Introduction
Nanotechnology standards database is a collection of national and international standards related to nanotechnology issued by national and international organizations. The mission of the database is to monitor and analyze thelatest level of standardization in the field of nanotechnology. Brief and to the point information about the title and the subject of standards, their identification number, abstract, issuing organization, date of publication and the link to the original text of standards are recorded in this database. This section was unveiled in 2013 and is updated annually.
Sources and the Method of Data Collection
Nanotechnology standards are found and extracted using a set of keywords related to this field. The main sources are websites of national and international organizations responsible for developing and issuing standards. In addition, other sources such as analytic reports and websites for standards' sale are monitored for finding new standards, however the crucial criterion for a standard to be recorded in the database is the accessibility of its information in the website of official corresponding organization. National standard organizations in countries which are members or observers of ISO/TC 229 are monitored continually. Moreover, standardization activities of countries which have national plans or roadmaps in the field of nanotechnology are considered periodically.
Having the specific structure of standards in mind, any national or international standard whose information is accessible in the responsible organization website in English language and keywords related to nanotechnology have been cited in its title and/or abstract will be recorded in the database. The domain of this section also includes standards which are considered conceptually or scientifically related to nanotechnology by our experts without direct addressing the word of "nano" and its derivations in the original texts.
The recorded information in the database rely completely on the content published in the issuing organizations. Hence, the publishers of original texts are responsible for the validity and accuracy of released information. In order to prevent any mistake or oversight at the time of recording information, after initial registration and before final dissemination in Statnano website, our experts reconsider all extracted information carefully. Furthermore, published information are reviewed in the process of annual updating.
