CS 2250
Technical Information Resources
Attachment to Assignment Five
Using Technical Reports
Spring 1998
GT College of Computing
Why are technical reports important?
Remember that technical reports are a special class of government documents, because the reports fulfill the contracts by which various government agencies hire researchers to pursue particular topics. As technical literature, the reports are particularly valuable because they frequently present more data or methodological detail than journals can allow page-space for. Also, researchers may not choose to publish the results separately in journals.
For these reasons, it is wise to search for technical reports as an additional step when researching any particular topic.
National Technical Information Service:
Although several agencies have begun to publish their reports on their own, NTIS is the central government clearinghouse which collects technical reports after the contracting agency reviews them. NTIS publishes a database (available on GTEL) which indexes technical reports, and they have several useful online services. The Georgia Tech Library has purchased the NTIS collection since its inception, although we elect not to receive every category of reports. Individual reports can also be ordered from the sites below.
Roughly 75% of all technical reports are published by the DoD, DOE, or NASA; although NTIS also includes these reports, you may wish to use the specialized servers listed below.
Defense Technical Information Center
U.S. Department of Energy
National Aeronautics and Space Administrtation
Notwithstanding any language to the contrary, nothing contained herein constitutes nor is intended to constitute an offer, inducement, promise, or contract of any kind. The data contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not represented to be error free. Any links to non-Georgia Tech information are provided as a courtesy. They are not intended to nor do they constitute an endorsement by the Georgia Institute of Technology of the linked materials.