Journal

The Journal is the official record of a chamber proceedings that each house of Congress is constitutionally required to keep. Article I, Section 5, Clause 3 of the Constitution provides that “each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy” — and that the yeas and nays of the members must be entered on the Journal whenever one-fifth of those present demand it. The Journal records motions, votes, and other proceedings, and is a formal, published record distinct from the far more detailed Congressional Record.

Example: The recorded yeas-and-nays requirement in Article I, Section 5 is the constitutional origin of roll-call votes: at the desire of one-fifth of the members present, the individual votes of each member must be entered on the Journal — which is why recorded floor votes are documented and published rather than left as voice votes.

Common misconception: The Journal is not a transcript of debate. It is the formal procedural record — motions, votes, quorum — while floor speeches are published separately in the Congressional Record (since 1873). Nor must everything appear: the Constitution itself lets each chamber keep parts of the Journal secret.

Sources: Requirement that Congress Keep a Journal | Constitution Annotated"