Useful guides – best practice in statistical presentation
Good statistical presentation involves making it easy for readers to understand and interpret the data, and identify any key patterns or trends.
It is possible to present data in the written paragraph, but for anything more than a handful of numbers this is dull and ineffective. Much better are illustrative materials such as tables, charts and maps.
ONS Neighbourhood Statistics have produced a very useful guide on best practice.
- Introduction and key principles (349KB)
provides guidance on what to consider before starting.
Presentation guides:
- Presenting Tables (383KB)
- Drawing Charts (421KB)
- Statistical Maps (572KB)
Some Do's and Don'ts
Do
- Check to see if the information has already been published elsewhere
- Check to see if you need any permissions from the data owner
- Use the most up to date data
- Understand definitions (they are usually very precise) and use correctly
- Have your analysis checked before releasing
Don't
- Misrepresent – don't make the data say what you want
- Granulate survey data too much – it becomes unreliable for small sample sizes
- Use incorrect charts
- Mix survey and administrative data (although there are some times when this can be done)