This general database allows for academic searches in any discipline in a variety of formats. Good for broad or interdisciplinary searches to kick off your research.
A gateway to government science information and research results. Currently in its fifth generation, Science.gov provides a search of over 40 scientific databases and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to 1,950+ scientific Websites
GB Physical geography.
651 – 2998 Hydrology. Water.
GC Oceanography.
1000 – 1581 Marine resources. Marine pollution.
Q Science (General).
180 Operations research.
300 – 390 Artificial intelligence. Information theory.
R Medicine.
856 – 857 Biomedical engineering. Electronics. Instrumentation.
895 – 920 Medical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine.
T Technology.
TA Engineering (General). Civil Engineering.
349 – 359 Mechanics of engineering. Applied mechanics.
401 – 492 Materials of engineering and construction.
630 – 820 Structural engineering. Geotechnical engineering.
1501 – 1820 Applied optics.
TC Hydraulic engineering.
TD Environmental engineering.
TE Highway Engineering. Roads and pavements.
TF Railroad engineering and operations.
TG Bridge engineering.
TH Building construction.
TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery.
163 Power resources. Energy conservation.
210.2 – 225 Robotics. Control engineering.
TK Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering.
TL Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics.
TN Mining engineering. Metallurgy.
TP Chemical technology.
TS Manufacturing.
155 - 194Production management. Operations management.
VM Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering.
Appropriate Technology Sourcebook by
Call Number: LOCKED CASE T49.5 .A85 2002
National Institute on Standards and Technology
Publicly Available ISO Standards
Some ISO standards are made available publicly without charge via this website.
U.S. Department of Defense (MIL-Specs)
The ASSIST database provides access to the full text of Defense and Federal specifications and standards available. Search by number, keyword in title or browse by subject (FSA - Federal Supply Class).
Free Access NFPA Codes & Standards
Some codes and standards of the National Fire Protection Association are made freely available in the interest of public safety.
NASA Technical Standards Program
Browse for standards used by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) in engineering activities
“This is a service where you can view and read ASTM safety standards incorporated in United States regulations. The standards are presented for online reading. There are no print or download options.”
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
The CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States.
DTIC (Defense Technical Information Center)
Formerly known as STINET (Scientific Technical Information Network). Indexes technical specifications and standards provided to the U. S. Department of Defense.
Government Standards (Standards.gov)
Standards Incorporated by Reference allows Federal agencies to comply with the requirement to publish rules in the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) by referring to materials already published elsewhere.
Identify standards you need using these free databases. The following commercial providers have databases in which you can identify standards from multiple organizations. You will not be able to see the full text of the standards online from these databases.
U.S. Energy Information Administration
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects, analyzes, and disseminates energy information to promote policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy sector.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.
USGS Minerals Commodity Statistics
Minerals commodity statistics provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Water Resources of the United States
Portal to water resources data and information provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation
Extensive statistics relating to U.S. transportation including economics, energy, infrastructure, freight, passengers, vehicles, and more.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Data and reports on highway safety in the United States.
Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Data sets on a variety of U.S. farm and agricultural commodity topics.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
Data and surveys on STEM education, employment, and research and development.
National Center for Health Statistics
Surveys and reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ultimate source for data on the U.S. population. Skim topics or use the American FactFinder to look up statistics.
Statistical Abstracts of the U.S. (historical)
Publications of U.S. Census data from 1878 to 2012.
Economic Census (U.S. Census Bureau)
Economic, Industry, and Business statistics collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.
A portal to official statistical information from over 100 U.S. government agencies.
Collection of 60 years of statistical data from member countries on a variety of topics on economic and social affairs.
Find information on such issues as economic growth, regional economic development, inter-industry relationships, and the nation's position in the world economy.
Allows users to locate, download and utilize datasets generated by Executive Branch agencies.
Presents data about the U.S. government's foreign assistance funding. Data is viewable by country, sector, or year and can also be queried for user-generated tables.
Agricultural Statistics Annual
Offers statistics on agricultural production, supplies, consumption, facilities, costs, and returns.
Includes data on total energy production, consumption, and trade; overviews of petroleum, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, renewable energy, as well as financial and environmental indicators.
National Transportation Statistics
Presents statistics on the U.S. transportation system, including its physical components, safety record, economic performance, the human and natural environment, and national security.
Patent Searching
A patent is an exclusive right granted to an inventor for a limited time to exclude others from making, using or selling their invention. Patent searching is important to determine if an idea is already patented or potentially patentable.
U.S. PATENT & TRADEMARK OFFICE
The PatFT (Patent Full-Text) Database is the official search engine of the United States Patent Office. Only U.S. patents issued since 1976 are completely searchable. For U.S. patents from 1790-1976 there is limited searching, though
all U.S. patents are available as PDF files.
esp@cenet EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE DATABASE
A truly ‘worldwide’ patent search. Includes documents from almost 100 patent agencies with machine translation available for most information. Original patent documents are available in the language of the country of origin. Dates of coverage for patent data vary by country.
GOOGLE PATENT SEARCH
Full text searching of U.S. patents since 1836, with a growing collection of international patents. Some errors due to digitization and links to official patent offices for most current information. Use the Advanced Search to find by inventor, dates, assignee, and other parts of the patent.
Trademark Searching
A trademark is a word, symbol, phrase, or design that is used to identify a business, service, or product to distinguish it in the marketplace. U.S. registration is available for current use in interstate commerce.
TRADEMARK ELECTRONIC SEARCH SYSTEM (TESS)
Provides for online searching of existing trademark application and registration information. TESS has both text and image based searching for active and dead marks in the U.S.
Guide to more patent resources from the Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) at the Pennsylvania State University Libraries.
Many standards developing organizations are opening up access to standards relevant to COVID-19 during the pandemic. See below for a not comprehensive list of organizations and standards available to the public during this time of crisis. Free access to these standards is time limited and cannot be guaranteed.
AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) has released three standards for public access, focusing on protective equipment and disinfection.
ASHRAE is providing free read-only access to selected standards and guidelines relating to air quality in buildings, aircraft, health care facilities, etc.
ISU users already have access to ASTM standards via ASTM Compass. For users who are not affiliated with ISU, ASTM has opened up a selection of standards related to COVID-19 response. Topics cover masks, gloves, medical gowns, respirators, and hand sanitizers.
As of April 2020, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has expanded their COVID-19 standards portal to include select IEC standards.
10 standards are included in IEEE's free-to-access COVID-19 response package.
ANSI is providing access to key ISO standards supporting biological evaluation of medical devices; protective clothing used in health care settings; and business continuity management, security, and resilience.
Predatory journals are a growing problem in academic fields, and are becoming particularly problematic in the sciences. Unscrupulous publishers take advantage of open access models (publishing models that allow anyone to access journal content without paying subscription costs). However, they publish junk science with questionable methods, results and conclusions. This has the potential to negatively affect future research. The motivations are to make money off of unsuspecting authors by charging them to publish articles, or for authors to unethically increase their publication counts for prestige.
It is important to identify and screen out predatory publishers so that they do not corrupt your literature reviews and research. First, search only reputable library and professional databases such as Medline, PubMed, CINAHL, or Engineering Village. Predatory journals will show up in Google searches. Second, read all research with a critical eye. Read ABOUT the publication, not just the article itself. Ask faculty or a librarian if you are unsure whether an article comes from a reputable journal.