Statistics Explained

Archive:Tutorial:Dedicated section versus Statistics Explained

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This tutorial provides an answer to a question often raised by Eurostat author/production units on the distinction between their dedicated section(s) on the Eurostat portal and Statistics Explained:

  • what are the main differences between a dedicated section and Statistics Explained as dissemination channels?
  • which information should be disseminated via a dedicated section and which via Statistics Explained?
  • how should they be interlinked?

The answers, elaborated below, can be summarised as follows:

  • a dedicated section is a mini-portal for a specific statistical topic or policy area, a set of links to content stored elsewhere, without content of its own except brief introductions;
  • Statistics Explained is an online publication platform for published content (which may, but need not be also available as paper/PDF): statistical description/analysis and background information, in the form of text accompanied by tables, graphs and maps.

Dedicated section

The defining characteristics of a dedicated section are:

  • no own content except brief and general introductions where and if needed;
  • portal = set of links to content elsewhere:
  • data in database, 'most popular' or main tables;
  • metadata (esms files, methodological manuals, ...);
  • downloadable PDF publications;
  • a selection of highly relevant external links (other European Commission sites, OECD, UN, ECB, WHO, ...).
  • and, last but not least, the most relevant part of Statistics Explained (not to its Main page!);
  • specific, flexible and fairly ad hoc:
  • created or taken out again according to policy and users' needs;
  • not necessarily corresponding to stable hierarchy of statistical (sub)themes (although some overlap exists in practice);
  • as a result, the list of dedicated sections changes fairly often and is more ad hoc and temporary than the statistical themes.

Statistics Explained

The relevant characteristics of Statistics Explained:

  • publication platform for all Eurostat's published content (to a large extent replacing paper-only publications of the past):
  • statistical articles presenting description and analysis of data;
  • background articles on methods, nomenclatures, context, ...;
  • online publications (= briefly introduced table of contents linking to individual articles);
  • glossary items.
  • linking to further information (portal, but only as a secondary function):
  • in Statistics Explained (See also);
  • Eurostat portal (database, main tables, dedicated section, ...);
  • other websites (including other Commission websites).

Practical guidelines

Taking into account the different nature and functions of a dedicated section versus Statistics Explained articles, the following guidelines are recommended for production units undertaking to streamline statistical dissemination on a particular topic:

  • do not put content on the dedicated section, except for relatively short introductions
a dedicated section should be an overview and start page where users find all information on a particular topic which however is stored elsewhere and accessible through links
  • Statistics Explained is one place where content can be made available</ref>Others being the online database, the main (most popular) tables, metadata files, statistical and methodological PDF publications, external websites, ...</ref>
use Statistics Explained to publish statistical articles and background articles at different levels of detail, online publication (actually a coherent set of articles) and glossary definitions
  • interlink mutually at a deep level:
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