Content types on the ONS website Articles

Overview

Articles can be used to provide more detailed analysis on topics or to give updates or changes to a project or method. They are usually published on a one-off or irregular basis, although some articles are published on a monthly or quarterly basis.

An audit of articles published on the ONS website identified two categories of articles: analysis articles and information articles.

Analysis articles

• In-depth articles: analysis of specific and cross-cutting topics, retrospective examination of previously published data from a different angle, or latest commentary on trends found in thematically linked bulletins.
• Digital content articles: short articles on a timely topic that are collaboratively written with the Digital Content team and focus on visual representation of data.
• Technical articles: articles that contain analysis of data, but with more detailed technical explanation of methods and the statistical modelling underpinning the data than an in-depth analysis article.

Information articles

• Changes to methods articles: explanation of recent or upcoming changes in methodology and how they affect data or findings.
• Progress reports: description of or an update on a project, programme or roadmap.
• Research outputs: articles analysing data sources rather than statistics, discussing the new and developing research underpinning them, issues of quality, challenges around statistical models and next steps – does not include official statistics.
• Current and upcoming work articles: information about present and future work on a specific topic or theme.

Who are articles for

Articles have a range of purposes and so may be of interest to different users (opens in a new tab) 

It is important to understand your users before you start writing your article.

Analysis articles contain more detailed analysis of a topic than statistical bulletins and are often used by a range of users, including the media. Information articles are likely to be of more interest to policy influencers and technical users.

These users are often busy and want to get the information they need quickly and easily. Writing clearly and using plain language will make your content understandable to all users.

Our Digital Content team works with business areas across the ONS to create articles specifically for inquiring citizens. These tend to follow a different format to the articles covered in this guidance. To find out how to commission a Digital Content piece, contact digitalcontent@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab) 

When to use an article

Articles should:

• not be used to release new data
• be timely and relevant at the time of publication
• be structured with the user in mind, presenting the most important or interesting information first
• not provide complex or detailed explanation of a method, data source, process or concept (we have separate methodology article pages for this)

Do not use articles to release new data

Any official statistics that are being released for the first time and that are not already in the public domain are classed as new data. They should be released through a bulletin, headline release or data-only release. They should not be released through an analysis article.

Further analysis of official statistics (including additional breakdowns) that have already been released are not classed as new data. They should be released through an analysis article.

For example, if you are releasing statistics on the number of deaths registered in 2024 for the first time, use a bulletin, headline release or data-only release. If you are publishing further analysis of the registered deaths at a later date, with breakdowns by different demographics (for example, sex, age or ethnicity), use an article.

If you are not sure whether your statistics are new data or not, email the Head of Professions office (opens in a new tab) 

Articles are not methodology

Articles can be used to give an explanation of any recent or planned changes to your methods, and how these may affect the data. They should not be used to give detailed information about a method, process, data source or concept. Instead, use a methodology article page (a separate content type) and link to it from your article.

Keep articles focused

Consider the length of your article to make sure you are getting the main messages across. On average, users spend about four minutes looking at a page on the website. That is long enough to read around 900 words. Aim to limit the amount of analysis on the page to be shorter than this.

We do not expect most users to read every word on every page. But if you are publishing significantly more than this, consider whether you could split your content into multiple articles or link to methodology pages elsewhere on the website.

If your content already exists on the ONS website or it is published on another website, link to it rather than duplicating it.

Article structure

Article sections separate the different types of content on the page. Consistency is important for our users, so we should aim to use standard section headings where possible.

We have created recommended structures for each of the article types based on research.

The content management system does not allow related downloads to be added on the right-hand side of an article page. We can include a green “View all data used in this release” button to link to any datasets referenced in the analysis.

Article templates

Download one of our article templates:

• in-depth analysis articles (Word, 179KB) (opens in a new tab) 
• technical articles (Word, 186KB) (opens in a new tab) 
• research outputs (Word, 184KB) (opens in a new tab) 
• changes to methods articles (Word, 181KB) (opens in a new tab) 
• progress reports (Word, 179KB) (opens in a new tab) 
• current and upcoming work articles (Word, 183KB) (opens in a new tab) 

Digital content articles

Digital content articles are collaboratively written with the Digital Content team and aim to improve the interest and understanding of the citizen audience rather than experts.

