What is in Submit a Document ?

This section describes the procedures to be followed when submitting an official document for processing by the Languages, Documentation and Information Management Division (LDIMD). Standards must be respected when creating official documentation to ensure consistency in the three working languages of the Secretariat (English, French and Spanish).

	Headings	Description	Details	Highlights
	Submitting a document	Document Management System (DMS)		-
	Official documents	Documents with symbols, other than Job documents		-
	Job documents	Internal and external Job documents		-
	Document dissemination	Security access levels (restricted v. unrestricted)		-
	Special requests	Requests for text processing, document print runs		-
	Contacts	Who does what?

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1. Submission tool (DMS)

The Document Management System (DMS) is the computer application used by the Secretariat to process and monitor all requests for:

• the processing and translation of official documents (i.e. those bearing a symbol)
• the processing and translation of internal and external job documents (i.e. those not bearing a symbol)
• the dissemination of documents (both on paper and in electronic form)
• ad hoc print-runs of documents
• ad hoc text processing

Documents must be submitted to Documents Control via the divisional module of the DMS which is available to authorized users only, usually the Adminstrative staff in each division of the Secretariat.

Documents Control is the unit responsible for the receipt, authorization, translation, storage and dissemination of all internal and external documents produced by the Secretariat. This unit also ensures that approved documentation standards and procedures are respected.

2. Official documents

Once the document has been created with WORD in accordance with house standards - see : Build a document, a request for translation and document processing must be submitted through the DMS to Documents Control.  

Submitting a request for translation and/or document processing

• complete an online form ("green sheet") which is available in the divisional module of the DMS. You should assign a symbol, date and title to the document.

• a security access level will be assigned automatically to the new document on the basis of its symbol.  This default security level has been decided by the responsible division. It is NOT possible to override the default in the DMS divisional module at this stage. If you wish to modify the default and assign a different access level to the document, specify clearly the required changes on the "green sheet" before submitting the request. Staff in Documents control will then incorporate the changes during the processing of the document. More information on document security levels is available under Dissemination of documents.

• a number of fields in the form are mandatory and should always be completed - if they are left incomplete, it will not be possible to finalise the request in the DMS:

• Requested date
• Reason for date
• References and Special Instructions for Translation
• Typing Instructions
• Distribution Instructions

• to facilitate the rapid processing of documents by Documents Control, certain procedures should always be followed.  These procedures also contain instructions on how to create new symbols and assign Internet security access levels to documents.

• attach the electronic version of the WORD document to the completed form in the DMS and then send the request to Documents Control. 

Please note: if no electronic version of the document exists (i.e. the document is in offset), the same procedure should be followed and the paper copy submitted manually to Documents Control. 

• corrections to documents already submitted to Documents Control should be requested through the DMS in the same way.

3. Job documents

Once the document has been created with WORD in accordance with house standards - see : Build a document, a request for translation and document processing must be submitted through the DMS to Documents Control.  

Submitting a request for translation and/or document processing

The procedure used for submitting official documents also applies to the submission of JOBS, with the following proviso:

when submitting a job document for processing, it is important to be aware of the type of distribution that is required:

• if the document is to be disseminated electronically to Members via Documents online, it should always be issued as an external job and assigned a symbol: JOB(01)/number. The default access level of all external jobs is Normal - do not modify this access in the DMS.

• if the document is NOT to be disseminated electronically to Members via Documents online, it should always be issued as an internal job. These documents bear a simple job number and have no symbol. The access level of all internal jobs is Secretariat - this should be entered in the form in the DMS when submitting an internal job.

Please note: if, subsequently, an internal job is required to be distributed electronically to Members via Documents online, it must first be re-issued as an external job and assigned a symbol: JOB(01)/number.

4. Dissemination of documents

Documents for which an electronic distribution is required are posted in Documents online - see : Distribute a document. Access to documents in this application is determined by the status assigned to them at the time of posting - either restricted (for Members only) or unrestricted (for everybody). Responsibility for deciding the status of a document or series of documents rests entirely with the division concerned. The status of a document is assigned by entering one of the following access levels when completing the online form in the DMS ("green sheet"):

Normal	Used for documents which are restricted (to Members) and which are posted on the Internet in the password-protected Members site for documentation
Public	Used for documents which are public and which are posted on the Internet in the wto.org site for documentation
Secretariat	Used for documents which concern the Secretariat only and which are NEVER posted on the Internet. They are available, however, on the Intranet within the Secretariat. Please note: this classification level applies mostly to OFFICE, other administrative documents and Internal JOBS
Special	Reserved category (not currently used)

Documents posted in Documents online are also distributed on paper to Members and to Observers according to their individual entitlement - see : Distribute a document.

5. Special requests

Request for text processing

Ad hoc text processing of individual documents can be requested through the DMS by completing and sending the online form ("green sheet") to Documents Control. The paper copy of the document to be processed should be submitted manually to Documents Control.

Document print-runs

Ad hoc print-runs of individual documents can be requested through the DMS by completing and sending the online form ("green sheet") to Documents Control.

7. Contacts

General questions regarding the creation of symbols, document structure and required standards, delivery deadlines, etc. should be addressed to the Chief of Section.