The ability to determine the scale of innovation activities, the characteristics of innovating firms, and the internal and systemic factors that can influence innovation is a prerequisite for the pursuit and analysis of policies aimed at fostering technological innovation. The Oslo Manual is the foremost international source of guidelines for the collection and use of data on innovation activities in industry. This second edition, released in 1997, is an update of the original 1992 edition, taking account of the progress made in understanding the innovation process, the experience gained from the previous round of innovation surveys, the extension of the field of investigation to other sectors of industry and the latest revisions of international standard classifications.

The second edition is available for free download. The Manual has since been revised; the third edition was published in the autumn of 2005.