Engineering Standards: Finding and Obtaining Standards
Library Databases
If you need a standard this is the best place to look first.
These databases have full text standards in addition to other resources like journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters.
- ASTM Standards and Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Login with username and password, NOT via Academic Access.
The ASTM Standards and Engineering Digital Library is a vast collection of industry-leading standards and technical engineering information. The Library covers a broad range of engineering disciplines, including aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, environmental, geological, health and safety, industrial, materials science, mechanical, nuclear, petroleum, soil science, and solar engineering. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
Miami folks have access to ASTM Compass, which has some ASTM standards. It's similar to journals in that the standards come in packages, and we do not subscribe to all the packages.
When you are searching in ASTM, you can limit the results to only those we subscribe to (and have full access to the pdf). If you leave the selection to All, and not My Subscription, it shows you all the other things the vendor offers.
- IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new windowIEEE Xplore is a premier database for information in computing engineering, electrical engineering, and electronics. full-text access is available for over 200 journals and 600 conference proceedings, including all IEEE standards. Coverage for all titles is available from 1988, with selected titles from 1913. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
IEEE Xplore will let you search for and find materials that are not in Miami's subscription. Once you do a search, you can limit the results to only include those we have full access to. There is a box on the left to toggle between All Results and Subscribed Content.
Cataloged Resources
In addition to databases you can do a catalog search to locate standards.
After you do a search as you normally would, you can limit the results to only include standards - similar to how you can limit them to display only peer reviewed articles.
Example
- In the OneSearch box on our homepage, we could search for 'ISO engineering standard'
- On the left, under Refine Results, there is a heading called Limit By Material Type
- If there are standards included in your results list, you'll see the option to choose to display just the standards
- Note that if your search yielded no standards, then you won't see this option available
What to do when Miami doesn't have the standard you need
There are options for free open access standards, but it only for certain ones.
- Military Standards from ASSISTThere are some U.S. military standards here for free. These are Distribution A, which means they are unlimited/unclassified.
- Standards Organizations that Offer Free Access to Their StandardsThe majority of standards developing organizations depend on the revenue from the sale of standards to support their programs and services. But a growing number of standards organizations make access to their standards for viewing or download available for no cost.
If it's not in Miami's collection and not otherwise available open access, we recommend trying InterLibrary Loan.
- You can look in WorldCat to see if any library has cataloged the standard you need, and if if's there you can request it through InterLibrary Loan.
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Your usual Miami login will work here - nothing should need setup just for this. Under New Request, fill out the form for Book. It's not really a book, but this is the better category for standards than the other choices (article or thesis). Be sure to include as much information as you can. This helps the process go quickly and better ensures you get what you need. Be sure to include the OCLC number (this stands for online catalog for the Library of Congress) and it serves as a unique ID for items - so it's super helpful.
I've tried InterLibrary Loan and I still can't access what I need...
Please reach out to the library. We are here to help navigate this process.
The ANSI University Outreach Program can help with accessing ISO and IEC standards. It must be a faculty member who submits this request, not a student nor a librarian. The faculty can then distribute to students for classroom use only.
- Faculty selects which specific standards they need and submits the form to ANSI - linked below.
- Faculty receives an email with URL to register for ANSI Standards Connect and create a username/password for their students to access the standards online
- ANSI gives faculty University Outreach Project License Agreement to distribute to students given access to the free standards
- Faculty distributes License agreement, URL, username/password to students
- Faculty completes brief evaluation
- ANSI University Outreach Program Enrollment FormFor questions on this contact Kim Bullock, with ANSI, at kbullock@ansi.org
In-person Options Outside Miami
Another option that is not always feasible is visiting a library in person. If they have the standard you need, you can look at it and if allowed, photocopy it. This might only work if you are traveling anyway, but it is an option nevertheless.
The Library of Congress in Washington DC has engineering standards available to the public, but you must go there in person to see / use them.
- Call their Technical Reports and Standards division: 202-707-5655
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) has a public standards information center. This page will lead you to information about NIST's standards.
- Due to licensing restrictions, NIST cannot provide full-text copies. However, you can make an appointment to visit their office to look at standards. You may photocopy sections of standards (but not the complete item).
