Content types on the ONS website Bulletins
Overview
A statistical bulletin is a short summary of findings and essential commentary related to a new release of data. It is usually published monthly, quarterly or annually as part of a series but can be published as a one-off.
Bulletins should:
- open up information to inquiring citizens
- provide easy links to at least one dataset
- include only the most important information
- link to more detailed content for those who need it
- follow a standard structure with standard headings
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.
A statistical bulletin template is shown by the blue strip at the top of the page. Any related datasets must be linked to the bulletin. This generates the green “View all data used in this bulletin” button on the right-hand side of the page.
What users need from bulletins
Research shows that our users come to bulletins to complete three tasks. These are:
- read analysis of the latest data
- find the latest data, so that they can do their own analysis
- find out about how the data were gathered and understand the methodology
Our bulletin structure has been designed and tested to help users achieve these goals.
The order of the sections reflects user priorities for these tasks. The section headings clearly label the content so that users can find what they need quickly.
The order of the sections reflects what research identified as users’ priorities. The structure is the same for all bulletins to provide users with a consistent experience.
Use a bulletin 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 published through a bulletin, headline release or data-only release
Further analysis of official statistics (including additional breakdowns) that have already been released are not classed as new data. They should be published 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)
Keeping bulletins focused
Bulletins should reflect the topics that users are interested in, not the source of the data.
For example, it is more meaningful to tell users about the latest data on “migration” than the “International Passenger Survey”.
A bulletin can be one short page covering multiple topics, or – where there is clear user need, supported by research or analytics – split into multiple pages focusing on individual topics.
Consider the length of your bulletin, too. On average, users spend about four minutes looking at a bulletin. That’s long enough to read around 900 words.
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.
Where a release contains more than one page, some users may still want to read overarching analysis. For example, there are a number of topic bulletins released that report labour market data, but research showed that users still needed a Labour market overview.
If you are unsure what content type to use or need help understanding how to present your data and analysis, email content.design@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Users expect consistency between releases, so it is best to only create new bulletins on topics that you expect to cover regularly.
If there is not enough to say for a full bulletin, or limited user engagement, consider streamlining your content.
See our guidance for headline releases and data-only releases
If you have something to report on a one-off basis, consider publishing an article
Bulletin structure
Bulletin sections separate the different types of content on the page. They reflect the user needs and priorities we have identified through research.
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Other pages in this release (optional) | When publishing more than one bulletin in a release, use this section to link to them. |
| Main points | Up to six bullets containing headline figures or trends in the data. |
| Analysis sections (split into numbered sections by topic) | Commentary on what the majority of your users would find interesting, noteworthy or important about the new data.
Can include warnings to let users know about something that fundamentally affects the way they use your analysis. |
| Data on [topic] | Links to the most relevant datasets referenced in this bulletin. |
| Glossary | Definitions of between three and six terms used in this bulletin. |
| Data sources and quality | A short summary of the data sources and collection method, including information to help users correctly interpret the data and how the data should or should not be used. Can link to more detailed Quality and Methodology Information (QMI) reports, methodology articles, user guides and planned changes. |
| Related links | Links to in-depth analysis or articles on this subject from the ONS. Can include links to associated bulletins, such as revised or mid-year estimates. Links to related publications or statistics that users might find useful. Can include links to publications from other organisations. |
| Cite this statistical bulletin | Format as: Office for National Statistics (ONS), released XX Month 20XX, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Title: edition with link embedded This will help writers and academics to cite ONS statistical bulletins correctly and consistently. Read more in the citations, references and sources guidance |
If there is not enough to say for a full bulletin, or there is little user engagement, consider streamlining your content into a headline release or moving to a data-only release
Bulletin template
Download our template (Word, 180KB) (opens in a new tab) to help you draft your bulletin.
The bulletin template should only be used for bulletins. This is to make sure users have a consistent experience when they come to a bulletin page; the structure should be clearly defined and different to articles.
Bulletin titles and summaries
For information on how to write titles and summaries for ONS releases, including bulletins, see our titles guidance and our summaries guidance
Main points section
Highlight the most important and interesting findings from your bulletin at a glance. Most users read the main points and nothing else.
Rank up to six main points in order of importance for your users.
Each main point should:
- be a single bullet point
- contain one message that is expanded on in the bulletin
- be a single sentence starting with what’s happened, followed by the significance of this; use a semicolon to split up the sentence if necessary
The UK unemployment rate was estimated at 3.8%; it has not been lower since October to December 1974.
Research shows that users want the headline figures quickly, so avoid prefacing your main points with any introduction or warnings. Do not introduce detailed definitions or quality warnings in your main points.
The content design team can help you to write impactful and user-friendly main points – email content.design@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
If the data do not change month to month and only provide enough detail for Main points rather than full analysis sections, it may be better to write a headline release, a streamlined version of the bulletin structure.
Statistician's comment
We no longer include statistician’s comments within our bulletins. The main points should clearly summarise the latest findings and provide users with the most important information. Read more about how to write effective main points in our main messages guidance (opens in a new tab) .
