A Technical Report is a document prepared by a researcher detailing the results of a project or research activity. The report is then published by the organization which sponsored the project such as academic departments (universities and research institutions), government agencies (e. g. Canadian Wildlife Service), and corporations (e. g. R&D: Research and Development). These reports are often freely available on the website of the sponsoring agency.

A report’s content may be quite lengthy, containing more detailed or extensive information than corresponding journal literature (e.g. research articles).  They are often published in a series which will have an identification number (report number or volume number), and each series may share a common cover.

Examples of series:

Technical Report no. xxx,

Technical Report Series Number xxx,

CW69-5E (Canadian Wildlife Service)

Although important sources of specialized information, Technical Reports are not usually included in commercial databases* and they also don’t tend to be peer-reviewed, but may undergo an internal review prior to publication.

* Note: There are a few databases that provide technical reports (e.g. NTIS: National Technical Information Service, US).