Skip to Main Content



Technical Reports Research Guide

This guide provides links to a wide variety of databases/websites containing technical reports.

Citing Tech Reports

According to the Manual of Scientific Style (edited by Harold Rabinowitz and Suzanne Vogel, 2009), section 4.4.22, Scientific and Technical Reports:
For scientific and technical reports first write the author and the name of the report. Next, write the report number, the department of the company or university that sponsored the report, and the name of the company or university that the document came from.

Citation-Sequence
Strones, L. The Reduced Risks Of Genetically Enhanced Food. Report T-97, Department of Agriculture, Harvard University; 2006.

Author-Date
Strones, L. 2006. The Reduced Risks Of Genetically Enhanced Food. Report T-97, Department of Agriculture, Harvard University.

 

According to Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors and Publishers (8th edition, 2014, 29.3.7.4):
"It is important to identify both the sponsoring organization...and the performing organization...and to identify which of them published the report." CSE style offers 2 formats that basically only change where the date appears in the citation.

Citation-sequence or citation-name format:
Author(s) (performing organization name and address). Title of report. Edition. Place of publication: publisher; date. Extent. Report No.: Contract No.: Grant No.: Notes.

Example:
Cooper LN (Department of Physics, Brown University, Providence, RI). Theoretical and experimental research into biological mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Final progress report 1 Aug 88-31 Jul 89. Washington (DC): Air Force Office of Scientific Research (US); 1990. Report No.: AFOSR-TR-90-0672. Contract No.: AFOSR-88-0228;2305;B4. Available from NTIS, Springfield, VA; AD-A223615.

Name-year format:
Author(s) (performing organization name and address). Date. Title of report. Edition. Place of publication: publisher. Extent. Report No.: Contract No.: Grant No.: Notes.

Example:
Cooper LN (Department of Physics, Brown University, Providence, RI).1990. Theoretical and experimental research into biological mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Final progress report 1 Aug 88-31 Jul 89. Washington (DC): Air Force Office of Scientific Research (US). Report No.: AFOSR-TR-90-0672. Contract No.: AFOSR-88-0228;2305;B4. Available from NTIS, Springfield, VA; AD-A223615.

Other Citation Styles for Science Writing