Guidance

DWP research report guidance

Updated 10 April 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-research-reports-style-guide/dwp-research-reports-guidance

This guidance applies to all Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) research reports which will be published in one of the following collections:

Failing to apply this guidance to the contents of a report may result in a delay to publishing timescales and the department’s legal obligation to provide accessible information not being met.

Accessibility

This guidance will help you to create accessible content. We need to make sure that our department’s communications can be accessed by everyone, both to meet the requirements of the UK accessibility regulations, and because it’s the right thing to do.  
 
For DWP staff, DWP’s accessibility team have also published the DWP Digital Document Accessibility Policy, which relates specifically to documents (such as Word, PowerPoint or Excel). Every person producing documents for the department should be familiar with this policy, as making documents accessible is the responsibility of the producer. There are links to training in how to create accessible documents on the intranet.  

Built in accessibility checkers are useful for checking your documents: 

Structure

Use the research report template to format your research report. It should include the following sections:

Code of Practice for Statistics compliance statement

If your research relies heavily on the use of statistics, consider including a voluntary statement explaining how the research complies with the 3 principles of the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for Statistics (trustworthiness, quality and value).

Executive summary

The summary should provide a clear, stand‑alone overview of the report that enables readers (including ministers, senior policy advisors, and other stakeholders) to quickly understand the purpose, approach, findings, and implications of the research. It should be concise, engaging, and help readers decide whether they wish to read the full report.

The summary should:

  • aim to be no more than 3,000 words (but may be significantly less, e.g. 2,000 or less)
  • comply with the GOV.UK style and content guidance
  • use language which reflects language used in the main report
  • not include images, charts or graphs
  • be understandable independent of the main report

Contents

The ‘Contents’ section of a research report is automatically generated in HTML based on the heading style used. They may not always completely mirror the contents page in the PDF version.

You can check an existing research report in HTML to see how the contents section is presented.

Acknowledgements

If applicable, state that the research was commissioned by DWP and acknowledge the role of  DWP  staff in the research.

Author details

List authors in alphabetical order, and use no more than 50 words per author when providing author information.

Glossary

Write the report in plain English. Where you cannot avoid the use of technical or scientific terms, include these in the glossary.

Abbreviations

Include a list of abbreviations used in the research report.

Main report

When producing the main report, consider the likely consumer of the publication and when, where and why they will use the product. The report should be designed for the user, not the creator. It is important not to assume knowledge.

Include: 

  • an introduction
  • a description of the research and its aims 
  • background information 
  • a guide to the research methodology 
  • information about any special conventions used in presenting findings, for example the system for referring to a series of surveys 
  • analyses and findings 

Annexes and appendices

Annexes should be included in the main report. We’ll publish them separately on exception, for example if there’s a spreadsheet or a large number of annexes.

Include:

  • detailed technical information, for example sample frame (there may be some circumstances where a technical annex should be published as a separate document, alongside the main report)
  • detailed methodological information
  • sampling method
  • response rates
  • questionnaires, topic guides and other field documents – if a document is particularly long, it does not need to be included in the research report, but should be made available on request

Your DWP project manager might ask you to provide copies of quantitative research documentation and cleaned data so that they can be archived.

References and footnotes

Footnotes are designed for reference in print, not web pages. Any footnotes contained in a research report will be formatted to appear in a list of references at the end of the report in the HTML version. Always consider the user need first. If the information in the footnotes is important, include it in the body text. If it’s not, leave it out.

If a footnote just refers to a link, this should be embedded in the body of the text. If you can include a reference in the body of the text (e.g. as with Harvard and A.P.A referencing, as opposed to Oxford referencing), this is advised.

If adding a footnote within the PDF version of the document, insert after the punctuation mark. For example, “Of those men in couples with children who did not have a job, only 22% declared that they would not want a job if one were available.”[footnote 1] This does not apply when it is obvious that the footnote reference number only refers to the word it is next to.