Digital content articles:

• are usually on a timely topic
• are written for the inquiring citizen user persona
• range from 1,000 to 3,000 words, with minimal chart notes
• feature visualisations designed to be easily embedded in news websites
• are mostly standalone, rather than part of a series
• use a neutral article template and are visually distinct from standard articles as they do not have a table of contents

Digital content articles have a conversational approach. Complicated concepts are explained simply, with the inquiring citizen user in mind. They contain analysis and commentary rather than method.

They can only be created in the main taxonomy and cannot be created in the census area of the site. They cannot be created in a series and are published as one-off, separate publications.

This article type does not suit content which require substantial methodological detail or navigation between sections. Use other article templates instead.

Structure and navigation

Digital content articles read more like stories with a beginning, middle and end. They do not feature:

• a table of contents
• main points
• numbered sections
• numbered charts
• methodology or quality sections

Titles and headings

Titles are shorter than other statistical releases and focus on the main findings. They do not include time periods or geography. In contrast to statistical bulletins and articles, they can be descriptive rather than labels.

Digital content article titles can be written as questions, such as How green is your street? (opens in a new tab) 

Each section heading will be descriptive of a main finding. Users will be able to see a narrative from reading the section headings alone.

Tools and automation

Digital content articles make greater use of tools such as calculators and interactive maps.

Some articles contain elements of semi-automated journalism that allow people to select a variable, such as a geographic area, to get a more personal story. This is known as “robo-journalism”.

One example is the article Age of the property is the biggest single factor in energy efficiency of homes (opens in a new tab) 

This has a postcode look-up tool that displays a few lines of basic comparative text about the selected area, for example “Fareham is above average in England for…”

Scrollytelling

“Scrollytelling” articles make greater use of graphics and interactive elements, with minimal supporting text. Users view a continuous visualisation, triggering interactions as they scroll.

In the example of the article Mapping regional differences in productivity and household income (opens in a new tab) , users scroll down a page featuring an interactive map. Accompanying text pulls out the main trends and the user can select different areas on the map to see data.

Qualitative data

Articles based on qualitative data focus on the human impact and may feature quotes predominately.

The lasting impact of violence against women and girls (opens in a new tab)  uses quotes provided by third-sector organisations to provide qualitative context.

Current and upcoming work articles

Current and upcoming work articles provide users with an overview of the ONS’s work on a specific topic or theme. This includes present work, as well as work we are completing in the near future and longer-term projects.

Use our current and upcoming work article template (Word, 182KB) (opens in a new tab) 

Title

Use a clear, unambiguous title that makes it easy for the reader to understand what they are about to read.

Use the following format:

[Theme, topic or emerging trend], current and upcoming work: [month and year of publication]

What to include

The first edition of a current and upcoming work article should provide a broad overview of your team’s work on a specific topic or theme.

Any subsequent editions should only cover work and updates since the previous edition and any work that will take place before the next edition.

Focus your content on the work that is currently taking place or about to take place. Only reference past work detailed in previous editions if you need to provide updates. You do not need to duplicate or repeat content in each edition of your article. Use clear and descriptive link text to refer users to previous updates and past work in earlier editions of your article where needed.

If you are planning work on a long-term project that will span several editions of your article, use the “Upcoming work” section to describe the phase of the work that you are currently working on.

Article titles and summaries

For information on how to write titles and summaries for ONS releases, including articles, see our titles guidance and our summaries guidance

Structuring your main messages and analysis

We know that users only read the first 25% of a page, with most only reading the first section. Put your most important or interesting information first to make sure users see it.

Main points or main changes

All articles include a section at the start that summarises the main trends, analysis or changes detailed in the article. This section is called “Main points” for analysis articles and “Main changes” for information articles. It should include up to six bullet points each no longer than one sentence.

Best practice for web writing is to use an inverted pyramid style of writing. The pyramid means placing information in order of importance, so your main findings and conclusions should come first.

Split your main content into sections

The main body of your article should provide more detailed analysis or information on the trends or changes summarised in the Main points or Main changes section.

You can either create a new section for each bullet point in the Main points or Main changes section, or group the information into topics of interest and create a new section for each topic.

Keep your sections short; avoid putting all the information under one section as users will not be able to find what they are looking for in the table of contents.

Use clear section headings

Use clearly labelled section headings so that users can find what they need quickly. They should be short and concise with the most important information first, and reflect the topics users are interested in.

These section headings will appear in the table of contents and will help users find what they are looking for.

