(The Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights is an exception since it was not established under its corresponding instrument, but was created by the Economic and Social Council.)

e.g. E/C.12/...
Document of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, a committee of the Economic and Social Council

e.g. E/CN.4/...
Document of the Commission on Human Rights, a commission of the Economic and Social Council

e.g. E/CN.4/Sub.2/...
Document of the Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, a subsidiary organ of the Commission on Human Rights

e.g. A/CONF.157/...
Document of the World Conference on Human Rights

e.g. A/CONF.157/PC...

Document of the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference on Human Rights

.../WG.../... Working Group

e.g. E/CN.4/1996/WG.11

Document of the Working group of the Commission on Human Rights on the question of a draft optional protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

.../AC.../... Ad hoc committee, sometimes also called working groups

e.g. E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.4/..
Document of the Working group on Indigenous Populations, a working Group of the Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.
The difference between WG and AC is that the first has a mandate that is limited in time, while the second is established for an unspecified period.

(b) An indication, in arabic numerals, of the session or year.

e.g.
A/49/...
Document of the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly
E/CN.4/1996/...
Document of the 1996 session of the Commission on Human Rights

(c) An arabic numeral indicating the serial number.

e.g.
A/49/37
E/CN.4/1996/51

The following elements may, where appropriate, be added to a symbol:

Elements denoting the nature of the document

.../INF/... Information series
.../NGO/... Documents containing communications from non-governmental organizations
e.g.
E/CN.4/1996/NGO/...
Written statement submitted by a non-governmental organization to the Commission on Human Rights
.../PV/... Verbatim records of meetings (General Assembly)
.../SR... Summary records of meetings
.../WP... Working paper
.../CRP/... Conference room paper
.../L... Discussion projects

e.g. E/CN.4/1996/L.23
Draft resolution of the Commission on Human Rights

A suffix indicating a modification of the text:

.../Add. Addendum
.../Corr. Corrigendum
.../Rev.  Revision