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Research Guides

Presidential Documents

Deciphering Acronyms and Abbreviations

Commonly Used:

  • C.F.R.
    (Code of Federal Regulations)

  • Fed. Reg.
    (Federal Register)

  • Pub. Papers
    (Public Papers of the Presidents)

  • Stat.
    (United States Statutes at Large)

  • U.S.C.
    (United States Code)

  • U.S.C.C.A.N.
    (United States Code Congressional and Administrative News)

  • Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc.
    (Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents)

Reference Resource:

Prince's Bieber Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations: A Reference Guide for Attorneys, Legal Secretaries, Paralegals, and Law Students, Location: Reserve & Reference Desk, 1st Floor, KF246 .B46 2017

Website:

Federation of American Scientists, Presidential Directives and Executive Orders

Interpreting Citations

Executive Orders:

An example of an executive order citation is Exec. Order No. 13415, 3 C.F.R. 247 (2007)

  • Exec. Order = Bluebook abbreviation for Executive Order
  • No. = Bluebook abbreviation for number
  • 13415 = The Executive Order number
  • 3 = Code of Federal Regulations, Title 3
  • C.F.R. = Bluebook abbreviation for the Code of Federal Regulations
  • 247 = Page number on which the executive order appears in the C.F.R., Title 3
  • (2007) = year of the edition of the C.F.R.

National Security Directives:

There is no uniform identification system for national security directives. Each succeeding Presidential Administration develops its own denomination scheme. However, they are generally numbered sequentially in chronological order.

Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents:

An example of a citation is: Remarks on Health Care Reform, Daily Comp. Pres. Docs., 2009 DCPD No. 00346 (May 11, 2009)

  • Remarks on Health Care Reform = The title of the document as noted in the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents
  • Daily Comp. Pres. Doc. = Suggested abbreviation for the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents
  • 2009 DCPD No. 00346 = Document identification number
  • May 11, 2009 = The document's issue date

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents:

An example of a citation is: The President's Radio Address, 42 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 1118 (June 10, 2006)

  • The President's Radio Address = Title of the document as noted in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
  • 42 = The volume of the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
  • Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. = Bluebook abbreviation for the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
  • 1118 = The page number on which the document appears
  • June 10, 2006 = The document's issue date

Public Papers of the Presidents:

An example of a citation is: Remarks on the African Growth and Opportunity Act, 1 Pub. Papers 974 (June 13, 2005)

  • Remarks on the African Growth and Opportunity Act = Title of the document as noted in the Public Papers of the President Documents
  • 1 = The issue of the Public Papers of the Presidents
  • Pub. Papers = Bluebook abbreviation for the Public Papers of the Presidents
  • 974 = The page number on which the document appears
  • June 13, 2005 = The document's issue date
  • 2005 = The edition of the Public Papers of the Presidents

Key Search Terms

Potentially useful search terms to be used when searching by keyword within library catalogs, databases, and search engines for information related to presidential documents include:

  • Presidential Directives
  • Executive Orders
  • Proclamations
  • State of the Union Address
  • Name of the President
  • Executive Agreements

Bluebook Rules

  • Rules 14.2 & T1.2 (The Bluebook, 20th ed.)  Rules on citing executive orders, presidential proclamations, reorganization plans, and other presidential documents.

Updating

Updating in Print: 

  • Code of Federal Regulations, List of Sections Affected (LSA)

    Issued monthly, with annual cumulations, the LSA notes presidential documents that have affected earlier documents and provides the page of the Federal Register where the amending documents can be found.  In the LSA, presidential documents are listed under Title 3 by document type (proclamations, executive orders, memoranda, etc.).  Monthly and daily LSA tables are found in the back section of each issue of the Federal Register.

  • Location: Earlier eds. on INDEXES (LL1); Current ed. on RESERVE 

Updating Online:

  • Code of Federal Regulations, List of Sections Affected (LSA)

    Issued monthly, with annual cumulations, the LSA notes presidential documents that have affected earlier documents and provides the page of the Federal Register where the amending documents can be found.  In the LSA, presidential documents are listed under Title 3 by document type (proclamations, executive orders, memoranda, etc.).  Monthly and daily LSA tables are found in the back section of each issue of the Federal Register.

  • Executive Order Disposition Tables

    Published by the National Archive and Record Administration (NARA), the Disposition Tables list the status of executive orders from 1933 to date. 

Lexis Shepard's:

Retrieving a Shepard's report by citation can be done in a variety of ways in Lexis. The most common methods to do so are the following:

  • Enter a citation in the search box (e.g., 509 U.S. 579), retrieve the document, then click the "Shepardize® This Document" link on the right.
  • Enter "shep:" in the search box, followed by your citation, then click the Search button.

Westlaw KeyCite:

Access by using any of the following methods:

  • If the citation is known, type it directly into the search box and hit enter. Click on the flag, Negative Treatment tab, History tab, or Citing References tab.
  • Click on the status flag in any document.
  • Enter kc or keycite followed by a citation, e.g., kc 93 sct 1817 or keycite 93 sct 1817, in the Global
    Search bar at the top of the page and click Search.