About Technical Reports
General Description of Technical Reports
Technical reports are documents that generally contain results of research and development supported by government grants or contracts. They can also come from private and corporate sponsored research. Although they are not usually formally refereed, they are an important form of scientific and technical information and communication.They are published by noncommercial publishers and are usually part of a numbered series.
For a detailed description of technical report literature see Subramanyam, Krishna. Scientific and Technical Information Resources.
How to Identify a Technical Report
Several characteristics of most reports will help track down the location of a report. These include: personal author(s), corporate author(s), issuing agency, title, publication date, contract or grant number, report number(s), order or accession number, number of pages, releasing agency, and distribution limitations, if any. The report number is the most important identification feature of a report. Report numbers usually consist of alphanumeric characters that designate some or all of the following: originating or contracting agency, series, accession number, subject classifications, form, date, and security classification. Reports often are assigned more than one report number. e.g., ADA-88-1098: AD=Dept of Def; A=Unclassified, Unlimited; 88=1988; 1098=the 1098th in a series.
Technical Reports Databases
Note that some of these databases are entirely full text, others only index or abstract technical reports, and some are mix of full text and abstracts.
Start with these databases
- NTIS National Technical Reports Library (NTRL) 1964+Covers U.S. government sponsored research and worldwide scientific, technical and business related information. Indexes over 2 million technical reports with over 700,000 reports in full-text.
- Science.govScience.gov searches over 60 databases and over 2200 selected websites from 15 federal agencies. Broadest federated search for government technical reports.
- Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL) 19xx-1975Search U.S. government technical reports issued primarily prior to 1976
- Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)More than 1 million final reports on Defense funded research, development, test and evaluation activities.
Other databases
- California State Library — Government Publications SectionThe California State Library offers free scanning services for shorter reports owned in paper or fiche in their collection, including uncataloged fiche of the PB and AD series from NTIS, among others. Requests can be submitted using their Ask Government Publications a Question form or emailing cslgps@library.ca.gov
- HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
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Selected government documents are freely available.
- RAND Publications This link opens in a new windowSearch the archive of over 17,000 RAND documents dating back to 1948.
- U.S. Declassified Documents (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
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Collection of over 70,000 primary source government documents, from the post-WWII period through the 1970's. Contains declassified documents from presidential libraries, the CIA, the FBI and a host of other agencies concerning major domestic and international events of the post-World War II era. Formerly known as Declassified Documents Reference System (DDRS).
Technical Reports held at UCLA (Print and Microfiche)
To find additional technical reports, please search in the UCLA Library Catalog by series title or individual report title or a combination of both.
- ADThe Armed Services Technical Information Agency (ASTIA), predecessor to the Defense Documentation Center (DDC) and the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). Coverage: 1943 - January 1, 1975
- AEC research and development report (see LA)The Atomic Energy Commission.
- CONFUnited States Atomic Energy Commission, Division of Technical Information. Acronym: Department of Energy (CONF)erence Reports.
- CSD (series)University of California, Los Angeles, Computer Science Department, continued from Report. Acronym: (C)omputer (S)cience (D)epartment.
- CULADEUniversity of California, Los Angeles. Dept. of Engineering.Report, continued by University of California, Los Angeles. School of Engineering and Applied Science. Report. Acronym: (C)alifornia (U)niversity (LA) (D)epartment of (E)ngineering.
- DE (series)United States Department of Energy. Acronym: (D)epartment of (E)nergy.
- LALos Alamos National Laboratory. Acronym: (L)os (A)lamos.
- LBLUnited States Department of Energy Office of Science. Acronym: (L)awrence (B)erkeley (L)aboratory.
- N (microform)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- NACA RMNational Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, predecessor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Acronym: (N)ational (A)dvisory (C)ommittee for (A)eronautics (R)esearch (M)emorandum.
- NACA Technical NotesNational Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, predecessor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), continued by NACA TN. Acronym: (N)ational (A)dvisory (C)ommittee for (A)eronautics Technical Notes.
- NACA TN (Technical Note) No. 1-930National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, predecessor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- NACA TN (Technical Note) No. 931-4410National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, predecessor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- NASA CP (Conference Proceedings)National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- NASA CR (NASA Contractor Report)National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- NASA memorandumNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- NASA TM (Technical Memorandum)National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- NUREG seriesUnited Stated Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). Acronym: (NU)clear (REG)ulation.
- NUREG/CRUnited Stated Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). Acronym: (NU)clear (REG)ulation (C)ommission (R)eport.
- NUREG/IAUnited Stated Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). Acronym: (NU)clear (REG)ulation (I)nternational (A)greements.
- NUREG/TRUnited Stated Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). Acronym: (NU)clear (REG)ulation (TR)anslation series.
- ORNL (series)United States Atomic Energy Commission from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Acronym: (O)ak (R)idge (N)ational (L)aboratory.
- ORNL-NSICUnited States Atomic Energy Commission from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Acronym: (O)ak (R)idge (N)ational (L)aboratory (N)uclear (S)afety (I)nformation (C)enter. - ORNL-RSICUnited States Atomic Energy Commission from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Acronym: (O)ak (R)idge (N)ational (L)aboratory (R)adiation (S)hielding (I)nformation (C)enter. - ORNL-TMUnited States Atomic Energy Commission from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Acronym: (O)ak (R)idge (N)ational (L)aboratory (T)echnical (M)emo. - PB (series)Department of Commerce, predecessor to the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Acronym: (P)ublication (B)oard.
- RAND NoteRAND Corporation. Acronym: (R(esearch (AND D)evelopment (Note).
- Report (series)University of California, Los Angeles Computer Science Dept, continued by CSD.
- SANDSandia National Laboratories, contractor for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Acronym: (SAND)ia National Laboratories.
- TIDUnited States Atomic Energy Commission. Acronym: (T)echnical (I)nformation (D)ivision.
- UCLA-ENGThe University of California, Los Angeles, Engineering.
- UCRLUniversity of California Radiation Laboratory.
- University of California, Los Angeles. Dept. of Engineering. ReportThe University of California, Los Angeles, continued by University of California, Los Angeles, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Report.