The National System for Registration of Theses/Dissertations of Graduates Across the Country provides one of the most critical services offered by the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc). The statistical reports generated through this system now serve as the primary basis for policymaking by the responsible institutions in the country, particularly across various domains of science and technology. Should the quality of these reports—across dimensions such as accuracy, correctness, and consistency—fall short of acceptable standards, the resulting policies and decisions will undoubtedly be compromised.
The National Quality Assurance Framework for Statistics (NQAF)[1], developed by the United Nations, is structured across four levels: domains, principles, requirements, and indicators. Its four main domains are: managing the statistical system, managing the organizational environment, managing statistical processes, and managing statistical outputs.
In this study, employing the focus group method[2], inconsistencies in the official reports derived from the registration system were examined. Based on the NQAF, a framework is proposed for evaluating the quality of these reports. The proposed framework is developed with a focus on the domains of statistical outputs and management of the statistical system within the NQAF methodology.
Key challenges in the statistical reports include temporal changes in the names and structures of higher education institutions, inaccuracies in graduate statistics, and insufficient detail in the reports. The dimensions addressed in developing the quality framework to mitigate these challenges include: comprehensive metadata in statistical reports, assurance of coherence and comparability, accessibility and clarity, and ultimately accuracy and reliability.