Incognati
Home
The Atlas Map Library Relationship Comparison Domain Glossary Terminology
The Compass Navigator Legend
The Inequity Index Research Database Labor & Wages Housing Health Education Criminal Justice Political Economy Social & Identity Environment Technology
Civics Dictionary Field Guides
Waypoints Lesson Plans Paper Trail Persuasion & Influence Contested Ground (The Compass) Classroom Activities Contested Ground (The Compass) Paper Trail
Sightlines Misinformation Specimens Civics Specimens Federal Laws Elections Official Data Reporting Institutional Communications Local Government
The Civic Stress Index
About
Privacy & License
Civics Specimens

Official Data Reporting

Seasonal adjustment, data revisions, real versus nominal, sampling error, provisional versus final counts — the mechanics of official statistics most often misread, examined the same way regardless of which figure it helps.

Specimen No. 1
Seasonal Adjustment Mistaken for Manipulation
View this guide →
Specimen No. 2
Preliminary Estimate vs. Revised Figure
View this guide →
Specimen No. 3
Nominal vs. Real (Inflation-Adjusted)
View this guide →
Specimen No. 4
Headline Rate vs. Broader Measures
View this guide →
Specimen No. 5
Disinflation vs. Deflation
View this guide →
Specimen No. 6
Reported Crime vs. Victimization Survey
View this guide →
Specimen No. 7
Base-Period Switching
View this guide →
Specimen No. 8
Per Capita vs. Absolute Counts
View this guide →
Specimen No. 9
Point Estimate vs. Sampling Error
View this guide →
Specimen No. 10
Methodology Change Framed as Fudging
View this guide →
Specimen No. 11
Provisional vs. Final Data
View this guide →
Specimen No. 12
Index Construction
View this guide →
Email Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Mastodon X
☕ Support this project
© 2026 Incognati · About · Privacy · Subscribe