Why You Need Them

Who Publishes Them

Their Formats

The Information in Them

Tracking Them Down

Printable Checklist

Who Publishes Government Documents: Part Two

The more you know about what governments do, the easier it will be for you to track down information.

For instance, the Department of Justice collects national crime statistics. But some of the statistics are published by its Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), while others are published by its Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education collects statistics about on-campus crime and the National Center for Education Statistics collects statistics on crime in schools.

As another example -- when you're looking for the status of a bill in Congress, it will be easier for you to understand what you find if you understand how bills move from committee to committee and from house to house in Congress. (For more information on this, see the Government Printing Office's guide How Laws Are Made.)