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  1. Home
  2. Superintendent of Documents Classification Guidelines
  3. Classes by Publication Type

Classes by Publication Type

  • Last Updated: July 25, 2023
  • Published: November 12, 2021

This section covers publications that receive special treatment by way of a word, an abbreviation, or other descriptive text that may be added to the end of the classification number. See Additions to Book Numbers for more general information about words and abbreviations in the suffix.

In many cases, a catalog record will already include references to the publication type in the title or other field and will describe a document as a correction, errata, preliminary report, or other type of publication. This may affect whether the classification number includes the publication type, or whether it is even necessary or advisable to add the type to the number. The following guidelines are designed to assist in assigning the most useful classification number.

For guidance on publication types such as supplements, indexes, or special issues of serials, see the article on Continuing Resources.

Corrections

A corrected copy of a whole publication is given the class of the original publication with /CORR. added at the end:

Example:
Y 1.1/5:113-200/CORR.   Keystone XL pipeline: Report (to accompany S. 2554)

Additional corrections to the same publication take the format /CORR.-2, /CORR.-3, and so on.

Errata

Classification of errata sheets for publications depends on how they were issued by the agency or received by GPO.

Example:
A 13.92:ID 1/7/ERRATA Errata for the final environmental impact statement for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests land management plan
  • A separately issued errata sheet is classified the same as the parent document with the addition of /ERRATA.
  • Loose errata sheets contained in a publication at time of receipt should be classified as a separate document with the addition of /ERRATA.
  • An errata sheet that is a bound page in a document requires no action.
  • A separately issued errata whose parent publication has not been received should not be classified.

Preliminary, Initial, Draft, and Final Reports

When classifying a preliminary, initial, draft, or final report add /PRELIM., /INITIAL, /DRAFT, or /FINAL at the end of the class:

Example:
TD 1.112/5:M 56/PRELIM. Preliminary Report Railroad DCA15FR004
A 13.105/2:R 5-MB-296/DRAFT Draft Revised Land Management Plan for the Sequoia National Forest
I 49.44/3-3:B 54/3/FINAL/ Final comprehensive conservation plan and environmental impact statement, National Bison Range, Montana

Use these additions to the SuDocs number even when not necessary to establish a unique number.

In past GPO practice, in some classes, separate stems were created for draft and final reports.

Example:
A 13.92: Final Environmental Impact Statements and Related Materials (Forest Service)
A 13.92/2: Draft Environmental Impact Statements and Related Materials (Forest Service)

Even in these cases, add /DRAFT or /FINAL to the end of the class.

Example:
A 13.92: B 38/4/FINAL Final environmental impact statement, Beartooth travel management

In current practice, GPO prefers to use the same stem for draft and final editions.

Reprints

A reprint is a new printing of an item made from the original type image. The printing may reproduce the original exactly or may contain slight variations, such as changes in names of officials or date of printing. The changes are often inconsequential and are not major revisions to the text or content of the document. If there are questions, contact the agency to confirm it is a reprint.

In most cases, reprints are not classified if the original has already been classified. However, if the original has not been received in the FDLP or Cataloging & Indexing but a reprint has, the latter will be classed. Add a /YEAR to known reprints, e.g. /2017. Reprints from non-Government publications issued by Government agencies are classified in the general publications or other appropriate classes and are not treated as separates.

Preprints and Separates

A preprint is a portion of a publication issued in advance of the completed publication. A separate is a reprint of an individual article from a Government publication. Classes for preprints are limited to U.S. Government publications. Preprints of Federal publications that are within the FDLP scope will generally not be cataloged when a final version is available for free public access on a Federal Government website or distributed in print. If a preprint is the only version freely publicly accessible, the publication will be cataloged and classified using the general classification guidelines for Federal publications. Do not add /PREPRINT to the end of the class.

Example
E 9.17:NREL/CP-5 D 00-62815

Controlling wind turbines for secondary frequency regulation: an analysis of AGC capabilities under new performance based compensation policy: preprint

There are exceptions to the general rule that preprints and separates available in final and/or compiled versions will not be cataloged and classified. In these cases the class number for the preprint or separate is attached to the class of the parent publication by use of a slash and a letter.

Example:
X 1.1: Congressional Record (bound edition)
X 1.1/A: Congressional Record (daily edition)

The daily Congressional record is treated as a preprint of the bound edition for classification purposes.

Summaries and Executive Summaries

Summaries of various kinds, executive or otherwise, for monographic publications are classified by adding an appropriate abbreviation such as /SUM. or /EXEC.SUM. at the end of the class. However, if the entire publication including the summary is classified and cataloged, then a separately issued identical summary is not cataloged. 

