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Access to Standards

A standards developing organization (SDO) is an organization that develops, publishes, and disseminates standards within their area of expertise. SDOs may include professional societies, industry and trade associations and membership organizations. They may develop standards with their own members or in cooperation with other SDOs and interested parties. SDOs in the United States may choose to develop standards that are submitted to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for approval as American National Standards (ANS). They may also develop standards outside the ANSI accreditation and approval process.

Here is a list of SDOs and other organizations we work with and how you can access their standards.

ADA logo

ADA - American Dental Association. The American Dental Association (ADA) powers the profession of dentistry to advance the overall oral health of the public. Standards from the ADA are available for purchase from the ADA E-Catalog.

AES - Audio Engineering Society. The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology. Founded in the USA in 1948, the AES is now an international organization that unites audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students worldwide by promoting advances in audio and disseminating new knowledge and research. 

Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board (ASB) logo

ASB - American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) Academy Standards Board. The American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) has established an organization, the Academy Standards Board (ASB), dedicated to developing standards for forensic science. ASB is an ANSI-accredited SDO that provides accessible, high quality science based consensus forensic  science standards. To view the ASB published documents for various forensic science disciplines, visit the Published Documents page on the ASB website. 

ASTM Logo - Standards Access

ASTM International. ASTM International is a globally recognized leader in the development and delivery of voluntary consensus standards. Today, more than 12,000 ASTM standards are used around the world to improve product quality, enhance health and safety, strengthen market access and trade, and build consumer confidence.

  • ASTM Committee E30 on Forensic Sciences develops standards relevant to forensic science, including criminalistics, digital and multimedia evidence, fire debris analysis, drug testing analysis, collection and preservation of physical and digital evidence as well as reporting of findings.

ASTM has given the public free access to the E30 published standards. To view the ASTM standards on the OSAC Registry, visit the OSAC Registry webpage and click on the standard of interest. You can also click the green "ASTM Standards Access" button at the top of this heading to enter the ASTM Compass website. There you can search E30 standards by standard number, title or keyword. 

ISO - International Organization for Standardization. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 164 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges. Standards developed by ISO are available for purchase from the ISO Store or ANSI Webstore

  • The ISO Technical Committee 272 Forensic Sciences (ISO/TC 272) develops standards that pertain to laboratory and field-based forensic science techniques and methodology in broad general areas such as the detection and collection of physical evidence, the subsequent analysis and interpretation of the evidence, and the reporting of results and findings. 
  • The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the U.S. member body to ISO and has coordinated the development of voluntary consensus standards in the U.S. since 1918. ANSI does not write standards; rather, the Institute accredits standards developers that will establish consensus among qualified groups. ANSI’s guiding principles of “consensus, due process and openness” are followed by the 220 entities currently accredited to develop and maintain nearly 10,000 American National Standards (ANS).

NFPA - National Fire Protection Association. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a global self-funded nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazard. NFPA delivers knowledge and information through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. NFPA is an ANSI accredited organization with a full, open, and consensus-based standards development process. As part of its commitment to enhancing public safety, NFPA provides free online access to its codes and standards.

A black ring with the words in white reading around the circle from bottom clockwise :  Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence ~ and inside the ring a blue background with the letters SWGDE over a brownish red rhombus like a square table if you are facing a corner and white prongs coming down that look like upside down bottles and perhaps represents a computer chip, then along the bottom 7 white stars
Credit: SWGDE

SWGDE - Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence. The Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) brings together organizations actively engaged in the field of digital and multimedia evidence to foster communication and cooperation as well as to ensure quality and consistency within the forensic community. SWGDE documents are developed by a consensus process that involves the best efforts of relevant subject matter experts, organizations, and input from other stakeholders to publish suggested best practices, practical guidance, technical positions, and educational information in the discipline of digital and multimedia forensics and related fields. SWGDE documents are freely available at swgde.org.

Created June 28, 2016, Updated March 31, 2023