Research Guides: Standards, Codes & Technical Reports: Standards

Standards

Engineering is guided by codes and standards written by national and/or international bodies.

Standards are descriptive, and provide detailed instructions for designers and builders worldwide. A designer will use the standard to design the product, and a manufacturer will use the standard to manufacture the product.

Codes are legally enforceable regulations for design, fabrication, construction and installation, adopted to ensure universal adherence to public health and safety requirements. When governmental bodies adopt a standard and make it legally enforceable, or when it has been incorporated into a business contract, the standard becomes a code. Codes also refer out to standards or specifications for the specific details on additional requirements that are not specified in the code.

While the Library subscribes to some databases that provide access to these materials, some will be a little harder to track down, so consult a librarian or your advisor if you need help.

Definitions adapted from The Hard Hat Engineer.

Library databases

AccessEngineering This link opens in a new window
AccessEngineering from McGraw-Hill provides full-text textbooks and reference books for all of the subfields of engineering. It also provides access to a data visualization tool, Schaum’s Outlines study guides, instructional videos, calculators, interactive tables and charts, and curriculum maps.
IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window
IEEE Xplore is a full-text scholarly and technical database from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, covering electrical engineering, electronics, and computer science. Its content includes journals, conference proceedings, magazines, newsletters, courses, and IEEE standards, with some content dating back to 1872.
Knovel Engineering & Scientific Online References This link opens in a new window
Knovel, an Elsevier database, provides handbooks, manuals, data sets, and calculators for engineering and science.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni, a multidisciplinary database from the legal and business research company LexisNexis, provides the full text of newspapers and magazines published worldwide, as well as news transcripts, international, federal, and state legal and regulatory information, biographical information, and corporate reports.

ASTM standards

Current holdings: 2020 standards.

Annual Book of ASTM Standards
84-volume series, call number TA401 .A653.
Find them on a spinner on the Library's second floor, for use only in the Library.

Other standards sources

Nonprofit organizations:

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
ISO (International Organization for Standardization), whose membership includes standards organizations around the world, is the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards. International Standards give state of the art specifications for products, services and good practice, helping to make industry more efficient and effective.
NSSN search engine for standards (powered by ANSI)
The NSSN: A National Resource for Global Standards is a search engine that provides users with standards-related information from a wide range of developers, including organizations accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), other U.S. private sector standards bodies, government agencies and international organizations.

Standards stores:

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Electronic Standards Store
Search for standards from over 180 standards publishers by keyword or document number. Purchase standards online with a major credit card (Visa, MC or Amex), or deposit account Download standards immediately or obtain a multi user ANSI Site License. Compare various ways that you can obtain the standards you need.
Techstreet Store
Instant access to 500,000+ industry codes and standards from around the world.
Owned by Thomson Reuters.

Codes

International Code Council (ICC)
The ICC writes the International Codes, or I-Codes, which "are a complete set of comprehensive, coordinated building safety and fire prevention codes. Building codes benefit public safety and support the industry’s need for one set of codes without regional limitations."
USA.gov
"Government information by topic and agency,” for federal, state, and local government data. The best place to start looking for a topic if you're not sure which agency/agencies would be involved, because it will bring back results from all of them! Everything else included in this list will generally also be findable via USA.gov.

Subject Guide

Courtney Walsh

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Subjects: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics