A travel-terminology citation is verifiable when a reader can identify the institution responsible for the source, locate the exact wording, and see the boundary of the claim. The citation should record the source name, the resource, the relevant quotation, the source locator, and the precise proposition being supported. A terminology source can support a claim about a label’s basis or intended use without answering how a particular travel document uses it.
For M49, the cited page makes two statements that can be checked directly. It says:
M49 is prepared by the Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat primarily for use in its publications and databases.
It further says:
These names are based on the United Nations Terminology Database (UNTERM).
These statements support a limited description of M49: the page states its primary preparation context and identifies the database on which its names are based. They do not, on their own, establish that a particular travel document uses an M49 name, that M49 is the applicable terminology for a particular purpose, or that a cited term is current for a specific situation.
What should be recorded
- Institution: Name the UN Statistics Division and retain the fuller institutional wording used in the quoted sentence where relevant.
- Resource: Identify the M49 resource rather than referring only to “the database” or “the terminology.”
- Exact wording: Preserve the quoted sentences, including “United Nations Terminology Database” and “(UNTERM).”
- Source locator: Provide the page URL so another reader can find the passage.
- Scope: State whether the citation supports M49’s stated primary use or the stated basis of its names. It should not be presented as evidence of a document-specific rule without separate support.
- Date or version: If a publication date, update date, or version is not stated in the material relied on, the citation should say that it is not stated rather than imply one.
How to check the citation
A reader can verify the citation by opening the listed source, locating the quoted passage, and comparing the wording with the citation. The next question is whether the passage supports the exact statement being made. The first quotation supports a description of M49’s stated preparation context; the second supports a description of the stated basis of its names. Neither sentence alone supplies a travel-document-specific conclusion.
What must still be confirmed
For a particular travel document, a separate current source is still needed to confirm the exact term, its document context, and any applicable requirement. The cited M49 statements do not answer those points. A citation is therefore verifiable when it accurately attributes what the source says and does not extend that attribution into a broader travel rule.