Finding Technical Reports
Many technical reports will not have been indexed in library databases such as Compendex, Scopus, or Web of Science. Therefore, finding a technical report is aided by knowing if it was published by a government agency, a professional society, or a different entity.
Technical reports from U.S. government agencies are indexed in the National Technical Reports Library (NTRL). Many reports indexed in NTRL are available in PDF format. Agency reports that are born digital may be available in the agencies' online libraries. Technical reports from professional societies such as the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) or the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) typically are available online in the societies' digital libraries. Technical reports from University of Michigan authors may be available in the Deep Blue Documents repository. Finally, technical reports from private corporations may be available online, but often these reports can no longer be found.
The University of Michigan Library provides access to a large number of technical reports that were issued in microformats. These reports on microfiche or microcard are housed in the basement of the Duderstadt Center. Reports include reports from research institutions such as the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), professional societies such as the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and U.S. government agencies such as DOE, EPA, FHWA, and NRC. An overview of the holdings in this microfiche collection can be found in this spreadsheet.
In all cases, when you are having trouble finding a copy of a technical report, please ask a librarian for help.
Please see the next section for a list of selected sites for online access to technical reports.
Selected Sites for Finding Technical Reports
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TRAILThe Technical Reports Archive and Image Library (TRAIL) has committed to digitizing, preserving, and making available technical reports from United States government agencies.
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National Technical Reports Library (NTRL)NTRL indexes over 3,000,000 U.S. government reports, and makes over 800,000 reports available in PDF format. For reports that you cannot find in full text in NTRL, look for the indexed report number in AAEL microfiche collection.
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Deep Blue DocumentsFind reports from U-M College of Engineering departments and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Deep Blue.
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U.S. Department of DefenseUnclassified reports from the U.S. DoD are available in the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
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U.S. Department of EnergyReports from the U.S. DOE.
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U.S. Department of TransportationU.S. DOT reports
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Environmental Protection AgencyFind EPA reports in the EPA National Library Catalog.
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NASAFind NASA and NACA reports in the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
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NOAA Central LibraryReports of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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United States Geological SurveyReports of the USGS
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Transportation Research International DatabaseTransportation-related reports can be located in TRID
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Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNon-classified reports from the U.S. NRC can be found in NRC's Adams database.
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International Nuclear Information SystemUse INIS for access to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports.
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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)Reports, conference proceedings, and standards from AIAA are available to University of Michigan researchers on the Aerospace Research Central platform.
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Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)Technical reports, ebooks, and standards from SAE are available to University of Michigan researchers on the SAE Mobilus platform.