ODS Advanced User Guide

• What's in the ODS Advanced?
• What is not in the ODS Advanced?
• Keyword searching
• Finding document symbols
• Searching tips

The ODS Advanced database contains:

• Everything in the ODS Simple. The ODS Simple databases is referred to as UN Documents in the database selection list box located in the upper left hand side of the search page. (See ODS Simple Use Guide for a detailed list of materials contained in the UN Documents database.)
• UN Resolutions - The resolutions database contains the final official records version of all resolutions and decisions adopted by the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 up to and including 1993 (for General Assembly up to the 51st session of 1996). Before the official record version is available, individual resolutions and decision compilations from 1993 onwards can be found in the “UN documents” database.
• Daily Journal – New York .
• Daily Journal – Geneva .
• Daily Journal – Vienna .
• Daily list of documents – Geneva .
• Daily list of documents – Vienna

You can only search one of the above databases at a time in ODS Advanced. Choose the appropriate database in the database selection box located at the upper left hand side of the advanced search page.

The ODS databases do not contain:

•  materials issued by the Department of Public Information (DPI/-)

•  United Nations sales publications

•  documents with restricted distribution

•  United Nations Treaty Series

•  conference room papers and working papers

•  United Nations press releases and transcripts of press briefings

See Searching United Nations Documents and Related Publications Online for databases that provide access to the materials not contained in the ODS databases.

Keyword searching in ODS Advanced:

• Searches the full text of documents
• Limits keyword searching to just the title. Use both full text and title keyword searching together for a more focused search.
• Allows phrase searching and full Boolean searching
• Allows document symbol searching. Truncate right OR left, OR both OR not at all. Use the Lexicon to browse document symbol lists.
• Allows subject searching. Use the Lexicon button to search subject terms.
• Allows searching by session, by job number, by agenda item number
• Allows limiting by data range

Effective keyword searching requires that you add at least the beginning part of the document symbol relevant to your topic in the Symbol box. For example, when looking for information on refugees in Rwanda , type in the truncated document symbol for the High Commissioner for Refugees A/AC.96/- in the Symbol box and add your keywords in the Keyword box. This strategy focuses your search to documents produced by the commission most responsible for the oversight of refugees.

Sort results by:

• Date of publication
• Document symbol
• relevance

Finding document symbols:

• The UN Documentation: Research Guide gives document symbols for the main UN bodies.
• The University of Minnesota Document AccessUN Guide provides a list of better known UN Committees and Commissions, with associated document symbols.
• A partial List of subsidiary bodies of the General Assembly with corresponding document symbols is available off the Parliament page of the UN.
• A partial List of subsidiary bodies of the Economic and Social Council, with corresponding document symbols is available off the Parliament page of the UN.
• Use the United Nations Yearbook to research your topic; the Yearbook often provides document symbols within the discussion of particular committees and commissions.
• Document Symbols: Classification of UN Documents provides more information on the UN document symbol system.

Searching tips:

Use UNBISnet for more effective keyword searching.

Use UNBISnet to determine the document symbol(s) related to your topic, through UNBISnet's Bibliographic Keyword Search options. Truncate the symbol on the right to produce a comprehensive set of documents.

Browse official UN documents for the major UN bodies (General Assembly; Security Council; Economic and Social Council; Secretariat; International Court of Justice and Trusteeship Council) and session at the UN Documentation Centre.

For additional information on using ODS see: Official Document System of the United Nations (ODS) and the ODS help page.