Archive:Tutorial:Dedicated section versus Statistics Explained

This tutorial provides an answer to questions 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, ...);
• the most relevant part of Statistics Explained (not to its Main page!);
• downloadable PDF publications;
• a selection of highly relevant external links (other European Commission sites, OECD, UN, ECB, WHO, ...).

• specific and flexible:

• a dedicated section can be created or dissolved according to policy and users' needs;
• not necessarily corresponding to stable hierarchy of statistical (sub)themes, although in practice there is a degree of overlap;
• as a result, the list of dedicated sections changes fairly often, and has a more ad hoc and temporary character than 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.

• structured in statistical themes:

• user-oriented nomenclature of dissemination output (to be distinguished from Eurostat's producer-oriented organogram and subdivision in units and teams!);
• in principle stable, at a fairly general level (two-level hierarchy, for instance 'Economy and finance' subdivided in 'Balance of payments', 'Consumer prices', 'Government statistics', 'National accounts and GDP', ...;

• links to further information in Statistics Explained (See also), Eurostat portal (database, main tables, dedicated section, ...) or other websites (including other Commission websites): portal but only secondary function

Practical guidelines

To organise the dissemination on a particular statistical topic, taking into account the different nature and aims of a dedicated section versus Statistics Explained articles, production units may use the following guidelines:

• do not put content on the dedicated section, except for relatively short introductions; the dedicated section should be a 'one-stop shop' where users can access all information on a particular topic through links to content stored elsewhere;
• Statistics Explained is one of the places where content is available is (others are the online database, the main (most popular) tables, metadata files, statistical and methodological PDF publications, external websites);