Definition

1. Noun (plural):
   • A legal document giving information required for employment of certain people in certain countries: Official documents that verify a person's eligibility to work, often including proof of age, identity, and authorization.
   • Records kept of activities involved in carrying out a project: The detailed notes, calculations, drafts, and supporting documents created during an audit, research project, or other professional investigation.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Legal Document):

  • The new hire must present her working papers to the HR department before starting.
  • Immigration officials asked to see his working papers at the border.

• Noun (Project Records):

  • The accountant organized all the working papers for the annual audit.
  • The scientist's working papers contained the raw data from the experiment.

Advanced Usage

• In an academic or research context, "working papers" can refer to preliminary versions of a scholarly article circulated for comment before formal publication.
  • The economist published a working paper on income inequality through the university's research center.

Variants and Related Words

• Work permit (n): A specific type of working paper that is an official government document authorizing a foreign national to work in a country.
• Supporting documentation (n): A broader term for records that provide evidence or backing for a conclusion, similar to the second meaning of "working papers."

Synonyms

• For legal documents: Employment authorization, work permit, documentation.
• For project records: Audit trail, supporting documents, file notes, records.

Related Phrases

• To produce one's working papers: To formally present or make available these documents for review.
  • The auditor was required to produce his working papers for the oversight committee.

Noun

1. a legal document giving information required for employment of certain people in certain countries
2. records kept of activities involved in carrying out a project
   • the auditor was required to produce his working papers