Publications of the National Research Council, as well as those of its constitutive organizations, the National Academy of Science, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Academy of Engineering, are often important resources for lawyers who litigate scientific and technical issues. Right or wrong, these publications become forces in their own right in the courtroom, where they command serious attention from trial and appellate judges.
According to the National Academies Press’s website, all electronic versions of its books, in portable document format (pdf), will be available at its website, for free:
“As of June 2, 2011, all PDF versions of books published by the National Academies Press (NAP) will be downloadable to anyone free of charge.
That’s more than 4,000 books plus future reports produced by NAP – publisher for the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council.”
Important works on forensic evidence, asbestos, dioxin, beryllium, research ethics, and data sharing published by the NAP, for the IOM or NRC, are now available for free. The NAP charged upwards of $40 or 50 for some of these books previously.
This summer, the NRC’s Committee on Science, Technology and Law will release the Third Edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, previously prepared by the Federal Judicial Center. See http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/stl/development_manual/index.htm