Work with our Media Relations Office (opens in a new tab) if you are interested in developing comments for the media to help promote the bulletin or latest findings.
You can also contact our Social Media team (opens in a new tab) to discuss if your main messages would be suitable for promotion across social media. Read more about writing for social media in our social media guidance (opens in a new tab) .
Analysis sections
When writing about statistics, focus on what is interesting, noteworthy or important to the majority of users. Consider what is the most important information that supports your message. Use the inverted pyramid, putting your most important or interesting information first. Think about the logical reading order of your content also. Learn more about structuring content
Your text should be concise, in plain language and written with the user need in mind. Many users may not be experts; 56% of our users access the website from home.
If you want to know more about who uses your bulletin, take a look at our user personas or email us at content.design@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Use text and simple charts or tables to give more detail and context. Your written analysis should add to your visuals, not just report what they show. It is not necessary to comment on every trend shown in a chart or table.
Flag concerns about the data using warnings. These should be short and any more detail should go in the Data sources and quality section (opens in a new tab) .
How much to write
Analytics show that users spend an average of four minutes looking at bulletins. A typical person would read around 800 words during this time. Aim to limit the amount of analysis on the page to be shorter than this.
If you are unsure whether something is going to be useful or interesting, do not include it. Users can still find the data in datasets, and an accompanying article can provide further detail if there is a user need.
If you think your analysis will be more than 800 words, we can help structure your content – email content.design@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
How to structure your analysis
Use section headings to break your analysis into broad themes. This helps users find the information they are looking for in the table of contents. Section headings should be short, descriptive labels that reflect themes users are interested in. Read our guidance on using descriptive headings
For example, the analysis in the Employment in the UK bulletin could be structured around the headings “Employment”, “Unemployment” and “Economic inactivity”.
If your bulletin has a single topic of analysis, include the word “analysis” after the topic in the section heading, for example, Employment analysis. This will avoid duplicating the bulletin title in the section heading.
Include updated or revised figures as the final analysis section with the title “[Topic] revisions”.
Within sections use subheadings and chart titles that summarise the main trends to break up your analysis. These do not appear in the table of contents but research shows that subheadings make it easier for users to:
- get the most important messages at a glance
- find which part of the page contains what they are looking for
- get a feel for what the following text or chart is going to tell them
Use a new subheading every time you discuss a new subject or trend. 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.
Employment rate for women was 72%, the joint-highest on record
You can use a chart title instead of a subheading to break up your text. Chart titles should follow our guidance and highlight an important trend in the figure. Avoid using subheadings and chart titles that say the same thing one after another.
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 bulletin is available in the “Warnings” section of our Parts of a page guidance (opens in a new tab)
Data section
The data section links to the most relevant datasets, for the benefit of users who want to access data but may not know where to find the tables they need.
Provide links to up to five datasets that users are most likely to be interested in.
When deciding which five to pick, consider:
- what tasks users who are interested in this topic might want to achieve, and which data might help them
- which datasets are the most integral to your analysis
- which datasets get the most downloads
For users wanting to access all the datasets used in the bulletin, there is a prominent link at the top right of the page.
You can also include a sentence at the end of the Data section to help users access the datasets. Use the following standard text to link to the related data page:
“View all data used in this statistical bulletin on the Related data page.”
How to format links
Each link should include:
- the title of the dataset
- the type of content (dataset or time series) and release date
- up to 30 words describing the dataset – use the dataset’s summary if appropriate
Migration data
Provisional Long-Term International Migration estimates (opens in a new tab)
Dataset | Released 29 November 2018
Migration flows to and from the UK, quarterly tables and charts
If linking to a dataset containing many tables, you can mention the most useful tables alongside the type of content (for example, “Dataset A02 | Released 29 November 2018”).
This section should not provide additional commentary or caveats about the data. Extra content is likely to slow down users’ journeys to the data they need.
Glossary
Provide short, understandable definitions for users who may not be familiar with the terms or concepts described on the page.
Briefly explain technical terms in your analysis using plain English. Use the Glossary to give a little more detail about terms and concepts without interrupting your analysis. You do not need to hyperlink each term used in the analysis to the Glossary; the Glossary is in the table of contents and is used consistently across publications.
Include at least three and up to six terms, with a description of up to 50 words for each. List the terms in alphabetical order.
Choose the most relevant terms that are commonly used in the analysis. Include a clear definition of any complex terms to prevent misunderstanding.
If you have a more detailed list of definitions on another page, link to it at the bottom of this section.
Employment
Employment measures the number of people in paid work and differs from the number of jobs because some people have more than one job. The employment rate is the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 years who are in paid work.
The Guide to labour market statistics (opens in a new tab) contains a glossary of other terms used in this bulletin.
The content design team can help you choose which terms to include and help you to write short, clear definitions – email content.design@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Data sources and quality
The Measuring the data and Strengths and limitations sections have now been merged into a Data sources and quality section. This is because user research found that users preferred the term "Data sources and quality", because it is clearer and describes the content included in this section more accurately. Using a standard heading for this section creates consistency for users and makes the structure of statistical bulletins similar to other content types, like articles.