Example:
NF 2.2:AR 7/19/EXEC.SUM.          Artists in the workforce, 1990-2005 : executive summary

If a summary is connected by numbering to a serial, such as no. 13 of a monthly, or no. 5 of a quarterly, etc., then assign it the same classification number as the serial, and treat it as part of the serial.

Electronic Products

Electronic Products is a general category class established under some agencies as needed. Compact discs (CDs, CD-ROMs), digital video discs (DVDs, DVD-ROMs), and accompanying printed technical documentation are classed here. Add a slash and a designation to show the format of materials. The designations are /CD for a compact disc and /DVD for a digital video disc.

Example:
HE 1.60:                     Electronic Products (Health and Human Services Department)
HE 1.60:B 87/DVD Stop bullying now!

Add a slash and a designation to show the format of related materials in classes that contain a variety of materials and titles. The designations are /CD for a CD-ROM and /DVD for a digital video disc.

Sets with Multiple Publication Types

Publications with a common title that make up a set may consist of different types of material, such as a report with an accompanying map and a supplemental DVD. Another set with a common title but no volume numbers may include a bibliography, a manual, a report, and a chart.

In these cases, decide which publication is the main publication, and classify it in the appropriate class. Assign the class for the main publication to the other publications, adding a slash and a word or standard abbreviation for the other publication types at the end of the class.

In any kit, toolkit, packet, or package, use /KIT or /TOOLKIT for a variety of types of materials, and use /PACKET or /PACKAGE for a collection of items that are predominantly paper.

Example:
HE 20.7002:T 79/14/2013/KIT Mantoux tuberculin skin test
HE 20.7002:H 64/4/PACKAGE Prevention is care: materials for HIV providers, HIV care is built on small talks

If the publications have similar titles but are not issued as a set, classify the publications separately, each in its appropriate class.

In the case of a report accompanied by a map, classify the report in its appropriate class. Use the same number as assigned to the report for the map and add /MAP at the end of the class. Do not classify a map in a Maps class if it is part of a set, or is to be used with another publication. See the section on Cartographic Resources for more information.

 

