Federal Register Bulletin Newsletter
Revisions to the Office of the Federal Register Document Drafting Handbook
Effective immediately, the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) has issued revisions for Chapters 5 and 6 of its Document Drafting Handbook (DDH). The revisions incorporate DDH Supplement 3 and other changes previously announced in the Federal Register Bulletin, as well as introduce new material, and expand on or clarify guidance already published in the DDH. These revisions also delete outdated information.
Chapter 5: How Do I Submit a Computer File?
Changes to Chapter 5, "How Do I Submit a Computer File?", include:
- The chapter title has been revised from "Disk Submissions" to "How Do I Submit a Computer File?"
- Information about SGML coded submissions, WordPerfect, and ASCII (MS DOS) text files has been removed. OFR no longer accepts these types of files. OFR accepts electronic files in MS Word format for PCs only.
- Information about the technical impediment presented by paper-only (also known as manuscript-only) submissions has been added. These submissions take additional time to process because they must be converted to electronic files by OFR before further processing and publication in the Federal Register.
- Information about submitting digitally signed electronic original files via e-mail or the web has been added.
- Information about submitting "clean" electronic files free of metadata and macros has been added. OFR will not remove agency metadata from electronic files and will no longer accept macro-enabled documents.
Chapter 6: What is Incorporation by Reference, and How do I do It?
Changes to Chapter 6, "What is Incorporation by Reference, and How do I do it?", include:
- Information about incorporating by reference (IBRing) web-based information and software or applications has been added. Under limited circumstances, OFR can approve web-based materials and software or applications for IBR.
- Information about removing an approved incorporation by reference from the CFR has been added. This guidance is based on OFR regulations at 1 CFR § 51.11.
Where Do I Obtain the Revised Chapters of the DDH?
Both revised chapters are available online now in pdf and ASCII (MS DOS) text formats:
Chapter 5
- ASCII | PDF
Chapter 6
- ASCII | PDF
Both revised chapters have also been incorporated into the complete DDH file, which is available online in pdf format only.
Where Do I Direct Questions or Comments about the Revised Chapters of the DDH?
Questions or comments about these revisions should be directed to Miriam Vincent, Staff Attorney, at (202) 741-6024 or mvincent@gpo.gov.
Thank you.
Michael L. White, Managing Editor Amy P. Bunk, Director of Legal Affairs and Policy
Office of the Federal Register