Use the sources in this guide to find treaties by citation, subject or parties.
Be creative and persevere!
Standard treaty citations will usually include a citation to a treaty source where the text of the treaty has been published.
If you have a citation, compare your citation to the Bluebook format and identify the cited treaty source. Major treaty sources are linked below.
If your cited treaty source isn't listed in this guide, search the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations to identify the full title and then search for the treaty source in HOLLIS..
See Bluebook Rule 21.4: Treaties and Other International Agreements
The standard Bluebook citation for a treaty should include
The treaty source cited will depend on
Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Estates, Inheritances, and Gifts, Fr.-U.S., Nov. 24, 1978, 32 U.S.T. 1935.
This treaty is available at 32 U.S.T. 1935
North Atlantic Treaty art.5, Apr. 4, 1949, 63 Stat. 2241, 34 U.N.T.S. 243.
This treaty is available at 63 Stat. 2241
This treaty is also available at 34 U.N.T.S. 243
Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation, Neth.-Swed., art. 4, Apr. 25, 1952, 163 U.N.T.S. 131
This treaty is available at 163 U.N.T.S. 131
For both bilateral and multilateral treaties where the U.S. is a party, cite to one of the following official U.S. treaty sources, in order of preference:
For multilateral treaties, you may also add one parallel citation from an international organization's source, e.g.:
1784-1944
1929-1945
S. Exec. Doc.: pre-1979
S. Treaty Doc. (1979- present)
v.1 (1990)-v. 10 (1999)
1939-1989
Continued by the Organization of American States Treaty Series
1956-1993
This list is not meant to be all-inclusive but to give guidance on some of the more commonly used abbreviations of resources where treaties can be found, in both the Harvard Law Library's print collection, as well as online collections or trusted websites.
Common Abbreviations for Treaty Resources | |||
---|---|---|---|
Abbreviation
|
Title |
Print/Online Sources
|
|
Call Number |
Available Online
|
||
AJIL |
American Journal of International Law and Cumulative index to the American journal of international law |
AJIL - Widener Int 16.5 Index - Law School JX 1 .A8 |
available through multiple online databases through the Harvard Libraries portal (dates of coverage vary) |
Bevans | Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America, 1776-1949 | Law School Harvard Depository JX236 1776 .B48x 1968 |
Hein Online (under Unofficial Treaty Publications) LLMC Digital |
BGBl |
Bundesgesetzblatt der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (includes all ratified treaties and international agreements for Germany) |
N/A
|
|
CTIA | Consolidated Treaties and International Agreements, 1990-onward |
N/A |
|
CTS |
Consolidated Treaty Series, 1648-1918 |
Law School KZ120 .P35 1969 |
N/A |
EAS | Executive Agreement Series, 1929-1945 | Law School JX 236.1929 | N/A |
For. Rel. | Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Series (note, title can vary, Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States) | catalogued individually in Hollis and Hollis Classic, with some selections found at Harvard-Yenching Harvard Depository (K) | State Department, Office of the Historian |
I.L.M. | International Legal Materials | Law School Reference JX68 .I5 |
Hein Online (under Unofficial Treaty Publications) |
JORF | Journal officiel de la République française, Lois et decrets |
|
|
Kappler | Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties | Law School KF8203 1904 |
Hein Online (under Unofficial Treaty Publications) Google Books (selected vols.) |
KAV | Hein's United States Treaties and Other International Agreements Current Microfiche Service. (This is a microfiche set of current international agreements and treaties.) | Mic JX 235.9 .H45 (drawers 400-402) | Hein Online (under Official Treaty Publications) |
Malloy | Treaties, Conventions, International Acts, Protocols, and Agreements Between the United States of America and Other Powers |
Law School Reference JX236 1910 |
Hein Online (under Unofficial Treaty Publications) Google Books (only vols. 1-3) |
Miller | Treaties and Other International Acts of the United States of America | Law School Reference JX236 1931a |
Hein Online (under Unofficial Treaty Publications) |
OAS |
Organization of American States Treaty Series continued by Inter-American Treaties and Conventions: Signatures, Ratifications, and Deposits with Explanatory Notes |
Law School Reference JX236.5 .I57x 1993 | OAS web site |
OJ | Official Journal of the European Communities |
Law School KJE908 .L43 [Kept until replaced by microform] and |
|
RGTF | Recueil general des Traites de la France (1919-onwards) | Law School Harvard Depository JX 686 1976 .F7 | N/A |
RTAF | Recueil des Traites et Accords de la France (1919-onwards) | Law School KZ685.3 .R43 | N/A |
UKTS | United Kingdom Treaty Series (1892 to date) | Law School KZ635.3 .T74 | N/A |
Vert. or VBD | Vertrage der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Series A. Multilaterale Vertrage (1955 to date) |
Law School KZ695.3 .V47 (1955-1990) Law School KZ695.3 .V47 (1991-date) |
N/A |
Wiktor | Unperfected Treaties of the United States of America, 1776-1976 | Law School Reference JX236 1776 .U56 | N/A |
American Journal of International Law & Cumulative Index to the American Journal of International Law
If a treaty is not published in an official source, use an unofficial source.
