Standards and Specifications
A definition
"A standard is a document that provides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose." - ISO
Most likely you find a standard mentioned when searching in a database like Compendex or in a Reference List of an article. This page provides several ways to find information about standards.
There are thousands of Industry Standards developed in the U.S. and by international organizations. Many industry sector standards are included in the standards search engines provided by NSSN, IHS, TechStreet, and SAI Global.
For questions about finding a standard, contact Nestor Osorio at nosorio@niu.edu
ANSI - American National Standards Institute
ANSI Webstore - ANSI Standards
ANSI Webstore - ASTM Standards
The ANSI Webstore will let you search for standards from many standards publishers by keyword or document number. Keyword searches may give results from multiple sources including standards that are freely available on the Web. The left side of the page provides the ability to browse by publisher or view all standards developing organizations in the database.
IHS Global
IHS is one of several companies that sells copies of industry standards. The site provides an excellent search engine to standards of all kinds and will often mention whether a particular standard has been superseded or revised more recently. Searching by title keywords will help locate information on whether a standard has also been issued by another standards agency.
Compendex is a comprehensive engineering database covering journal articles, conference proceedings, technical papers, and standards in all engineering disciplines from 1884 to the present.
Compendex also includes records from AIAA, ASCE, ASTM, IEEE, SAE, and SMPTE, plus a few scattered standards from other organizations. It is another source for locating standards of interest. Choose "Standard" as the Document Type when performing a search to find standards by a particular organization or on a given topic.
Primer on Engineering Standards, by Maan H. Jawad; Owen Greulich. John Wiley, 2018.
TA368.J39 2018
A Clear, comprehensive Introduction to standards in the engineering professions.
Practical Guide to International Standardization in Electrical Engineering, by Hermann J. Koch. John Wiley, 2016
Available online
Using the Engineering Literature, edited by Bonnie A. Osif. CRC Press, 2012.
Available online.
A partial list
AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
ACI American Concrete Institute
API American Petroleum Institute
ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers
ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
ASHRAE Handbooks
In Reference Collection TH7201.A8 + others
ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASME BPVC Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
In Reference Collection TJ290.A754 2011
ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials
In Reference Collection TA401.A564
AWS American Welding Society
ICC International Code Council
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IES Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
NESC National Electrical Safety Code and Handbook
National electrical safety code: American national standard. TK152.A44 1980
NESC handbook a discussion of the National Electrical Safety Code. Clapp, Allen L. 2011. Available online
NFPA National Fire Protection Association
