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Computer Science

Standards and Technical Reports

 

What are standards?

A standard sets out the requirements for the properties, dimensions, performance, and testing of products and services. They are developed by panels of industry experts to ensure consistency, safety, quality, and compatibility, and are regularly updated to keep pace with changing technology. 

Standards can apply internationally, nationally, or within specific industries.

Learn more about standards by reading this useful introductory blog post from British Standards Online

 

The Library provides access to some key collections of national and international standards:

 

Other standards 

 

Many ISO, EN, and IEC standards can be accessed via British Standards Online where they have been adopted by the British Standards Institution (BSI). 

The library holds some individual standards in our print collection. Please use Library Search to check availability. We can sometimes purchase hard copies of individual standards from other providers e.g. ASCE, ANSI, AIAA, and other international bodies. 

If you need to consult a standard that we don't currently have access to, please contact victoria.hopton@bristol.ac.uk.

 

What are technical reports?

Technical reports are the primary means of technical communication for many organisations. A report may contain: experimental procedures, production data, specifications, standards, operating plans, drawings and/or raw results.

A large amount of information contained in reports will never be formally published as a journal article or within a book so they can be difficult to find. Some useful sources for technical reports are:

What is a standard?

BSOL user guide