Research Guides: Government Documents at Purdue: Examples of Government Documents

Executive Branch and Independent Agency Examples

Numerous types of documents are produced by U.S. Government agencies in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches along with independent agencies. Examples of documents produced by the executive branch and independent agencies include:

Fact Sheets
Research Reports
Handbooks & Manuals
Presidential Papers
Budgets
Maps & Atlases
Pamphlets
Statistics

These are examples of these publication types:

Bureau of Justice Assistance: Leadership and Service to Achieve Safer Communities
Fact sheet from this Justice Dept. division.
Assessing Pollinator Friendliness of Plants and Designing Mixes to Restore Habitat for Bees
U.S. Forest Service research report.
The China-North Korea Strategic Rift: Background and Implications for the United States
U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission report
Airplane Flying Handbook
Federal Aviation Administration handbook.
Bridge Welding Reference Manual
Produced by the Dept. of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration
Congressional Oversight Manual
Produced by Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service.
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Obama)
Barack Obama (July 1, 2016-January 20, 2017)
Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents
July 3, 2020 remarks by President Donald Trump at Mount Rushmore, SD 4th of July celebration.
Budget of the United States Government Fiscal Year 2023
Contains Biden Administration message on proposed U.S. Government budget.
Does Marrying Younger Mean Marrying More Often: When and How Often People Marry Changes by Birth Cohort
Census Bureau statistics and analysis
Productivity and Costs, Second Quarter 2022, Revised
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics press release with statistical data.
Taiwan
Central Intelligence Agency map of Taiwan.
Flood Insurance Map in Section of Lafayette, IN
Produced by Federal Emergency Management Administration

Legislative Branch and Congressional Support Agency Examples

Examples of documents produced by the legislative branch and congressional support agencies include:

Hearings (including testimony)
Congressional committee reports on legislation
Committee prints (studies done for congressional committees on subjects they have oversight of)
Proceeding and debate transcripts (Congressional Record)
Bills
Newly enacted laws
Codified Laws
Congressional Support agency reports

Future Force Structure Requirements for the United States Navy
June 4, 2020 House Armed Services Committee hearing
Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
June 10, 2021 House Judiciary Committee hearing.
Cybersecurity Security Opportunity Act
January 20, 2022 Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee report on S. 2305 to enhance cybersecurity education.
The New Big Brother: China & Digital Authoritarianism
July 21, 2020 Minority Staff Report and committee print by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
U.S. Senate Debate Transcript
Transcript of U.S. Senate debate in the September 7, 2022 Congressional Record.
H.R. 3810 Saving American History Act of 2021
Text of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives on June 11, 2021 to prohibit federal funds from being used to teach Project 1619 material in elementary and secondary schools. Lists Representatives introducing and cosponsoring this legislation and the committee(s) to which the bill was referred to.
Better Cybercrime Metrics Act Public Law 117-116
May 5, 2022 congressionally passed and presidentially signed legislation seeking to improve cybercrime data collection. Establishes funding for this initiative and gives various agencies time periods in which they have to file reports on this subject.
Federal Grain Standards Laws
Title 7 Sections 71-87 of the United States Code include text of federal grain standards laws. The United States Code includes the codified text of U.S. laws divided into 54 different titles or subject areas.
The Economic and Budgetary Effects of Producing Oil and Natural Gas From Shale
2014 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report. CBO is a congressional support agency analyzing the budgetary implications of federal programs, the U.S. Government budget, and files cost estimates on legislation reported by congressional committees.
Children and the Internet: Legal Considerations in Restricting Access to Content
March 14, 2022 report by the Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS prepares objective reports on public policy issues being considered by Congress.
Disaster Recovery: Additional Actions Needed to Identify and Address Potential Recovery Barriers : report to congressional requesters.
December 2021 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on this subject. GAO is a congressional support agency evaluating the management performance of government programs.

Judicial Branch Examples

Numerous documents are produced by the U.S. Government's judicial branch including:

Court Opinions
Oral arguments and transcripts before the U.S. Supreme Court
Briefs (arguments urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule a particular way on an individual case)
Court Orders
Biographies of Federal Judges

Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization
June 24, 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and returning abortion law jurisdiction to individual states.
Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization Oral Argument
December 1, 2021 oral arguments and argument transcript before the U.S. Supreme Court in this Mississippi abortion case.
Friend of the Court (Amici Curiae) Briefs in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Clinic
Arguments filed by interested individuals and organizations before the U.S. Supreme Court urging it to rule in particular ways on this Mississippi abortion case.
Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of NC et. al.
July 22, 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ordering consolidating these two cases challenging university affirmative action admission programs which the Supreme Court will hear arguments on October 31, 2022.
James v. Alabama
July 28, 2022 order by Justice Clarence Thomas denying a stay of execution to Alabama prisoner.
U.S. Supreme Court Journal
Documents court decisions between October 4, 2021 and June 2022. Contains minutes of activities and information about lawyers licensed to practice before the Supreme Court.
Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
Features biographies of presidentially appointed federal judges from 1789-present.