The Law To Know

← All legal systems

How to read legal citations in the World Trade Organization

WTO disputes are cited by a short title and a document symbol. The symbol begins with WT/DS (a dispute), then the dispute's number, then the kind of report: /R for a panel, /AB/R for the Appellate Body.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Style guide: WTO document symbols. The WTO identifies every report by a document symbol, which is its citation. The WTO also gives a short title for each dispute.

Real citations, decoded

Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.

An Appellate Body report Dispute report

, ,

  1. Dispute title United States – Import Prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products
    The official title. The dash separates the respondent's name from the subject matter. It is also known as the Shrimp–Turtle case.
  2. Document symbol WT/DS58/AB/R
    WT/DS means WTO dispute settlement. 58 is the dispute's number. AB/R is Appellate Body Report. A panel report ends in /R.
  3. Adoption date adopted 6 November 1998
    A WTO report becomes binding when the Dispute Settlement Body adopts it, so the citation gives the date of adoption, not the date the report was written.

The Dispute Settlement Reports (DSR) also publish WTO decisions, and this one is at DSR 1998:VII, p 2755.

Full citation: United States – Import Prohibition of Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products, WT/DS58/AB/R, adopted 6 November 1998

A WTO agreement Treaty

,

  1. Agreement General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994
    The WTO agreement on trade in goods, usually written GATT 1994.
  2. Article art XX(g)
    The article of the agreement, in Roman numerals, then the paragraph letter. Article XX lists the general exceptions. Paragraph (g) covers measures relating to the conservation of exhaustible natural resources.
Full citation: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, art XX(g)

Things to remember

  • A panel report is WT/DS58/R. An Appellate Body report is WT/DS58/AB/R. Later steps, such as compliance, add /RW or /AB/RW.
  • In a dispute title, the name before the dash is the respondent: the country whose measure is challenged.
  • The Appellate Body stopped working in December 2019 because no new members were appointed, so appeals to it can no longer be decided.
  • The WTO's agreements are cited by their short names: GATT 1994 for goods, GATS for services, TRIPS for intellectual property.

Where to find the text, free

Other legal systems

United StatesEngland and WalesIrelandCanadaAustraliaNew ZealandIndiaSouth AfricaGermanyFranceItalySpainNetherlandsJapanBrazilEuropean UnionEuropean Court of Human RightsInternational lawScotlandSingaporeHong KongChinaRussiaMexicoArgentinaTurkeySouth KoreaIsraelEgyptNigeriaMalaysiaPakistanInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Criminal CourtCaribbean

TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.