Research Guides: Electrical and Computer Engineering: Standards

Standards

The word "standards" in the context of Electrical and Electronic Engineering refers to documents providing:

definitions of terms (including measurements and other quantitative parameters)
algorithms for performing various calculations
technical requirements, standardizations of practices and procedures (including safety standards and guidelines)

Documents labeled as "recommended practices", "best practices", "guides", "guidelines" all come under the larger genre of Standards. Standards are generally established through consensus by representatives of different countries, professional bodies and organizations. In an era when so many technologies are distributed across multiple devices and interoperability is so important, standardization is crucial and familiarity with industry standards, guidelines (and the venues where they are published) is part of being literate in the fields of Electrical and Computer Engineering/ Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

Searching & Accessing Standards

ASTM Compass This link opens in a new window
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ASTM Compass (ASTM International Digital Library) is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world-a trusted source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. Known for their high technical quality and market relevancy, ASTM International standards have an important role in the information infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the global economy.
The database link will resolve to the homepage of ASTM Compass. To look for a specific journal, enter the journal title in the search bar and you will then be redirected to that specific journal.
IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window
IEEE Xplore , under the banner of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, provides full text access technical literature in electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics. Content includes electronic journals, magazine, and books; conference proceedings; standards; and Standards Dictionary Online. Most articles are available in PDF and HTML. Tools include links to citations, references and figures.

Information about Standards and Standard-Issuing Organizations

International Organization for Standardization
Website for the largest international developer of voluntary standards. A good information resource, access to standards is provided on a for-purchase basis.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
An organization with many institutional members who are developers and publishers of standards in various areas. This website provides links to a wide range of standards-issuing organizations and has its own search engine, NSSN, which is an excellent tool for searching standards across organizations.
National Center for Standards and Certification Information

ASHRAE (Techstreet) This link opens in a new window
ASHRAE standards establish consensus for test methods and performance criteria. These include voluntary consensus standards for Method of Measurement or Test, Standard Design and Standard Practice. Consensus standards define minimum values or acceptable performance. ASHRAE is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and follows ANSI's requirements for due process and standards development.