Technical Reports  

What is a technical report?

Technical reports:

• Are written to convey new developments or final results of scientific and technical research.
• Are usually funded by government departments or corporate bodies.
• Deliver technical information to the funding organization.
• Provide a forum for peer information exchange.
• Are not easy to find; Ask Us! if you need assistance with technical reports.

Where can I find technical reports?

Technical reports may be found online in full text, but many are still available only in print or on microfiche. They can be tricky to track down.

Check these first. If the full text is not available, use the complete citation and request the report via the Library Storage Annex (LSA).

• Barton, MIT Libraries online catalog
  Tip: Search Barton by the author or title of the technical report you need.
• Energy Citations Database
  Database of citations to energy related research, largely from DOE, its predecessors, and others,1948 to date.
• NASA Technical Reports
• Find a PDF using the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
• Contact nasa-reports-lib@mit.edu for reports not found in the NTRS
• NACA reports from 1917-1958
• NTIS (National Technical Information Service)
  Database for locating U.S. government-sponsored research reports & studies. 1899 - present. Connects via Engineering Village [MIT only]
• DOE Information Bridge
  Database with access to free, full text documents and reports on a broad range of topics, sponsored by the Department of Energy, roughly 1994 to date.
• INIS: International Nuclear Information System
  Database covering the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.
• TRAIL: Technical Report Archive & Image Library
  "A collaborative project to digitize, archive, and provide persistent and unrestricted access to federal technical reports issued prior to 1975." Contains reports from: U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (with several sub-series); U.S. Bureau of Mines; U.S. Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards. Some reports are full text, others are citations only. Searchable database with a Browse option.

See also:

• Online Technical Reports at MIT
  For technical reports produced by MIT departments and labs.
• Major Technical Report Series in the MIT Libraries
• Technical Reports Holdings by MIT Library

How can I get a technical report that is NOT at the MIT Libraries?

After you've checked the sources listed above, try these:

• Links to Technical Reports by Subject
  Lists reports from academic institutions, government agencies and private industry. Browse by subject area.
• Ask Us! for help finding the full text of the technical report you need.
• Order the technical report via Interlibrary Borrowing [MIT only]

Many labs at MIT produce technical reports online:

• Links to Technical Reports by Subject
• Technical Report Series Codes & Holdings by MIT Library

Christine Sherratt

Librarian for Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, Energy & Environment, & Nuclear Science & Engineering

gcsherra@mit.edu

Anne Graham 

Civil & Environmental Engineering Librarian

grahama@mit.edu

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