This guide covers all aspects of locating technical reports. Technical or scientific reports describe the progress or results of scientific or technical research and development. They are often created by Federal government agencies or they may be funded or sponsored by government agencies but prepared by research institutions, universities, think tanks, or other governmental or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or non-profit groups. Publication and dissemination of technical reports has never been centrally coordinated; therefore, they can be particularly difficult to identify and locate. Since technical reports are generated outside the normal periodicals and book publishing streams, they are considered to be “gray literature”.
Below are key resources to get you started in locating U.S. technical reports.
Comprehensive literature searching in Technical Reports requires consulting a variety of resources which are listed in the next Databases section. Since technical reports are published across many disciplines, particularly in the sciences, you should also explore Related Subject Guides.
[Original content created by Cory Craig and Bob Heyer-Gray]