Within text and footnote citations should contain enough information for the reader to identify the reference in the bibliography. For references within the text or footnotes, the following style is preferred (in full first time and truncated afterwards):

One Author: (Author/Organisation, year)

Two Authors: (Author and Author, year)

Three Authors: (Author and others, year)

Read more about references.

Bibliography

List references alphabetically by author in a single bibliography.

Below are examples of the preferred bibliography reference format for the most common types of documents that you may wish to reference.

Examples

Journal Article/Electronic Journal Article: Author, A.N. and Writer, A. (year of publication) ‘Title of paper: subtitle of paper’, Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, pages

Government Research Reports: Author, A.N. and Writer, A. (year of publication) ‘Title of paper: subtitle of paper’, organisation/department name. Retrieved from: URL

Book: Author, A.N. (year of publication) Title of book: subtitle of book, Town [and State if U.S.]: Publisher

  • Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nichols, C.M. and Ormston, R. (2014) Qualitative research in practice, Thousand Oaks [CA]: SAGE Publications

Electronic Book: Author, A.N. (year of publication) Title of book: subtitle of book, Town [and State if U.S.]: Publisher. Retrieved from: URL

Chapter/Paper in an Edited Book: Author, A.N. (year of publication) ‘Title of paper: subtitle of paper’, in Writer, A. (ed.), Title of book (pages), Town [and State if U.S.]: Publisher

  • Pennycook, G. and Thompson, V.A. (2017) ‘Base-rate neglect’, in Pohl, R.F. (ed.), Cognitive illusions: intriguing phenomena in thinking, judgment and memory (pages 44-61), London: Routledge

Style

Read Writing for GOV.UK before writing a research report. It includes guidance on:

You should also read the Government Digital Service (GDS) style guide. It is an A to Z of GOV.UK style, and includes guidance on:

Font and spacing

Research reports should use single spacing, Arial and size 12. These are accessible and so will help anyone using the PDF published on GOV.UK, regardless of whether they have specific access needs.

Headings  

In the Word document, set headings correctly using ‘styles’ (don’t just bold and increase font size) and ensure that they are nested correctly. For example, Heading 3 should only be used if it’s preceded by Heading 2 and Heading 1 before that (Heading 1 should be used for the page title only). 

The name of the chapters will be heading 2. You can then break down the chapter with heading 3 and even further heading 4.

Highlighting important information 

Features such as ‘call to action’ and ‘callout’ formatting should be used carefully as they aren’t announced to screen reading software.  

When making Word documents to be produced in HTML:  

  • use flat text and avoid inserting boxes or images to indicate specific formatting styles  
  • use a comment on the Word document to indicate especially important pieces of information and the DWP GOV.UK team will consider this when producing the HTML version

Headline statistics

Headline statistics can be highlighted in large font. The DWP claimant service and experience survey 2018 to 2019 is a good example of how headline statistics have been used before.

Links should be embedded within the text, as it allows the reader to click directly to the referenced material. For example, “in the report Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers, it was found that…”.

As in the above example, use descriptive language for embedded links. Do not use generic links in sentences, such as “you can view the report here”.

Charts and images 

Here is some general guidance about how to include charts and images in a GOV.UK publication: 

  • send separate SVG files for every image in the publication document (if SVGs aren’t possible, PNG or JPEG are acceptable formats, but the images need to be 960 x 640 pixels) 
  • do not refer to colour within text for accessibility reasons. Read more about using colours in charts on the Government Analysis Function website 
  • if you provide a chart as an image, it should be followed by at least one of the following: 
    • a description of the chart directly under it 
    • a table of the raw data 
    • a link to the raw data in an accessible file 
  • use the examples of tables and charts on GOV.UK to understand how your data might be presented in HTML 
  • include the sample base, unweighted, where appropriate
  • quote the source beneath the diagram, if applicable

When you write a description, imagine you are describing the image to someone over the phone. Avoid describing the content vaguely or too broadly. For example “The bar chart shows EU funds by percentage on the vertical axis and EU countries on the horizontal axis” is too broad. You need to explain what is happening in the data and any important trends. 

