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Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency Sixth Edition (2017) / Chapter Skim
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Practice 4: Openness about Sources and Limitations of the Data Provided
Pages 81-84

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From page 81...
... . All data contain some uncertainty and error, which does not mean the data are wrong, but that they need to be used with understanding of their limitations.56 Openness requires that data releases from a statistical program include a full description of the purpose of the program; the methods and assumptions used for data collection, processing, and estimation; what is known and not known about the quality and relevance of the data; sufficient information for estimating variability and other errors in the data, when possible; appropriate analysis methods that take account of variability and other sources of error; and the results of research on the methods and data.
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From page 82...
... Today, the Internet enables easier maintenance and updating of quality profile-type information (e.g., separate web pages for major types of error) .57 57 The Census Bureau posts basic quality indicators for the American Community Survey for the nation and states; these include sample size, population coverage, household response rates, and item response rates.
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From page 83...
... address quality attributes for administrative records-based data series. In the United States, the Information Quality Act of 2000 required all federal agencies to develop written guidelines for how they ensure the quality of the information they disseminate to the public.
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