Standards are published documents that establish provisions, procedures and protocols to ensure reliability of a product, method or service.
Standards are published by standards bodies. Examples of standards bodies include the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), CSA Group, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and ASTM International.
By establishing consistent universally accepted protocols, standards ensure:
Product/service development, compatibility, interoperability and credibility.
User safety and public health.
Standards are useful for comparing competing products and services.
How do I find standards?
Standards have unique associated codes, which can be used as access points.
The format of the code varies somewhat from one publisher to another, but the first letters generally identify the body that created the standard.
Sometimes standards are jointly issued by two standards bodies.
Standards can also be searched for by subject, category, or committee.
Standards go through a development cycle. Some databases and websites provide access to standards at different stages (i.e. active; draft; redline; withdrawn; etc.).
The word ‘standards’ has been used interchangeably with ‘specifications’, ‘regulations’, and ‘codes.’
Note: Standards are usually not available free of charge. The Library subscribes to some standards databases. Inter-library loan is not available for standards. We suggest that users purchase their own copy from the appropriate standards body if it is not available through the Library.
Search or browse by ICS (International Classification of Standards). UG has print copies of a limited number of standards (search Omni by standard number).
Journals, conference proceedings and standards produced by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Focus on electronics and computer science.
A collection of publications from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Includes technical papers, peer-reviewed articles, standards, a membership magazine, textbooks, and reference books.
