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About Standards
What are standards, specifications, and codes?
- A standard is an approved set of criteria defining the performance or design of a product or defining the process of constructing a product.
A standard is usually represent by the acronym of the issuing organization followed by a number and the date of issuance. Examples:
- ANSI B152.2-1982
- ISO 10096:1997
- IEC 60034-15:2009
- A specification is a set of conditions and/or requirements used primarily for procurement and manufacturing purposes. Standards may be referenced or included in specifications.
- Codes are organized collections of mandatory standards that have been made into law by a governmental authority.
Who produces standards?
Scientific and professional organizations (such as ASME, IEEE, etc), trade organizations, and governments create standards, both nationally as well as internationally. In the United States, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) coordinates many standards producing organizations.
How do I identify which standards I need?
There are many search tools on the internet to assist you in locating standards in your area of study; see the links below to search for standards.
Are standards protected by copyright?
Yes, under both US and International laws, a standard has copyright protection. Each standard is considered to be a separate work of authorship, just as a book would be; the copyright owner is the issuing organization.
Accessing Standards
What standards can I access through Cline Library?
- ASTM Annual Book of Standards http://libraryguides.nau.edu/astm.
This online library provides access to industry-leading standards and technical engineering information. Covers a broad range of engineering disciplines, including aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, environmental, geological, health and safety, industrial, materials science, mechanical, nuclear, petroleum, soil science, and solar engineering.
- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Incorporated by Reference (IBR) Portal
This portal is a one-stop mechanism for access to standards that have been incorporated by reference in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). These standards incorporated by the U.S. government in rulemakings are offered at no cost in “read only” format and are presented for online reading. There are no print or download options.
Standards available on the ANSI IBR Portal include those developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and other standards developing organizations (SDOs) that have signed a terms and conditions agreement with ANSI. To access the standards in PDF format, go to the link below. All users will be required to install the FileOpen plug-in and accept an online end user license agreement prior to accessing any standards.
In addition to the standards available directly through the portal, several SDOs are offering free access via their own website.
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ASTM StandardsASTM International is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services.
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IEEE Xplore Digital Library -- StandardsAll of the 3,400 standards published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers are available through the IEEE Xplore Digital Library.
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IHS Global StandardsA database of industry standards -- while this company charges for access to the standards themselves, you can search their database by title keywords to find out what standards exist. If you find a standard you want to access, check to see which standards agency issued that particular standard -- you might be able to get the standard for free on the agency's website.
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OSHA's mission is to ensure that employees work in a safe and healthful environment by setting and enforcing standards, and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance. Employers must comply with all applicable OSHA standards. They must also comply with hte General Duty Clause of the OSH Act, which requires employers to keep their workplace free of serious recognized hazards.
If you need help with accessing standards contact your librarian Bridget.Wipf@nau.edu
This video by the Purdue Northwest Library will walk you through the basics of how to navigate ASTM Standards.
Patents
A patent is a legal document giving the patent owner certain exclusive rights to his/her invention for a limited time. Patents are an excellent source of information on new technology, trends in technological development, and specific products or innovations.
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Google PatentsGoogle Patents covers the entire collection of granted patents and published patent applications from the USPTO, EPO, and WIPO. US patent documents date back to 1790, EPO and WIPO to 1978. Google features the full text of pre-1976 USPTO patents, but be aware that this text was generated with an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program and may contain errors.
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Derwent Innovations IndexDatabase of patents and article citations relevant to chemical, electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering.
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USPTOThe United States Patent and Trademark Office provides full-text information on patents issued from 1976 to present and images of all patents issued from 1790 to present.The USPTO Classification Listing may be especially helpful for locating patents.
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EPO - EspacenetThe European Patent Office's (EPO) Espacenet offers access to more than 80 million patent documents worldwide, containing information about inventions and technical developments from 1836 to today.
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WIPO - PATENTSCOPEThe World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) allows you to search millions of patent documents worldwide.
This video from the Purdue Northwest Library will walk you through the basics of searching for patents in Google Patents.
Technical Reports
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Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)Provides access to Department of Defense resources and reports.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)Database of aerospace-related information created or funded by NASA. Includes articles, patents, research reports, images, movies, technical videos, and more.
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National Library of EnergyAllows users to simultaneously search all of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) collections – find technical information, reports, and statistics as well as information for homeowners and businesses.
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National Technical Information Service (NTIS)The National Technical Information Service serves as the largest central resource for government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information available today.
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NIST Physics Portal (National Institute of Science and Technology)Publications and descriptions of ongoing projects, measurement methods, and standards from the National Institute of Technology.
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Science.govSearches databases and websites from federal agencies for authoritative U.S. government science information including research results.
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Technical Reports Archive and Image Library (TRAIL)A collaborative project to digitize, archive, and provide persistent and unrestricted access to federal technical reports issued prior to 1975 as well as more recent reports.
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USGS Publications WarehousePublications written by United States Geological Survey scientists over the century-plus history of the bureau.