Once you determine the department and/or agency relevant to your topic, you can search their website or use the Google site search tool to find information produced by that department or agency.
Google Site Search:
•For example, “site:hhs.gov” for the Department of Health and Human Services
•To search all Government websites, regardless of agency, only use “site:gov”
Government technical reports are written by and for experts within certain disciplines and document the progress of scientific research. Reports are often not peer-reviewed or well edited, but they are released quickly, and can be more up-to-date than books or articles.
Technical reports are usually part of a numbered series. They can be searched by the title of the report or the series title. Often it is helpful to know which agency is responsible for the report, so that you can search that agency's website or search the agency as author in our online catalog. (Example: author as United states Environmental Protection Agency)
Technical reports subjects where U.S. government sponsored research is particularly prominent and widely available include:
Aeronautics and space exploration (NASA)
Defense & Military Science (DOD)
Earth sciences (USGS) (NASA)
Energy research (DOE) (NRC)
Engineering (DOD) (NASA)
Environmental sciences (EPA) (NIH)
Health & Life sciences (NIH)
Transportation (DOT) (FAA) (more detailed list of subject categories)
To locate technical reports and standards visit the Library of Congress Online Resources Related to Technical Reports and Standards. You might also find relevant material in the Technical Reports and Standards Collections.
Federal | |
A |
Agriculture Department |
A 13 | Forest Service |
A 57 | Natural Resources Conservation Service |
A 62 | Federal Crop Insurance Corporation |
A 67 | Foreign Agricultural Service |
A 77 | Agricultural Research Service |
A 88 | Agricultural Marketing Service |
A 92 | National Agricultural Statistics Service |
A 93 | Economic Research Service |
A 98 | Food and Nutrition Service |
A 110 | Food Safety & Inspection Service |
E | Energy Department |
EP | Environmental Protection Agency |
EP 1.57/3: | Final Environmental Impact Statements |
EP 1.57/4: | Draft Environmental Impact Statements |
HE | Health and Human Services Department |
HE 20.1-HE20.42: | Office of Public Health and Science |
HE 25 | Administration for Children and Families |
I | Interior Department |
I 19.1-I 19.178/2: | Geological Survey |
I 29 | National Park Service |
I 49 | Fish and Wildlife Service |
I 72 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
NAS 1.15: | Technical Memorandums |
NAS 1.21: | NASA SP (Special Bulletin) |
NAS 1.26: | NASA Contractor Reports |
NAS 1.55: | Conference Publications |
NAS 1.60: | NASA Technical Papers |
NS | National Science Foundation |
TD | Transportation Department |
TD 4.1-TD 4.92: | Federal Aviation Administration |
TD 12 | Bureau of Transportation Statistics |
Y 3.N 88: | Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
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