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Content types on the ONS website Static pages

Overview

There are two types of static information pages on the ONS website: static articles and generic static pages. These pages are used for presenting non-statistical information. They cannot be used in the main statistical topic areas of the website – only the corporate section.

Static articles

Static articles are stand-alone pages that are mainly used for surveys, census content and corporate information. They have a table of contents but no PDF download.

We also use static articles to publish working papers in the ONS working paper series. These provide detailed technical explanations of methodological research work. For example, see how to take part in the COVID-19 Infection Survey (opens in a new tab)  and census question development and research  (opens in a new tab) 

Generic static pages

Generic static pages are stand-alone, text-only pages that cannot be built in a series and do not have previous versions. They do not include a table of contents or a PDF download. They cannot include any charts, diagrams, images, tables, or illustrations.

We use generic static pages for news and general information, such as events or updates on the work of the organisation.

Important information:

The publishing team can advise on which page type to use for your content – contact them at publishing@ons.gov.uk (opens in a new tab) 

Static pages also allow related downloads on the right-hand side of the page. These can be used to upload related documents, such as letters, paper questionnaires and excel spreadsheets.

We do not publish PDF-only or Word-only content on the ONS website. PDFs and Word documents are difficult to use with assistive technology and are unlikely to meet the accessibility standards required by law.

Research by the Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) (opens in a new tab)  and Government Digital Service (GDS) guidance (opens in a new tab)  shows that users find PDFs more difficult to use than web pages. PDF files are less accessible than HTML pages, so should not be used without an HTML alternative.

Warning:

Any essential information should always be available elsewhere as HTML

If a PDF or Word file is necessary for publishing your content and it is not possible to provide an HTML alternative of the content, you must alter the document to meet accessibility standards. It must:

Important information:

Failing to make PDFs accessible could break the Equality Act 2010. Read more in our accessible PDF design guidance

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