Cite to International Legal Materials (I.L.M). if the treaty is published there.
Otherwise see the list below, Bluebook Rule 21.4.5 (c), and Bluebook Table 4.3 for other unofficial treaty sources
Bilateral treaties are agreements between only two parties. In general, these agreements are more difficult to track down because not all countries make them publicly available. Multilateral treaties, tend to be easier to locate because they are often published in treaty sets or available online.
Sometimes a treaty may only be found on the website of the organization or body that has been created or given authority to oversee that the terms of the treaty are carried out by the state parties. Listed on this page are a few such organizations.
Also included on this page are some of the well-known treaty series, administered by IGOs or Supranational Organizations.
This page is not intended to be all-inclusive.
United Nations Treaty Collection:
In addition to the link above, this treaty series is also available through the Hein Online United Nations Collection.
This collection includes six categories of treaty-related data:
* Status of Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General
* The United Nations Treaty Series
* Texts of Recently Deposited Multilateral Treaties
* Photographs of Treaty Signature Ceremonies
* Titles of the Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General in the UN official languages
* Summary of Practice of the Secretary-General as Depositary of Multilateral Treaties
League of Nations Treaty Series:
In addition the link above, this treaty series is also available through the Hein Online United Nations Law Collection.
This website attempts to provide links to all official government gazettes available online. It is particularly helpful because it includes an annotation for each entry regarding scope and content.
This website offers a searchable database of over 55,000 treaties
of the 20th century. Compiled using a subject thesaurus, it can be
search a number of ways and is a good source for identifying bilateral
agreements.
1) One way that these publications can be identified is by carrying out a subject search in the HOLLIS Classic catalogue.
New Zealand Treaty Series, through the New Zealand Legal Information Institute. The database pulls information from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Researchers are also encouraged to visit that ministry's website to make sure their information is up to date, and for more information on the treaty making process in New Zealand.
Once you've found your treaty or international agreement, you'll want to be sure to update it as well as the status of reservations made to it by parties and signatories.
Many non-governmental organizations, as well as international organizations, and country websites provide online status updates to treaties, especially if they are responsible for admministering such treaties. A few are provided below:
Updating Treaties, Reservations, and Parties | |||
---|---|---|---|
Title
|
Description |
Print/Online Sources
|
|
Call Number |
Available Online
|
||
Bowman and Harris, Multilateral Treaties Index and Current Status |
Along with the annual supplement, gives current status, parties to a reaty, note as to reservations and denunciations. |
N/A |
|
Multilaterial Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General |
An annual publication of the UN. Provides current status of all multilateral treaties deposited there. Reference numbers obtained from the back of the volume correspond to chapters and their subdivisions. Included is information on parties, dates of signature, and ratification, as well as information on reservations and declarations. |
||
Treaties in Force |
Lists all treaties in force to which the US is a party. In addition, all other states which are parties are given. Treaties in Force can further be updated by the State Department Dispatch. Law School Ref Desk JX236.5 .T7 [Current edition only]. It can also be updated by reviewing the Treaty Actions (published online monthly) by the State Department. The Dispatch can be searched online on Lexis: INTLAW;DSTATE. It can be found on the State Department's website as well as on Westlaw.
Note you may also find the Guide to Treaties in Force to be helpful in using this updating resource. It is available electronically through Hein Online, in the Treaties and Agreements Library, under the category of Treaty Guides and Indexes. |
Westlaw Hein Online Treaties and Agreements Library
|
Accession - formal adoption of the provisions of a treaty already agreed upon by other parties
Bilateral - a treaty between just two parties
Effective date - the date on which the provisions of the treaty take effect
Entry into force - the date on which the treaty formally becomes a legal obligation binding parties, usually a certain number of days after the last notification
Initialed - the stage when a treaty has been agreed by the negotiating representatives of all parties after which the treaty is submitted for approval at a political level
Multilateral - a treaty between more than two parties
Negotiation - this is the first step in the process of concluding a treaty and is usually carried out by representatives of the parties concerned
Parties - countries that have ratified a treaty and are bound by the terms of the treaty
Ratification - the completion of the formal process of approval of a treaty when one parties notifies the other parties of the ratification, after which that party is bound by the treaty
Reservation - a term or terms of a treaty objected to by a party
Signature - the stage at which a treaty has been approved by the government, making the government bound to uphold the treaty, although the treaty is not yet effective
Termination - the formal act of one or more parties to terminate the application of the treaty
Termination date - the date from which a treaty ceases to have effect
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