The role of technical reports in scientific and technical communication

During the past 30 years the technical report has developed into an important primary medium of communication in science and technology, to the extent that it is sometimes seen as a threat to primary journal publication. At the same time the (unclassified) report has been accused of not meeting the same standards of authority, scientific rigor, and retrievability as conventional journal publication. Report publication is reviewed in the light of standards commonly accepted for journal publication, and the inherent characteristics of technical reports are assessed. It is concluded that both reports and scientific journals have distinct roles to play in the communication of scientific and technical information, and that a cost-effective system will make full use of the strengths of both.