Classification Guidelines

  • Introduction to the Classification Guidelines
  • The Classification System: A Brief History
  • Structure of the Classification Number
    • Sorting in SuDocs Order
      • Example of a SuDocs Sort
  • Class Stems
    • Letter Author Symbols
    • New Agency Classes
    • Joint Publications from Different Agencies
    • Publications Prepared by One Agency for Another
    • Serials with Changing Publishers
    • Joint Publications Issued in Series
    • Subordinate Offices
      • First and Second Levels
      • Assignment of Classes 
      • Third and Fourth Levels
      • Joint Publications from Different Subagencies
      • Name Changes and Reorganizations
  • Category Classes
    • Most Frequently Used Category Classes
      • .1 - Annual reports
      • .2 - General publications
      • .8 - Handbooks, manuals, and guides
      • .11 - Maps and Charts
      • .12 - Posters
    • Less Frequent Category Classes
      • .3 - Bulletins
      • .4 - Circulars
      • .5 - Laws
      • .6 - Regulations, rules, and instructions
      • .7 - Press releases
      • .9 - Bibliographies and Lists of Publications
      • .10 - Directories
      • .13 - Forms
      • .14 - Addresses
  • Cutter Numbers
    • Cutter Table and Its Use
      • Filing Order for Cutter Numbers
      • Slash Numbers
      • Selecting Cutter Words
      • Words to Avoid when Cuttering
      • Sets With a Collective Title
      • Foreign Language Editions
      • Numbers in Titles
      • Cuttering Acronyms and Initialisms
    • Cuttering: Geographic Topics  
      • Cuttering Related Documents Covering the Same Subject but Different Geographic Area
      • General Subjects and Geographic Terms
      • Cuttering Geographic Terms Using Personal Names
      • Maps
      • Cuttering Multi-Part Geographic Names
      • State Cutter Numbers
    • State Cutter Numbers
  • Additions to Book Numbers
    • Dates
      • Year Format
      • Dates for Revised Editions
      • Punctuation in Dates or Date Ranges
    • Volume, Part, Chapter, and Section Numbers
      • Volume Number and Date: Which Comes First?
    • Words and Abbreviations
      • Foreign-language Publications
    • Multiple Word Phrases in a Suffix
    • Multiple Versions of a Publication
      • Corrected Copies of Numbered Volumes
    • Standard Abbreviations and Words
    • State Abbreviations
  • Classes by Publication Type
    • Corrections
    • Errata
    • Preliminary, Initial, Draft, and Final Reports
    • Reprints
    • Preprints and Separates
    • Summaries and Executive Summaries
    • Electronic Products
    • Sets with Multiple Publication Types
  • Monographic Series
    • Identifying a Monographic Series
    • Assigning New Series Classes
      • Series Related to Existing Classes by Subject
    • Structure of the Series Class
    • Departmental Series vs. Bureau Series
    • Series Book Numbers
      • Series Numbering
      • Unusual Series Numbering
      • Series Numbering and Revised Editions
      • Numbering System Changes
      • Two Series on One Publication
      • Series Number versus Agency Control Number
    • Letters and Phrases Appearing on Publications
    • Volumes, Parts, or Sections
    • Publications Which Are Not Series or Serials
      • Multipart Monographs versus Series
      • Other Situations
  • Continuing Resources
    • Identifying a Continuing Resource
    • Serials
    • Integrating Resources
    • Assigning New Continuing Resource Classes
      • Works Related to Category Classes
      • Works Related to Existing Classes by Subject
      • New Classes to Reflect Changes for Existing Serials
      • Serials within Series: Separate Class Approach
      • Serials with a Constant Series Number
    • Cuttering a Serial or, When Not to Establish a New Class Stem for a Serial
      • Serials within Series: Cuttering Approach
      • Publications of Short Duration
      • Other cases for Cuttering
    • Serials Designation
      • Number 1 for First Month Appears Annually
      • Date incorporated in Series Number
      • Volume and Number
    • Date
      • Annual (and Less Frequent) Publications  
      • Semiannual Publications
      • Publications Issued Three or More Times a Year
      • Variations in Publication Cycles
      • Release Date vs. Coverage Date
    • Special Issues of Serials
      • Supplements
      • Indexes
    • Frequently Revised Monographs Cataloged as Serials
  • Presidential Publications
    • Presidential Committees and Commissions
    • Presidential Commissions vs Presidential Initiatives
    • Permanent Agencies Reporting to the President
    • Vice President of the United States
  • Congressional and Legislative Branch Publications
    • Y 4. - Congressional Committee Publications
      • Constructing the Committee Designation
      • Reorganized Committees and Name Changes
      • Joint Hearings
      • Publications Prepared by One Committee for the Use of Another
      • Individual Book Numbers
    • Y 1.-: - Congress as a Whole, House and Senate as a Whole
      • Individual Book Numbers
      • House and Senate Documents and Reports
      • Y 1.1/2: - U. S. Congressional Serial Set
      • Y 1.2/5: - United States Code
    • Boards, Commissions, and Independent or Temporary Committees Established by Congress
      • Boards, Commissions, and Committees Established within the Executive Branch
      • Y 3. Boards and Commissions Outside the Executive Branch
    • Y 4.2: and Y 4.3: - Select and Special Committees (As Appointed)
    • Y 7.1: - Memorial Addresses
    • Y 9. - Speeches
    • Y 10: and Y 11: - Subordinate Offices
    • X 1.1: - Congressional Record
    • XJH: and XJS: - House and Senate Journals
    • Y and X General Issues
      • Serial Publications
      • Star Prints
      • Erratum/Errata
  • U.S. Participation in International Organizations
  • Cartographic Resources
    • Category Classes for Maps and Charts
    • General Rules
    • U.S. Geological Survey Maps
      • Coordinates
      • Map Reference Numbers
      • Northwest Quadrant 
      • Northeast Quadrant
      • Southwest Quadrant
      • Southeast Quadrant
      • Edition Date
    • Bureau of Land Management Maps
    • U.S. Forest Service Maps
      • Revision Dates
    • National Ocean Service Nautical Charts
    • Map Types
  • Classification Guidelines for Digital Reproductions
    •  Classification by Type of Digital Reproduction
  • Superintendent of Documents Classification Guidelines for Specific Publications and Classes
    • A 13.28: - Forest Service OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) Maps
    • AE 2.106/3: - Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
    • I 53.11: - Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series
    • S 1.1: - Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS)
    • SI 8. - National Gallery of Art
    • Y 1.1/3: - The Constitution of the United States of America: analysis and interpretation: annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to ...
    • Classing Publications in ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) Database

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Please submit your questions about the Superintendent of Documents Classification Guidelines via askGPO by choosing the “Federal Depository Library Program” tile and selecting the category “Cataloging/Metadata (Policy and Records).

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