LSAMP Summer Research Program Library Resources Guide: Other Information Sources for Research
This Guide is intended for students in UB's LSAMP Summer Research Program. It contains links to library research resources, as well as contact information for the Engineering Librarian.
Last Updated: Jun 5, 2025 10:45 AM
There are sometimes additional information sources you may need to consider for your research. These can include (but are not limited to): patents, technical reports, technical standards, and material properties information.
There are Research Guides for each of these information sources, so rather than replicate this information, links to each of these Guides are below. The Guides cover resources for searching for these specific types of information, as well as additional background details about the information type and why you might need to consider it when conducting your literature search.
If you have any questions about these types of information sources, don't hesitate to contact the Engineering Librarian at epautler@buffalo.edu.
Research Guide Links
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Patents Research GuidePatents are a rich source of scientific and technical information. The time-consuming task of searching for patents has been streamlined by the availability of Web-based patent search and retrieval systems.
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Technical Standards Research GuideStandards are detailed instructions that explain how something is to be manufactured, managed, designed, or otherwise handled. Standards are usually written by an authoritative body, such as a professional organization, government agency, or manufacturer. The Institute for Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), for example, publishes electronic and electrical engineering-related standards.
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Technical Reports Research GuideTechnical reports are works that describe the progress or results of scientific or technical research and development. Technical reports usually fall into two categories: government-sponsored and privately funded research reports. Both categories may include national or international reports by university departments, institutes, private industry, or government agencies and laboratories. Technical reports are often more detailed than articles in the peer-reviewed journal literature. They may be hundreds of pages long and may include supporting materials that never make it into journal publications, such as data sets or programming code.
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Material Properties Research GuideThis guide will lead you to vast collections of properties data. It includes how to find property information for chemicals, metals, polymers, and more.