary, summarise upcoming changes to the bulletin or methodology. You can also include information on why data revisions may occur; revised data and figures should be included in their own analysis section. If it is not possible to provide enough detail on these topics in this section, link to relevant articles.

Use a clear subheading for each topic to direct users to this information. For example, “Data source”, “Collection method”, “Coverage” and “Upcoming changes”.

For users who need more detail, include links to the Quality and Methodology Information (QMI) report and the user guide under a subheading called “Quality”. 

When linking to the QMI, using the following standard text: 

“More quality and methodology information on strengths, limitations, appropriate uses, and how the data were created is available in the (name of release) QMI.”

This section should include only text; it should provide summary information and so should not need any charts or tables.

Avoid including formulas or lengthy technical explanations in this section. This can be overwhelming for users and the information is available in the QMI and can be easily linked to.