Code Guidance

  1. Short Guide to Code of Practice Standard Five: Prioritise Quality

    Standard five of the Standards for Official Statistics in the Code of Practice for Statistics recognises that the organisational structure, the way it is run, and its quality culture, can impact the statistical producer’s ability to produce statistics that are of suitable quality.   The Standard encourages people working in organisations producing official statistics to be […]

  2. Short Guide to Code of Practice Standard Six: Be Rigorous

    Standard six of the Standards for Official Statistics in the Code of Practice for Statistics sets out the critical elements of good statistical practice for producing statistics that are fit for their intended uses and are not misleading.  The practices apply across the statistical business production cycle, considering the sources of data, the methods and […]

  3. Short Guide to Code of Practice Standard Seven: Be Open About Quality

    Standard seven of the Standards for Official Statistics in the Code of Practice for Statistics outlines what is necessary to help users and potential users decide whether the statistics are suitable and useful for their own use.  Being open about the quality of the statistics and considerate about the varying needs for different types of […]

  4. Short Guide to Code of Practice Standard Eight: Be Relevant

    Standard eight of the Standards for Official Statistics in the Code of Practice for Statistics focuses on what is needed to ensure statistics meet user needs.   Putting users at the heart of statistical planning means providing an opportunity for users to influence decisions and for producers to hear about what matters to them. It relies […]

  5. Short guide to Code of Practice Standard Nine: Be Clear

    Standard nine of the Standards for Official Statistics in the Code of Practice for Statistics underscores the vital need for data and statistics to be communicated in ways that are plain for users to understand and support their use.   Clear communication involves effective data presentation and visualisation, key information about what the numbers mean, appropriate […]

  6. Short Guide to Code of Practice Standard Ten: Be Accessible

    Standard ten of the Standards for Official Statistics in the Code of Practice for Statistics emphasises the importance of equality of access at the time of release.   The Standard requires producers to decide not just what but how information is released, to enable further use. It emphasises the importance of considering the needs of a […]

  7. Required policies and statements relating to official statistics production

    The Standards for Official Statistics in the Code of Practice for Statistics edition 3.0 requires a number of organisational policy documents and statements, relating to official statistics production. These are listed in Table 1.  Table 1 – List of required documents, with the associated practice number, in the Standards for Official Statistics Statements of compliance  […]

  8. Ensuring Public Accountability

    Official statistics  Producers of official statistics Official statistics producers are accountable to the public for how well their statistics serve the public good.   Public accountability requires demonstration of how the Standards for Official Statistics are achieved, based on evidence of practice and an openness to listen and respond to feedback.   To enable public accountability, we […]