A statistical bulletin is a short summary of findings and essential commentary related to a new release of data.

Bulletins should:

• open up information to inquiring citizens
• provide easy links to data
• include only the most important information
• link to more detailed content for those who need it

The Code of Practice says, “Statistics, data and explanatory material should be relevant and presented in a clear, unambiguous way that supports and promotes use by all types of users.”

A bulletin, or set of related bulletins, will always be published alongside datasets as part of a “release”. A release can also include articles relating to the new data.

Bulletins follow a consistent structure, which is designed to meet user needs and priorities. This structure is designed for bulletins and should not be used for articles or methodologies.

If you have more to say, are writing about existing data, or need to write something for more technical users, use an article template instead.

We are constantly improving based on research and so there may be some small changes to the guidance; we will keep you updated with any significant changes on the Updates page.

Some content is better suited to an article than a bulletin. Contact the content design team at content.design@ons.gov.uk for guidance.