How To: Publish a Technical Report

Your technical expertise can now be combined with ASTM’s publishing expertise in a new format: technical reports.

By:  Cicely Enright

Technical reports help make your information available. Longer than a journal paper, shorter than other publications, reports offer a peer-reviewed format to share work that may or may not otherwise call for full-consensus standards. Think of it this way: report information can be critical for certain purposes but not necessarily the best fit for a consensus standard.

These reports could describe the current state, challenges, processes, progress, and research, and have data, recommendations, and/or conclusions in a technical area. The contents could come from work by a committee, groups of committees, an outside industry-specific trade association, professional society, or consortium. Proposals can be made by members or non-members.

For example, the first two technical reports focus on aviation: TR-1, Autonomy Design and Operations in Aviation: Terminology and Requirements Framework, and TR-2, Developmental Pillars of Increased Autonomy for Aircraft Systems. Both can guide technical committees in their work on autonomous systems in aviation. And a third related report is coming soon. You can learn more about the aviation-related reports on the ASTM website (www.astm.org, under Products & Services > Standards & Publications > Technical Reports).

The process for a technical report, like other ASTM publications, begins by submitting a proposal, which is considered by staff, technical committee(s), and the Committee on Publications. Proposals need to have a tentative title, author(s), scope, estimated schedule, manuscript details, any special features, and an audience description.

Note that the technical report peer-review process is single blind, with the committee chair designating at least two members of the committee to review. As mentioned, these reports

are not balloted and are not full-consensus documents.

To learn more, contact your staff manager or Kathy Dernoga, ASTM (+1.610.832.9617; [email protected]).