Research Guides: Standards : Home

Liaison Librarian

Becky Imamoto

Contact:

rimamoto@uci.edu
Langson Library 460

(949) 824-2639

Subjects: Multidisciplinary

Getting Started: Intro to Standards

What is a Standard?

Standards are documents that describe the rules and conditions for how materials and products should be manufactured, defined, measured, tested, and applied. They are used to establish baselines or a minimum level of performance and quality control to ensure that optimal conditions and procedures for the purpose of creating compatibility with products and services from different periods and a range of sources.

Standards and specifications may be developed by a variety of groups, such as government agencies, voluntary technical or trade associations, professional societies or associations, or national / international organizations.

Standards and specifications are of greatest utility to engineers, scientists, and those working with new innovations.

What are some points to remember when using standards?

Some standards are government-mandated, and others are voluntary. There may be various penalties associated with not adhering to the standard.
Standards are updated frequently to keep pace with changing technology -- check to see if the standard you are using is the latest version.
Older versions of standards may be useful in many cases, such as legal disputes concerning the performance of a product that was manufactured when the older standard was in force.

Quick Links to Standards Databases at UC Irvine

ANSI Standards Connect
Repository for a limited number of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. Click "View My Documents" to see all standards available through UCI Libraries.
ASCE Library
Full-text database of civil engineering research and practical publications. Includes journals, practice periodicals, conference proceedings, standards, manuals and reports on engineering practice, and committee technical reports.
ASME Standards Collection
ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) standards cover a breadth of topics, including pressure technology, nuclear plants, elevators/escalators, construction, engineering design, standardization, and performance testing.
ASTM Compass
A collection of industry-leading standards. 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.
IEEE Xplore
IEEE Xplore provides web access to full-text documents from some of the world's most highly cited publications in electrical engineering, computer science and electronics. Includes standards published by IEEE.
SAE Mobilus
Repository of technical content including SAE standards and technical papers. SAE publishes new, revised, and reaffirmed standards each year in three categories: Ground Vehicle Standards (J-Reports); Aerospace Standards; and Aerospace Material Specifications (AMS).

Faculty Requests for Additional Standards

ANSI University Outreach Program - Complimentary Access to ISO, IEC, and ADA Standards for Teaching Purposes.

Faculty will need to fill out the Request Form and send it to ANSI <university_outreach@ansi.org>.
ANSI will then provide the requester with a unique URL, password, and License Agreement to be shared with their students.
At the end of the class, the faculty will be asked to fill out a brief evaluation.

Faculty and researchers who need specific standards not available through licensed resources should contact Becky Imamoto, Head of Collection Strategies (rimamoto@uci.edu) with requests. The library will attempt to purchase individual standards, as long as funds are available. This means we need to limit requests to 1-2 per topic/research project. Please make sure that you have the issuing body, title and order number. Standards will usually be issued as PDFs and due to DRM & copyright provisions cannot be shared or distributed beyond requestor.

Online Tutorials / Guides

ANSI Training Course: An Introduction to Standards
Gives an overview of standards and how the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) coordinates the standardization process. 35 minutes.
ASTM 101: An Introduction to ASTM Standards Development and Utilization
A self-guided online course created by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) that explains how an ASTM Standard is developed, the different parts of a standard and how to select and utilize one.
NIST: Tips on Searching for Standards
From the National Institute of Standards & Technology