The word "standards" in the context of Electrical and Electronic Engineering refers to documents providing:
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.
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.
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.
API features are available through the IEEE Xplore API Portal with account registration and application for an API key: https://developer.ieee.org/
Website for the largest international developer of voluntary standards. A good information resource, access to standards is provided on a for-purchase basis.
