LibGuides: US Government Documents Fundamentals: Examples of Government Documents Publication Types

Types of Government Documents (Executive Branch)

Types of documents the executive branch prepares and distributes are :

reports
research reports
statistical publications
fact sheets
handbooks and manuals
presidential papers
budgets
maps and atlases
pamphlets

Here are some examples. Click on the link to bring up the actual document. (Under the link is the citation of the document.)

Agency Fact Sheet
Fact sheet on the revisions to the regulations controlling lead in drinking water. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water. 2007.

United State Environmental Protection Agency. Fact Sheet on the Revisions to the Regulations Controlling Lead in Drinking Water. US EPA. Safe Drinking Water Act. Web. 14 June 2010. 21 Sept. 2010
Agency Report
Hospital Experiences Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a National Pulse Survey March 23–27, 2020

Example of a government report archived by the Internet Archive: Pandemic Planning Update V; a report from Secretary Michael O. Leavitt. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2008.
Leavitt, Michael. Pandemic Planning. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Update 5: 1-16. Flu.gov. Web. 17 Mar. 2008. 21 Sept. 2010.
Agency research report
Parents in prison and their minor children. Special report, United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009.

(MLA)
Glaze, Lauren, et al. Special Report: Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children. Bureau of Justice Statistics. August (2008): 1-25. U.S. Department of Justice. 30 Mar. 2010. 21 Sept. 2010
Presidential Statement
Statement of the President on Healthcare, March 27, 2020.
Agency Handbook
Kitchen companion : your safe food handbook. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 2008.

Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Kitchen Companion: Your Safe Food Handbook. USDA. Web. 15 May. 2008. 21 Sept. 2010.
Executive Order
Review of Department compliance with President's Executive Order on detainee conditions of confinement. U.S. Dept. of Defense, 2009.

USDoD. Review of Department Compliance with President’s Executive Order on Detainee Conditions of Confinement. US Department of Defense. Web. 25 Feb. 2009. 21 Sept. 2010.

Types of Government Documents (Legislative Branch)

Types of documents the legislative branch prepares and distributes are:

hearings (testimony)
congressional reports
committee prints
record of proceedings and debates (Congressional Record)
statutes
bills
laws
codes

Here are some examples. Click on the link to bring up the actual document. (Under the link is the citation of the document.)

Congressional Hearing
Hearing on proposals to provide federal funding for early childhood home visitation programs: hearing before the Subcomittee on Income Security and Family Support of the Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 111th Congress, first session, June 9, 2009.

U.S. Government Printing Office. Hearing on Proposals to Provide Federal Funding for Early Childhood Home Visitation Programs. U.S. House of Representatives. Web. 9 June 2009. 21 Sept. 2009

more... less...

Link will not open with Firefox
PDF is larger then 6mb
Congressional Report
Alternatives for modernizing U.S. fighter forces. CBO Study, Congressional Budget Office, 2009.

Congressional Budget Office. Alternatives for Modernizing U.S. Fighter Forces. The Congress of the United States: A CBO Study. May (2009): 1-73. CBO.gov. Web. 21 Sept. 2010.
Committee Print
Common enemy, common struggle [electronic resource] : progress in U.S.-Mexican efforts to defeat organized crime and drug trafficking : a report to the members of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, second session, May 18, 2010.

U.S. Government Printing Office. Common enemy, common struggle: progress in U.S.-Mexican efforts to defeat organized crime and drug trafficking. U.S. Senate. 18 May 2010. 21 Sept. 2010.

more... less...

Link will not open with Firefox
PDF is larger then 6mb

Types of Government Documents (Judicial Branch)

Types of documents the judicial branch prepares and distributes are:

opinions
journals
decisions
orders of the court
oral argument transcripts

Here are some examples. Click on the link to bring up the actual document. (Under the link is the citation of the document.)

Supreme Court Decision
McDonald et al. v. City of Chicago et al. Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. No. 08-1521, Argued Mr. 2, 2010--Decided June 28, 2010. Supreme Court of the United States.

Supreme Court of the United States. McDonald et al. v. City of Chicago, Illinois, et al. Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit. October (2009): 1-214. supremecourt.gov. Web. 22 Sept. 2010.
Supreme Court Decision
Case Name: TINKER V. DES MOINES SCHOOL DIST., 393 U.S. 503; CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT. NO. 21. ARGUED NOVEMBER 12, 1968.-- DECIDED FEBRUARY 24,1969.
Argument Transcripts, Supreme Court

Libraries

US Government Documents Fundamentals

Types of Government Documents (Executive Branch)

Types of Government Documents (Legislative Branch)

Types of Government Documents (Judicial Branch)