A series of reports which has been given official approval by the judiciary or government is known as an authorized or official series of reports. In each jurisdiction only one series is designated authorized. Cases which enunciate a general principle or point of law are usually included in the authorized series of reports. Unauthorized series of reports are produced more quickly and many are directed towards satisfying the needs of specialist practitioners. Unauthorized series of reports include many reports of cases which may be published later in an authorized series, however they also include reports which may only be of transient interest, or illustrate the application of authoritative cases.
Few series are mutually exclusive.
Reports may appear in several series depending on editorial interest and assessment of the importance of the case. The ALR and ALJR are unauthorized series and the CLR authorized. A decision may be reported in all three series. The following is a list of authorized reports of various jurisdictions. Queensland State Reports.