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Technical Reports : General Information

Guide to finding federally-funded research reports

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Definition

What is a Technical Report?

Technical reports publish the results of scientific or technical research, often using federal funds. The research is performed and reports are produced by companies, universities and government laboratories. Most technical reports housed on campus were written under contract to U.S. government agencies.

Technical Reports on Campus

Technical Reports Collection

  • Campus technical reports come from numerous US government agencies and other institutions and societies (see the list at right).

  • Most documents and reports can be retrieved from the Middleton Shelving Facility and checked out.

  • UW Libraries have functioned as an Atomic Energy Commission depository since 1963, with a comprehensive collection of AEC, ERDA and DOE reports in microfiche.

  • Large collection of NTIS, Dept of Defense,  and NASA reports on microfiche.

UW Madison is a part of the regional GPO Federal Depository Library Program.

Agencies Funding the Research

Who generated all of the print technical reports on campus?

  • Army Corps of Engineers

  • Department of Energy (DOE)
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its predecessor, NACA
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)and its predecessor, National Bureau of Standards (NBS)
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and its predecessors, Atomic Energy Comission (AEC) and Energy Research & Development Administration (ERDA)
  • Patent and Trademark Office (PTO)
  • Department of Transportation (DOT)
  • Society of Automotive Engineers: SAE Technical Papers 1965-2002
  • Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)