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Research Guides

Technical Reports

What is a Technical Report?

What is a Technical Report?
 

"A technical report is a document written by a researcher detailing the results of a project and submitted to the sponsor of that project." TRs are not peer-reviewed unless they are subsequently published in a peer-review journal.

Characteristics (TRs vary greatly): Technical reports ....

  • may contain data, design criteria, procedures, literature reviews, research history, detailed tables, illustrations/images, explanation of approaches that were unsuccessful.
  • may be published before the corresponding journal literature; may have more or different details than  its subsequent journal article.
  • may contain less  background information since the sponsor already knows it
  • may have restricted access
    • classified and export controlled reports
  • may contain obscure acronyms and codes as part of identifying information

Disciplines:

  • Physical sciences, engineering, agriculture, biomedical sciences, and the social sciences. education etc.

Documents research and development conducted by:

  • government agencies (NASA, Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Energy (DOE) are top sponsors of research
  • commercial companies
  • non-profit, non-governmental organizations
  • Educational Institutions

Format

  • Issued  in print, microform, digital
  • Older TRs may have been digitized and are available in fulltext on the Intranet
  • Newer TRs should be born digital

Definition used with permission from Georgia Tech. Other sources: Pinelli & Barclay (1994).

Record

Record

An infrared Mars probe for gathering evidence on extraterrestrial life
Author and Affiliation:
Davies, R. W. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA, United States);  
Gumpel, M. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA, United States)  
Publication Date: Jan 11, 1960
Document ID:
19680073820
(Acquired Aug 12, 1996)
Accession Number: 68N88631
Subject Category: UNKNOWN
Report/Patent Number: NASA-CR-97395, JPL-EP-814
Document Type: Technical Report
Publisher Information: United States
Contract/Grant/Task Num: NASW-6
Financial Sponsor: NASA; United States
Organization Source: Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech.; Pasadena, CA, United States
Description: 35p; In English
Distribution Limits: Unclassified; Publicly available; Unlimited
Rights: No Copyright
NASA Terms: EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE; LIFE DETECTORS; MARS PROBES; MARS SURFACE; ABSORPTION SPECTRA; CARBON COMPOUNDS; INFRARED SPECTRA; MARS ATMOSPHERE; POLARIMETRY; POLARIZED LIGHT
Imprint And Other Notes: PRESENTED AT THE 1ST INTERNATL. SPACE SCI. SYMP., 11-15 JAN. 1960