In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of important quality and methodology information about your bulletin.
Highlight any important information about the data source and collection method that will help users correctly interpret and use the data. For example, outline the reliability, accuracy, and comparability of the data, as well as any quality caveats.
The Data sources and quality section should only include text; it should provide summary information and so should not need any charts or tables.
Use clear subheadings to break up the content and guide users through the information by topic, such as “Data source”, “Collection method”, “Coverage”, and “Upcoming changes”.
More quality and methodology information
Include a subheading titled “More quality and methodology information” for users who require more detail.
To add links to the Quality and Methodology Information (QMI) report (opens in a new tab) and the user guide, use the following standard text:
More quality and methodology information on strengths, limitations, appropriate uses, and how the data were created is available in our [insert QMI title and link].
You can also include information on why data revisions may occur; revised data and figures should be included in their own analysis section (opens in a new tab)
Uncertainty
Our Uncertainty and how we measure it (opens in a new tab) guidance explains the different measures of uncertainty for users. This includes information on standard errors (opens in a new tab) , confidence intervals (opens in a new tab) and statistical significance (opens in a new tab) .
The Data sources and quality section should include a standard line that links to this page:
“View more information on how we measure and communicate uncertainty for our surveys (opens in a new tab) .”
Quality and Methodology Information (QMI) reports
If your QMI has a section that clearly explains the strengths and limitations of your data, for example, the quality summary section, link to it directly from the bulletin’s Data sources and quality section.
If the strengths and limitations from your QMI are crucial to interpreting the data and can be summarised clearly in a few short bullet points, include them under subheadings of “Strengths” and “Limitations”.
Official Statistics Policy
The Data sources and quality section (opens in a new tab) should also specify whether the bulletin contains statistics designated as official statistics in development (previously known as experimental statistics) or accredited official statistics (previously known as National Statistics).
Official Statistics
All ONS statistics are official statistics. We do not need to specify if the bulletin contains official statistics. These do not have a badge or label.
Official statistics in development
If your estimates are designated as official statistics in development (opens in a new tab) , include a subheading with more detail about how you are improving or developing your method or data quality.
How to format the official statistics in development subsection
This subsection should be clear and concise. If more detail is needed, provide links to articles (such as progress reports) on the planned developments.
Use the following standard wording as a template:
Official statistics in development
These statistics are labelled as “official statistics in development”. Until September 2023, these were called “experimental statistics”. Read more about the change in the guide to official statistics in development (opens in a new tab)
These statistics are based on information from [insert main data sources]. We are developing how we collect and produce the data to improve the quality of these statistics. Read more in our [insert methodology or article title and link].
Once the developments are complete, we will review the statistics with the Statistics Head of Profession. We will decide whether the statistics are of sufficient quality and value to be published as official statistics, or whether further development is needed. Production may be stopped if they are not of sufficient quality or value. Users will be informed of the outcome and any changes.
We value your feedback on these statistics. Contact us at [insert team email].
Accredited official statistics
Releases that are officially designated as accredited official statistics (opens in a new tab) should display the logo and include a short statement detailing when it was last assessed.
How to format accredited official statistics subsection
Use the following text for your statement:
“These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in [month/year]. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in a new tab) and should be labelled “accredited official statistics”.”
To find out the month and year the statistics were independently reviewed, follow these instructions:
- Visit the Office for Statistics Regulation web page on accredited official statistics (opens in a new tab)
- Select the “List of accredited official statistics” link, which will generate a spreadsheet listing all accredited official statistics that the UK government produces
- Filter the spreadsheet by “Producer”, selecting “Office for National Statistics”
- Filter the spreadsheet by “Domain”, selecting the relevant subject area, for example, “Labour Market and Welfare” for Employment in the UK
- Locate the date in column H, “Month of accreditation”
Some releases may contain both accredited official statistics and official statistics in development. If you need help with writing a warning or text to alert users about this, email contentdesign@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab) . If you are unsure about the designation of your statistics, email stat.hopoffice@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab) for advice.
For more on accredited official statistics, read the Office for Statistics Regulation guidance (opens in a new tab)
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.
Include between three and six links in this section. These links should be to:
- articles containing deeper analysis of the topic than the bulletin can provide
- the latest release of other related bulletins, including any related bulletins from the same theme day
- analysis of data from multiple sources
- recent ONS publications that also reference this specific 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 release page (opens in a new tab) of this bulletin
- product pages (opens in a new tab)
- landing pages of other organisations (opens in a new tab)
Links to data should sit in the Data section (opens in a new tab) , and links to methodological articles should be in the Data sources and quality section (opens in a new tab) . If your release contains more than one bulletin, use the Other pages in this release section to link between them.
The content design team can use analytics to help you choose which links to include – email content.design@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Each link should include:
- the title of what you are linking to
- the type of content you are linking to (Bulletin, Article, Methodology, Web page, Report or User guide)
- the release date
- up to 30 words describing what the link points to – use the summary of that page if appropriate
Consumer price inflation, updating weights (opens in a new tab)
Article | Released 18 March 2019
An overview of the latest annual update of Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) weights.