Checking a quote
Verbatim records and summary records
Short answer
- Verbatim record (UN)
- Full first-person account 1
- Summary record (UN)
- Third-person condensed version 1
- UK Hansard
- Substantially verbatim 2
- US Congressional Record
- Substantially verbatim account under House rule XVII 3
- European Parliament verbatim report
- Speeches in their original language 8
The main record types
| Type | What it gives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verbatim record | Full first-person account of a meeting 1 | UN symbol with PV, such as S/PV.6826 1 |
| Substantially verbatim report | Words as spoken, with repetitions removed and obvious mistakes corrected 2 | UK Hansard 2, South African Hansard 4 |
| Summary record | Third-person condensed version 1 | UN symbol with SR, such as A/C.4/66/SR.10 1 |
| Meetings press release | Plain synopsis written by press officers 7 | UN Meetings Coverage 7 |
| Audiovisual record | Indexed recording made right after each sitting 8 | European Parliament plenary 8 |
Verbatim does not mean unedited
UK Hansard removes repetitions and obvious mistakes 2. South Africa's Parliament uses the same wording, a substantially verbatim report with repetitions and redundancies omitted and obvious mistakes corrected 4. Australian Hansard editors check grammar and remove vocal tics, but cannot change the meaning 5.
In the US House, the Congressional Record must be a substantially verbatim account, and this covers the Chair's statements and rulings as well as debate 3. Material added later must be set in distinctive type 3.
Original language and translation
Under the European Parliament rule amended in 2012, the verbatim report shows all oral contributions in their original language, with no translation 8. A Member can ask for a translation of an extract into any official language 8. The Parliament says texts are published only after processing by the verbatim report service, and not always in the order the speeches were made 9.
At the UN, each language version of a verbatim record carries translations of speeches made in other languages 10. A quote taken from a translated text is the translation, not the speaker's original words.
Summary records at the UN
Principal organs and selected subsidiary bodies have either verbatim or summary records, not both 1. A summary record restates the debate in the third person 1. A 1998 Fifth Committee summary record was marked subject to correction, with corrections issued after the session in a separate corrigendum for each Committee 6.
Which record supports which claim
- Direct quote: check the verbatim or substantially verbatim record, and note any distinct type for inserted text 3,2.
- Paraphrase of a position: a summary record can support it, with the record named 1.
- Report of what happened at a meeting: a meetings press release is a synopsis, published within two to three hours 7.
- Exact delivery: the audiovisual record, where one exists. Printed records are edited 8,5.
Common questions
What is a substantially verbatim record?
A record of the words spoken with repetitions removed and obvious mistakes corrected, as used by UK and South African Hansard 2,4.
Can I quote from a UN summary record?
A summary record is a third-person condensed version, so it does not give the speaker's own words 1.
Is the European Parliament verbatim report translated?
Speeches appear in their original language. A Member can request a translation of an extract 8.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@saidincontext.com.
Sources
- UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library: Meeting Records, About UN Documents
- UK Parliament Hansard: About Hansard (the Official Report)
- GovInfo: House Practice, A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House, Chapter 15, Congressional Record
- Parliament of South Africa: Hansard
- Parliamentary Education Office (Australia): Hansard
- United Nations General Assembly: A/C.5/53/SR.12, Fifth Committee, 12th meeting (23 October 1998)
- UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases: We've got the United Nations covered
- European Parliament Legislative Observatory: EP Rules of Procedure, Rule 181 and 182: verbatim reports (20 November 2012)
- European Parliament: Debates and Videos, Plenary
- UN Department for General Assembly and Conference Management: Verbatim Reporting Service
Related
- UN meeting records explained
How UN verbatim and summary records work, how to read their symbols, how delegations correct them, and how they differ from press releases and briefings.
- What is Hansard?
Hansard is the official report of parliamentary debates. How it is edited, how fast it appears and how to search it in several parliaments.
- How to check a quote against the official record
A method for checking an official's words against Hansard, the Congressional Record, UN meeting records and briefing transcripts.
- The Congressional Record explained
How the US Congressional Record is made, its four parts, how members revise and extend remarks, and where committee hearing transcripts are published.