British Standards Online

Quick Guide

What are the British Standards Online?

  • A database produced by the British Standards Institution (BSI), an organisation that is responsible for maintaining standards across the manufacturing, engineering and construction industries.
  • The BSI publishes technical standards/specifications which are designed to maintain standards and provide guidance for producers and suppliers.
  • Within British Standards online, you will find British Standards, European and International Standards adopted by the UK, jointly developed standards and publicly available standards.
  • The database is fully indexed and any revisions or withdrawal of standards are noted clearly on the records. The standards are mostly downloadable through the subscription in a PDF format, which can then be printed or saved for your own convenience.
  • It is important to note that any standards downloaded from this subscription are for your own personal use. The British Standards have a copyright that forbids distribution of its standards.

How do I access the British Standards Online?

  1. Go to the Library and Learning Services website:
  2. Click Databases & E-journals (on the right hand side of the screen).
  3. From the Database A-Z list choose B for British Standards Online.
  4. Select On-Campus or Off-Campus access. You will need an Athens account to access the BSOL off-campus (seethe Athens link on the library website for more information).

Searching the British Standards online:

Search by Standard number:

  • If you know the number of the British Standard that you are looking for then simply type this into the search box.
  • Standard numbers will usually be in the format: BS 1234. Sometimes you will also find standards such as: BS EN 1234 or BS EN ISO 1234. This will be where a Eurocodeor anInternational Standard has been adopted.

Simple Search:

  • This enables you to search for standards by number, keyword or phrase. There is one search box, which can be used for both standard numbers and keyword searching.
  • You can search for multiple words or standard numbers. You can also use “inverted commas” for phrases such as “structural timber”, and *wildcard symbols for partial words such as insulat* to search for insulation and insulating.

Search by keyword(s):

  • Here you can enter keywords to describe the type of standard you are looking for. This is useful if you do not know the specific details such as the standard number.
  • To narrow these down you can enter additional keywords using the Search within results search box and the filters to the left of the results.

Advanced search:

  • Advanced Search can be found in the upper right corner of your screen, next to the Search field in the banner.
  • In the Advanced Search you have the option of adding additional details to your search. As well as the Standard number or keyword(s) you can also refine by features such as date published, or items within your subscription only.

The BSOL also allows you to search by standard update type in the advanced search. This search allows you to identify documents that have been updated in some manner within a defined time period.

Browse:

  • The Browse area helps you to look through the whole BSI catalogue. The BSI have grouped the content thematically. The Browse by Subject and Browse by Module options each offer different sets of categories to browse with.

Help:

  • There is a comprehensive Help function on the BSOL, which is available to you if you click on the help tab on the top of the screen. This will give you access to a series of frequently asked questions, demos and user guides.
  • For further support with the British Standards Online and other library resources, just ask your Subject Librarian: