What are technical reports?
Technical reports are documentation from researchers on their processes, developments, and the state of the field. Though technical reports look very similar to journal papers, they are not peer-reviewed and usually only shared between researchers in a field.
Technical Reports Sources
TRAIL (Technical Reports Archive & Image Library)
The Technical Reports Archive & Image Library (TRAIL) is a digital library of technical reports from US government agencies. Use the keyword search to find reports; in addition to keywords, you can also search an agency's name to find specific reports from them. Filter searches by publication year, subject, and author. All TRAIL reports are free and accessible through HathiTrust or University of North Texas.
To browse reports by agency, click the "Browse TRAIL Inventories" link below the keyword search box. Boxes at the bottom of the inventory processing guide will also allow users to see MARC records and explore the TRAIL search interface.
The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship, or IDEALS, is a repository of research from faculty, staff, and students at the University of Illinois. IDEALS has documentation from every step of the research process, including technical reports.
To search IDEALS, enter a keyword in the search box to start Simple Search or choose Advanced Search below the search box and enter your combination of keywords and filters. Filter by academic unit, collection, author, keywords, and type of research.
