The U.N. produces several different types of documents.
Sales publications include yearbooks (e.g., U.N. Yearbook), serials, monographs, special studies, etc., that the U.N. publishes for sale to the public. They can be located by title in IUCAT.
Masthead documents are the working documents of U.N. organs. They include provisional meeting records, reports, resolutions, and any other documents reflecting the work of the U.N. organs. Some masthead documents are reproduced in final corrected form in the Official Records (e.g., resolutions) or sales publications. Meeting records are not issued for all meetings, but only for those of the main organs and selected subsidiary bodies. Information about other meetings may be found in sessional or annual reports issued by the bodies in question.
Official Records are the most important documents, and are preferred for citation purposes. Official Records include the meeting records of the U.N. organs, usually in summary format, but verbatim in the case of the General Assembly, First Committee, and Security Council. Meeting records include speeches, descriptions of actions taken, voting records, a list of delegations involved, and a checklist of documents issued on the various agenda items discussed. Official Records also include annexes containing the text of agenda items (i.e., documents submitted for discussion), and supplements that contain reports of subsidiary organs and resolutions.
The Dag Hammerskjold Library has produced a series of Research Guides on locating U.N. Documents.
The General Assembly Official Records are organized by session and include the plenary meeting records, annexes, committee meeting records and supplements (including a sessional compilation of resolutions and decisions). The Index to the Proceedings of the General Assembly (Law KZ5006 .I64) is the best printed finding aid for General Assembly official documents.
The plenary meeting records all contain a verbatim record of each meeting. The committee meeting records contain a verbatim transcript for the first committee only (Disarmament and International Security), and summaries for all others.
The Annexes consist of individually paginated agenda item fascicles, which may cover one or more agenda items considered by the General Assembly and its main committees during one session. The fasicles include table of contents, reproductions of selected documents, a brief description of the action taken by the General Assembly, and a list of documents pertinent to the agenda items but not reproduced in the fascicle.
The GAOR Supplements contain annual/sessional reports of the Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice, as well as of other U.N. organs or subsidiary bodies which report to the General Assembly; a compilation of resolutions and decisions adopted by the General Assembly during the session; a report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization; plans, estimates or reports dealing with the budget of the United Nations; financial reports and audited financial statements of special funds or programs.
General Assembly Resolutions by number.
The Economic and Social Council Official Records are organized by session/calendar year. They include plenary meetings, annexes (1948-1973) and supplements (which include the sessional compilation of resolutions and decisions). Verbatim records were prepared for the first six meetings (23 Jan. - 8 Feb. 1946), but from the 7th meeting (11th Feb. 1946)- meetings are covered by summary records.
Economic and Social Council Resolutions and Decisions, 2001 -, by date.
The Security Council Official Records are organized by session/calendar year and include:meetings, supplements, special supplements, and resolutions and decisions. The Index to the Proceedings of the Security Council (Law KZ5006.5 .I64) is the best printed finding aid for Security Council official records.
The meeting records are verbatim, and are numbered consecutively beginning with the first meeting in 1946.
The supplements are issued quarterly and consist of documents first issued in Masthead form. The documents are arranged in numerical order by UN symbol, which also results in chronological listing. The special supplements contain special reports issued once or covering an extended period of time.
Security Council Resolutions by number.
Security Council Meetings, 1994 -, by document symbol and date.
The Trusteeship Council Official Records were arranged by session and included meetings or sessional fascicles, annexes, supplements, and special supplements. The Trusteeship Council suspended operation in 1994, but may be re-activated by request of the General Assembly or Security Council. Meetings of the first session and the first part of the second session (both held in 1947) were covered by verbatim records, but beginning with the second part of the second session, held in 1948, only summary meeting records were issued. From the 36th session (1969)- , meeting records were no longer issued as part of the Council's Official records. From the 37th session (1970)- , annexes were included in the sessional fascicles. The Index to Proceedings of the Trusteeship Council (ALF JX4021 .U32) is the best printed inding aid.
The Library has the READEX Microfiche Collection of U.N. documents, covering the years 1946-2007. Among other documents, it includes Official Records and masthead documents from the following organs: General Assembly and its its committees, commissions, and conferences; Economic and Social Council and its committees; Security Council; Trusteeship Council. A human rights documents supplement (1946 -) includes documents of the Commission on Human Rights, Commission on the Status of Women, and documents relating to various human righs conventions. It also includes documents related to Trade and Development and Disarmament, 1982 -. Users should check the Access UN database for the 'Readex year" to locate fiche published out of chronological sequence.
Citation of U.N. documents is covered by Rule 21.7 of the Bluebook.