Last revised: August, 2008
Government Accountability Office Information
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Scope: This guide gives an overview of how to find information produced by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), formerly named the General Accounting Office. If you have any questions or would like further assistance, please contact the U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services staff at govdocs@umd.edu or 301.405.9165. |
Table of Contents
About the Government Accountability Office...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a nonpartisan agency of Congress. Its primary function is to examine all matters relating to the receipt and disbursement of public funds. The GAO conducts audits, surveys, evaluations and investigations relating to Government programs and activities in response to specific congressional requests. The reviews are performed by GAO staff whose expertise covers a variety of disciplines--accounting, law, public and business administration, economics, social, medical and physical sciences, and other areas. Reviews are published by the GAO in the form of reports or testimonies.
Finding GAO Publications Online
- Government Accountability Office (various publications back to 1930's)
http://www.gao.gov
Use the search box in the upper right corner. - GAO Reports (1970-present with limited coverage of pre-1970 materials)
http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/repandtest.html - GAO Comptroller General Decisions (1970-present)
http://www.gao.gov/legal/decisions.html
Finding GAO Publications in Print
As a Federal Depository Library, McKeldin Library has many GAO reports in paper and microfiche format. Look for the call number in the U.S. Government Information SU Docs stacks (4th floor McKeldin) or U.S. Government Information Microfiche collection (4th floor McKeldin Computer Lab [pdf]). Note: Recent years may only be available online.
| Publication Title: | Call Number: | About the Publication: |
|---|---|---|
| Comptroller General's Annual Report | GA 1.1: [year] | An annual report is issued by the GAO based upon its audit activities for that fiscal year. It contains priority review areas covered by and major accomplishments of the GAO during the year including
|
| Decisions of the Comptroller General (annual) * | GA 1.5: (Note: Volumes from 1921-1960 are in off-site storage at HJ 10.H52) |
Decisions are published by GAO's Office of the General Counsel. The head of the GAO, the Comptroller General, issues decisions in the following areas of federal law:
|
| Abstracts and Index of Reports and Testimony | GA 1.16/3-3: [year/index] | All of GAO's unclassified reports are made available to the public. A monthly publication Reports and Testimony is issued with abstracts for GAO publications. The Annual Index consolidates the monthly publication in two volumes. The first volume contains summaries of more than 1,000 reports. The second volume consists of comprehensive indexes, including subject, to enable rapid location of reports and testimonies. |
| Testimonies | GA 1.5/2: T - [GAO Division*] - [year] - [#] | Testimonies are statements issued by individuals or organizations regarding various topics investigated by the GAO. *See GAO Division Acronyms below. |
| Reports | GA 1.13: [GAO Division*] - [year] - [#] | Reports are the published findings of a GAO division regarding various topics investigated by the GAO. *See GAO Division Acronyms below. |
GAO Division Acronyms
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AFMD AIMD GGD HEHS HR HRD IMTEC NSIAD OCE OCG OGC OP PEMD PLRD RCED |
Accounting Finance Management Division Accounting and Information Management Division General Government Division Health, Education and Human Service High Risk Series Human Resources Division Information Management and Technology National Security and International Affairs Division Office of the Chief Economist Office of the Comptroller General Office of the General Counsel Office of Policy Program Evaluation and Methodology Division Procurement, Logistics and Readiness Division Resources, Community and Economic Development |
