According to the definition given in SPRING Singapore, standards are recognised documents, established by consensus. They are functional or technical requirements in the form of specifications for materials, product system or process, codes of practice, methods of test, terminologies, guides, etc. Typically, standards contain details of methods, measurements, definitions, properties and processes.

Sources of information:

• American National Standards Institute (ANSI) - the official U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Search standards from the National Standards System Network (NSSN).

• British Standards Institute (BSI) - the UK's National Standards Body. The website provides a searchable BSI standards catalog and information on the process of standards development.

• IEEE Standards Association - the IEEE is a leading authority in technical areas such as, computer engineering, biomedical technology and telecommunications, electric power, aerospace and consumer electronics.

• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) - addresses the development of standardization in the electrical and electronic engineering fields.

• International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) - a worldwide federation of national standard bodies. The site includes a searchable standards catalog, a list of international standards organizations and information about ISO9000 and ISO14000.

• ISO 14000 - for more information on a series of international standards on environmental management.

• SPRING Singapore - select 'Standardisation Strategy followed by Sale of Standards' to access & download the Singapore Standards Catalogue 2002/3. Search by keywords or standard number.

• Standards Australia - Australia’s leading supplier of business, technical, and engineering Standards. Includes online searching to locate Australian / New Zealand Standards with abstracts and summaries, but not fulltext.

• Telecom Industry Association (TIA) - the trade association in the communications and information technology industry. This site provides access to information and documentation pertaining to telecommunications, networking and wireless communication. To search for standards information, click STANDARDS.