There are standard section headings that you can use to structure your content. View the "Article structure" section for more detail.

Use subheadings to break up your text

Use a new subheading within your section every time you discuss a new subject, trend or change. Put the most important point at the start. Subheadings should be a maximum of 75 characters, including spaces, to prevent the text wrapping over too many lines, particularly on mobile devices.

Avoid numbering subheadings (for example, 3.1 or 3.1.2) as these cannot be linked to in the text. They also slow down online users who often use subheadings and scan the left side of a page to find the topic they are looking for (see the F pattern). A short and clear subheading is more useful and will help users navigate by headings.

Using warnings

Warnings highlight limitations that affect how users interpret the data, analysis or methods in a release. Warnings prevent the misuse of data, with minimal interruption to the content. Information on how to use warnings in your article is available in the “Warnings” section of our Parts of a page guidance (opens in a new tab) 

Data section

The data section provides links to the most important datasets used in the article. It helps users find the information they need and brings data from different topics or themes together in one section.

This section is only included in analysis articles that contain data, and it follows a similar structure to the Data section in bulletins.

Provide links to up to five datasets that users are most likely to be interested in. If your article references more than five datasets, choose the most relevant. Use the standard format for each link. You can provide links to previously published data if it is used in your analysis.

You can also include a sentence at the end of the Data section to help users access any other datasets used in the analysis. Use the following standard text to link to the related data page:

“View all data used in this article on the Related data page.”

Glossary

Articles can include a Glossary section to provide short, understandable definitions for users who may not be familiar with the terms or concepts described on the page.

More information on how to structure and format this section is available in the bulletin guidance.

If the main purpose of the article is to provide a glossary of terms and definitions for a topic, use a methodology page instead of an article.

Data sources and quality

Provide a summary of important quality and methodology information about your article in a Data sources and quality section. This section should only be included in analysis articles, as it is unlikely that information articles will contain data.

Using a standard heading for this section will create consistency for users and help identify articles from other content types, such as statistical bulletins.

Highlight any important information about the data source and collection method, as well as any caveats about the quality of the data. Use clear subheadings to break up the content and guide users through the information by topic. For example, use subheadings such as Data collection, Sample size, and Comparability with other sources.

Keep this section brief and link to any existing methodology information using clearly written link text rather than duplicating the content and increasing the word count for your article.

Future developments

Our article audit identified that articles are often used to explain recent or upcoming changes to users and how these may affect the data.

Include any upcoming changes or developments in a “Future developments” section. Using this standard section heading will make sure users know where to find this type of information in the different types of articles. It will also ensure consistency on the website.

Use clear subheadings within the section to help guide users to the information they need.

This is an optional section and can be removed if it is not needed.

Related links

Research tells us that users have two separate needs from related links: to go into more detail or to find broader but related content. All articles include a Related links section to help users access this content.

Include between three and six links in this section. These links should be to:

• any related bulletins or articles (either published on the same day or previously)
• any methodology pages that provide further detail on the data source, method or project
• recent ONS publications that also reference this topic
• relevant articles that are published by other official organisations

Links should help users get directly to relevant content. Do not link to:

• search results pages (opens in a new tab) 
• the previous releases page (opens in a new tab)  of your article
• product pages (opens in a new tab) 
• landing pages of other organisations (opens in a new tab) 

The Related links section should be formatted in the same way as the Related links section of a bulletin. Read more on how to format your links.

What to avoid

Appendices and annexes

These sections are traditionally used to provide additional or supplementary information, but they often duplicate content. Including these sections in online articles makes the pages longer and increases the amount of scrolling for users.

If the information in your annex or appendix is available on another page, use clearly written hyperlinks to link to the page instead of duplicating the information. If the appendix is lengthy and contains additional analysis or data, consider publishing it as a separate article that can be linked to from the article.

Authors and acknowledgements

Publications should not include an acknowledgements section that credits individual ONS authors. This is because we present our content as a collective organisation: the ONS. The contact field and contact details box provide users with the information needed for any queries about the statistics.

Our Co-authoring content section explains how to acknowledge the input of external contributors from outside the ONS.

Feedback

User feedback is really important to help us improve our content or surveys, but it is not the main priority for users; research shows that most users want to get the latest analysis and data.

Include any requests for feedback in the Data sources and quality section under a clear subheading; avoid including a separate feedback section in your article. This makes it available for those users who wish to give feedback without interrupting the analysis.