Standards are published specifications, criteria, and guidelines for the performance or composition of a product or process. They increase quality, reliability, and interoperability of everything in the built world.
What do standards do?
Standards are created by standards development organizations (SDOs) and are updated frequently to keep pace with changing technologies. SDOs manage extensive processes involving subject experts to develop standards when a standard is needed, often due to a recurring problem that impacts trade, safety, or quality.
There are 3 types of Standards: Voluntary Compliance, Limited Compliance, and Governmental
Voluntary compliance standards, or VCS, are created by standards development organizations in collaboration with subject experts, industry stakeholders, and public input. These standards are a response to a recurring problem that impacts trade, safety, or quality. Due to the scope of the issues that VCS address, they are considered to be broadly applicable. Compliance with these standards is entirely voluntary and there is no enforcement power behind them.
Limited compliance standards, or LCS, are created by industry specific standards development organizations. These standards are still developed by subject experts, but input from industry is prioritized due to their industry specific application. This narrow application can be as small as at the company level, and often these standards are not available outside of the company they were developed for.
Governing bodies, such as the FDA, EPA, USDA, and US military within the US Government, create their own regulations. Some are very process specific to ensure that a standardized process is used in purchasing or the performance of duties, but others are written or adopted using the same methods as VCS. Because governmental standards carry legal weight behind them, these standards are almost always enforceable.
From Dartmouth Libraries
The library provides interlibrary loan (ILL) services to obtain Engineering standards and codes in the event that you are unable to download copies from the websites above.
If none of the above sites offer free options of obtaining standards or codes and ILL has proven unfruitful, please reach out to the Electronic Resources Librarian for purchasing options. Order requests should come from the Engineering faculty only.
If publisher uses acronym, spell out acronym for the publisher. Example: American National Standard Institute/Robotic Industries Association not “ANSI/RIA”.
General Format:
Publisher. (Year). Standard Title (Standard Code). Retrieved from URL
Example:
American National Standard Institute/Robotic Industries Association. (1999). Industrial Robots and Robot Systems – Safety Requirements (ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999). Retrieved from https://subscriptions.techstreet.com/products/13518
General Format:
Standard Title, Standard Code, year.
Example:
Industrial Robots and Robot Systems – Safety Requirements, ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999, 1999.
If publisher uses acronym, spell out acronym for the publisher. Example: American National Standard Institute/Robotic Industries Association not “ANSI/RIA”.
General Format:
Publisher. Standard Title; Standard Code; Location, year. URL/DOI (accessed YYYY-MM-DD)
Example:
American National Standard Institute/Robotic Industries Association. Industrial Robots and Robot Systems – Safety Requirements; ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999; Ann Arbor, MI, 1999. https://subscriptions.techstreet.com/products/13518 (accessed 2022-06-10)
Author-Date
If publisher uses acronym use “Acronym (Spell out acronym)” for publisher. Example: ANSI/RIA (American National Standard Institute/Robotic Industries Association).
General Format:
Publisher. Year. Standard Title. Standard Code. Location: Publisher, approved date (format Month Date, Year); reaffirmed date (format Month Date, Year).
Example:
ANSI/RIA (American National Standard Institute/Robotic Industries Association). 1999. Industrial Robots and Robot Systems – Safety Requirements. ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999. Ann Arbor, MI: RIA, approved June 21, 1999.
Notes and Bibliography
If publisher uses acronym use “Spell out acronym (acronym)” for publisher. Example: American National Standard Institute/Robotic Industries Association (ANSI/RIA).
General Format:
Publisher. Standard Title. Standard Code. Location: Publisher, approved date (format Month Date, Year); reaffirmed date (format Month Date, Year).
Example:
American National Standard Institute/Robotic Industries Association (ANSI/RIA). Industrial Robots and Robot Systems – Safety Requirements. ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999. Ann Arbor, MI: RIA, approved June 21, 1999.