Read more about GOV.UK images guidance and find out how to make accessible charts on the Civil Service Analysis Function website, including good practice for labelling and annotating charts.

Context for charts

Immediately under your chart, include the source of the data.

In your text, say what’s causing the result you’ve charted, if you know. If there’s interesting economic context (for example the recession) or a change in policy that might have had an effect, say so. You’re the expert, use your knowledge to explain to the users.

Interactive charts in HTML

HTML allows us to create interactive charts that can be toggled to show the data as a table and therefore providing a more accessible view for users.

The GOV.UK platform only includes one chart type at the moment: a horizontal bar chart (single or stacked series).

The colour scheme for this chart cannot be changed and is not accessible for people who have colour-blindness. Because of this, only 2 or 3 series should be used.

We’ll only use this interactive chart if it truly better presents your data than using a static chart. Static charts are presented as pictures which also need explaining in the body for people with sight impairments.

Figure 6a in these PIP statistics show how an interactive chart can be used in HTML.

SVG files 

SVG is the recommended format for charts and other images, because SVGs retain the same quality no matter what screen resolution or size they are viewed at. This means a user can zoom in and out and the image retains its quality. This adaptability makes it a more accessible format. 

SVG files need to be created from the original source image or data, whichever software was used to create it (JPGs and PNGs can’t be converted to SVGs without losing some image quality). SVGs can be any size. 

Ways to create images as SVGs: 

  • PowerPoint 
  • Excel 
  • use of vector software such as Adobe Illustrator 

There’s more information about creating SVGs on Making analytical publications accessible under the ‘Creating SVG files’ and ‘Microsoft programs’ headers.  

Infographics 

An infographic is an image which usually displays data, graphs, charts or text to explain a complex process or overview of a subject. 

Infographics can be hard to make accessible if they’re too complicated. This is because screen magnifier users may need to scroll horizontally and vertically across the image. This may make them hard to understand when not seen all at once. It can also be difficult to describe in text. The image may also become blurred and pixelated when magnified if you’re not using an SVG format. 

If you choose to publish an infographic you should provide a plain text version of the content. This should explain everything that is shown in the infographic and be in the body text next to the infographic. 

Context notes

The context note gets added to the ‘landing page’ for a research report on GOV.UK. Its purpose is to help the user find the publication that matches their needs as quickly as possible, so it should be short and straightforward. Do not summarise what the document says, this is just repeating what’s in the document. 

Numbers, fractions and percentages

You should:

  • include percentages after fractions where they’re written out in the text, for example “three-quarters of Income Support claimants (74%) were dissatisfied”
  • round figures of 0.5 or above to the nearest whole number (except in special cases, for example where showing slowly changing indices)
  • round large numbers where appropriate
  • use words rather than figures to make a point where readers are likely to misinterpret the figures (percentages over 100% are often misinterpreted)
  • avoid comparisons of different-sized fractions, for example thirds and fifths

More guidance on numbers, fractions and percentages is available in the GOV.UK style guide.

PowerPoint documents 

For some projects, you may decide to publish a slide pack as the final output, or as one of the final outputs. While slide packs can be used as a publishable product when appropriate, this should only occur where there is a justifiable reason. The standard format for research outputs remains a written report, and a slide pack should only be used when it is considered the most effective way to present information visually. If the slides need to be heavily text‑based, a written report is likely to be the more suitable format. 

All publications must continue to meet accessibility requirements.  Although the slide pack itself does not need to be fully accessible, all the information it contains must also be provided in an accessible format.  Project Managers should therefore ensure that all slide content is also provided in a Word document so it can be converted into an accessible format for publication. This requirement should be outlined at an early stage as part of the decision for the number and type of project reporting outputs.

As a guide, a slide pack should generally only be considered when one or more of the following apply: 

  • the research is on a small scale and so does not warrant a full report
  • in exceptional circumstances if the timeline for publication is short and therefore there is not enough time to compile a full research report
  • if there is a specific request for a slide pack output, for example from senior stakeholders to meet certain requirements

Additionally, for any slide pack publications, there must also be a technical report which will be published.

