Technical Standards: Locating Technical Standards

For the purpose of research, standards are considered grey literature. Grey literature is literature that is created and produced outside of traditional publishing avenues and thus, can be more difficult for libraries to collect. (See: Document Types at Grey Net) Because technical standards are considered a type of grey literature and often will not show up if you search directly in our catalogue, we recommend you utilize sites such as the ANSI webstore or ISO to help you locate the full standard name.  Knowing the full title of the technical standard makes locating it easier. However, if you are unsure which standards exist for your topic, you can also search by keyword.

Note: We do not have accounts with ANSI or ISO. Their purpose is solely to help you locate the exact name of the standard before searching in ASTM.

General Tips:

• Take note of the entire standard name [SDO, number: year, title] If it’s a one part of a multi-part set of standards, take note of the exact part you want
• Use quotes when searching for a phrase and think of synonyms as well (i.e. syringe vs hypodermic needle)
• Standards are updated as technology and society advances. When searching for a standard, make sure you are using the newest version unless you're intentionally referencing a historical (previous) version