Three-D Issue 16: STOP PRESS: Opportunities for using Ofcom research data

Email circulated by Alison Preston, Ofcom, 11th January 11th, 2011:

Finding data and publications

We have redesigned the research areas of our website in order to provide a more user-friendly and intuitive search facility, with memorable URLs for our key research areas and enhanced access to a range of media including text, data and charts. For example, please go to:

• ofcom.org.uk/marketresearch to find our market research publications on a variety of topics, going back to 2004.
• ofcom.org.uk/medialiteracyresearch to find our media literacy publications, and our flagship audit publications with PDF tables, questionnaires, charts etc.
• ofcom.org.uk/cmr10 to find the latest CMR data cut by platform and by Nation, providing a wealth of data about current markets and audiences available in data and chart form as well as the full report.

In future, data from our research will also be available in .CSV format so that third party researchers can carry out their own analysis.

Researching Ofcom

For academics wishing to analyse Ofcom itself, some useful pointers can be found at ofcom.org.uk/about/how-ofcom-is-run/ , which provides an organisational structure, and also publishes Board minutes six months after the meetings have taken place.

Researching Ofcom’s predecessors

For academics wishing to analyse the ITC, Oftel, RA, Radio Authority, and the BSC, these records are held at Ofcom. A number of elements of their work are already published – these documents can be found atofcom.org.uk/regulator-archives/ (IBA and ITA records are administered by University of Bournemouth, not by Ofcom)

For further material

Once these resources have been explored, the most effective way forward is to make a request via FOI – either through the template which can be found on Ofcom’s home page, or by an email to: information.requests@ofcom.org.uk.

Further communication

We are keen to hear from academics and to share research ideas. We are particularly interested in ethnographic work, and longitudinal analysis.

We will post Ofcom’s monthly round-up of publications, as well as our monthly Media Literacy bulletin, and feedback is warmly welcomed.We will continue to work with Meccsa to explore how we can work together most effectively.