Questionnaires

Any questionnaires or surveys you used as part of the research report will be formatted in plain text in the HTML version of the report. This means they may look different to the original document. If the original questionnaire was formatted in a table or with fields to complete, only the script will be included.

For example, this HTML report shows how we’ve presented the interview questions and notes.

Quotations

Use quotations to illustrate a point, not to make a point. Do not use quotations instead of analysis.

Use double quotes (“”) for direct quotations.

Include quotations of one sentence or less in normal text. Indent longer quotations.

Consider the overall balance of quotations in your research report and the weight it gives to the evidence. Make sure the balance of positive and negative quotations is an accurate reflection of the evidence. For example, if a report is overwhelmingly positive about an initiative, more positive than negative views should be shown in quotations.

When you select quotations, take into consideration that the most memorable quotations:

  • are often the ones that represent extreme views, and they can distort the research evidence
  • often represent a particular position, for example a positive view of a service, that can create a false picture of the evidence

You should therefore consider:

  • including less memorable but more representative quotations
  • explaining that a quotation represents an extreme opinion, for example “such views could be very strongly held, with one respondent going as far as to say…”
  • including more than one quote to give an indication of the range of views, where different views are expressed on an issue

Documentary sources

For quotations from documentary sources, include the source in brackets immediately after the quotation.

Attribute quotations from published sources in the footnotes.

Verbatim quotations

Explain the system for attributing verbatim quotations from interviews before the first quotation.

Include the source on the line following the quotation. Explain where the source fits into the sampling scheme, for example by stating age, sex and benefit status.

For example:

“I first claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance last year. That was after I lost my job at the factory.”
(Woman, 20 to 39, current recipient)

Response rates

Many of the samples for DWP’s research come from benefit records. This section explains how you should present response rates when using these records.

Two figures are of interest to DWP:

  • the response rate for those in scope of the study (in the sampling frame), to give an indication of the risk of bias in the achieved sample
  • the response rate for those in scope of fieldwork (in the contacted sample), to give an indication of field performance

Always calculate response rates from the number of in-scope cases in the sample. You can calculate this by:

(number of achieved interviews x 100) ÷ (number of cases sampled – number of ineligible cases)

Ineligible cases are those which are found not to be eligible for the study. For example:

  • people sampled for a survey of families who were found not to have children
  • people not getting Income Support in a survey of Income Support recipients

When you have found the number of cases which were in scope of the study, calculate the response rate for those in scope of fieldwork by:

(number of achieved interviews x 100) ÷ (number of cases in scope of study – (number of invalid cases + number of cases issued to interviewers))

Cases may be invalid for the following reasons:

  • respondent moved from given address, and not traceable
  • respondent moved from given address, and traceable to an area outside fieldwork
  • respondent not known by occupants of given address
  • respondent died
  • address derelict or empty
  • address not traced or not complete
  • address business or industrial (except in special cases, for example surveys of Child Support Agency clients, who often give their work address for contact, or surveys of employers)

Valid cases for benefit record-based samples, which you should use to calculate the response rate, fall into the following categories:

  • successful interviews
  • doorstep refusals
  • no contact after agreed number of call-backs
  • appointments broken after agreed number of call-backs
  • interview stopped by respondent
  • respondent away during fieldwork
  • respondent incapable of doing interview, for example due to illness or incapacitation

Do not include cases which are not used at all, because the required number of interviews is achieved before they are issued, in the fieldwork response rate.

Tables 

Tables must be created and provided either using the tables function in Word or as an Excel file. Do not insert a table into a document as an image as this is not accessible. 

Some general rules to follow are:  

  • one header column/row only (if your table has more than one header row or column, try to break it down into smaller tables) 
  • no split, merged or empty cells (add ‘no data’ or ‘not applicable’ instead of empty cells) 
  • no colours – we can’t use colours within HTML tables on GOV.UK 
  • use right align
  • if you’re dealing with a huge amount of data that cannot be split up, it might be better presented as a separate spreadsheet alongside the main document – large tables are difficult to navigate when published on GOV.UK (you can see about 4 or 5 columns and 10 rows without scrolling) 
  • number tables using the chapter number followed by a full stop and the number of the table within that chapter, for example the second table to appear in chapter 3 will be ‘Table 3.2’
  • use concise and descriptive titles, which include the key message of the table in one sentence. A sub-heading should then provide more detail on the information displayed
  • include the unit of measurement, for example ‘£’, in the column or row heading, not in the cells of the table
  • start with 0 for values less than 1 (e.g. 0.87, not .87)
  • give only the unweighted bases in the table where the difference between weighted and unweighted numbers is small. Where the weights are large, and the two sets of numbers are very different, include both the weighted and unweighted bases
  • describe the base under the table, for example ‘Base: all respondents (1,520)’, where possible
  • quote the source beneath the table, if applicable
  • make sure tables are consistent throughout the report, for example use a consistent level of precision

Use the following conventions in tables, and explain them before the first table, for example:

Symbol Meaning
* Less than 0.5 per cent
0 No observations
- Category not applicable
.. Data not available
[ ] Numbers in square brackets are frequencies based on less than 50 observations

Do not:

  • use percentages where the base falls below 50, either report the actual frequency or indicate that the base was too small for a figure to be calculated
  • use letters in table headings, for example ‘Table 3.2 a’
  • use large, complicated tables. Instead consider breaking up data and including it in smaller tables. If you’re dealing with a huge amount of data that cannot be split up, it might be better presented as a CSV (spreadsheet)
  • refer to tables as appearing ‘above’, ‘below’ or on a certain page number, refer to them by number only, for example, ‘see Table 3.2’

Find out more about when to use tables and how to make them accessible on the GOV.UK guidance. 

Standalone summaries

There is no longer a requirement to publish a standalone summary alongside your report.  However if there is agreement this is necessary as part of the reporting outputs, please discuss this with the Central Governance Research Team, who can subsequently provide the standalone summary template.

Submitting your report

Before you submit your report to your DWP project manager:

  • proofread all documents and ensure that comments and track changes have been removed
  • check that any hidden data and personal information has been removed
  • check to make sure your documents meet accessibility standards
  • remove company and organisational logos
  • ensure the main report is available in one Word file
  • ensure graphs and figures are available in a format agreed with your DWP project manager – in the case of graphs and figures this will normally be the spreadsheet from which the charts were originally generated
  • include separate SVG files for every image in the report

What to send to the DWP GOV.UK team

When you start work on a report, notify the GOV.UK team as soon as possible via the DWP GOV.UK front door to make them aware of the publication.

The following materials should be be sent to the GOV.UK team ahead of publishing:

  • one or two sentences (up to 160 characters including spaces) to summarise the contents of the report, which will be displayed below the title on the landing page
  • the context note
  • the main report in Word format (and a PDF version if required)
  • separate SVG files for every image in the report (see images guidance for advice)
  • the data from which any charts or graphs have been generated (normally one or more spreadsheets)

PowerPoint slide packs

If your report includes a slide pack, the reader must be provided with exactly the same information in an accessible HTML format so that the department meets its legal accessibility obligations.

The GOV.UK team will need:

  • the document in .ODP format for publishing alongside the HTML version
  • a Word document containing all the content of the slides, ensuring that any information presented visually in the slide pack is outlined in the Word document

Timescales

Send draft documents including SVGs and spreadsheets as soon as you have them, as this helps the GOV.UK team to estimate the time it will take to produce the accessible HTML version and plan the work alongside other priorities.

To ensure your report is published in accessible HTML format for the publication date, please send final approved drafts to the DWP GOV.UK team as soon as you can.

If final documents are sent too late it may not possible to prepare an accessible version in time and the initial publication may need to be PDF-only. Any resulting requests for accessible formats the team receives will be forwarded to the stakeholders for that report to respond until the accessible version is published.

Feedback

Send any feedback about this guidance to internet.website@dwp.gov.uk

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