Applied Science Commons A-Z Database Descriptions and URLs
This article provides ready-to-use, concise descriptions for Applied Science Commons and its modules—ideal for adding to your library’s A-Z database lists, discovery tools, subject guides, or promotional materials.
Applied Science Commons (main database)
A database providing access to over 8.5 million reports, white papers, case studies, and other fugitive (or grey) literature—content typically not published in traditional academic sources such as books and journals. Covers content from thousands of organizations including governments, agencies, hospitals, corporations, and research centers. Features Content Object Identifiers (COIs, permanent IDs for reliable citation) and multilingual content with English translations of titles, summaries, and tables of contents. Supports research across the applied sciences with materials often available before appearing in journals or books.
Important Tip
In your A-Z lists, Learning Management Systems, research guides, and other locations where users discover resources, It’s important to list both the platform (the Commons) and the individual module.
For example, on the Applied Science Commons platform, the Applied Nursing and Allied Health module offers specialized, practice-based content for healthcare training and research. If you list only Applied Science Commons, users searching for nursing or allied health materials may miss this collection. By featuring both the platform and the module, you increase discoverability of subject-specific content.
Applied Environmental Science
Collection of hundreds of thousands of items from thousands of organizations focused on the intersection of technology and environmental science, covering 1995 to the present. Includes environmental monitoring reports, policy papers, case studies, and technical documents on climate resilience, carbon management, sustainable energy, biodiversity conservation, and regenerative practices. Features content on environmental justice, Indigenous knowledge integration, and the water-energy-food nexus. Supports research in environmental technology, policy, and sustainability solutions. Continually updated and growing.
Applied Nursing and Allied Health
Current, practical resources created by practicing clinicians across nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, exercise science, nutrition, dental assisting, radiology, speech-language pathology, audiology, and behavioral health. Includes clinical demonstrations, podcasts, professional blogs, case studies, training materials, and evidence-informed analyses on topics like wound care, AI in healthcare, pain management, mental health interventions, and rehabilitation techniques. Features real-world content rarely found in textbooks—the materials healthcare professionals create and use in daily practice. Each item has a persistent identifier for reliable citation.
Applied Psychology
Real-world psychology resources created by practicing psychologists, therapists, research groups, advocacy organizations, hospitals, and governments worldwide. Includes conference proceedings, clinical guidelines, intervention evaluations, assessment tools, screening protocols, white papers, case studies, blogs, podcasts, videos, and personal narratives on topics like trauma-informed care, workplace stress, culturally competent therapy, forensic assessment, burnout, substance use interventions, and crisis management. Covers clinical, forensic, educational, workplace, health, and counseling psychology with global perspectives including materials from the Global South. Supports interdisciplinary research connecting psychology with law, education, business, neuroscience, sociology, and health and safety. Each item has a persistent identifier for reliable citation.
Computer Science, Data, and AI
A collection of hundreds of thousands of documents from thousands of organizations at the forefront of technology development, with coverage from 1995 to the present. Includes technical reports, white papers, case studies, presentations, and policy documents, covering artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, quantum computing, blockchain, and emerging technologies. Covers practical applications in healthcare, disaster response, sustainable computing, and ethics in AI. Provides access to current developments often months before appearing in academic journals. Continually updated and growing.
Global Technical Reports
Access millions of technical reports from more than 175 government laboratories and research institutes worldwide, spanning 1926 to the present. Find hard-to-access scientific, defense, engineering, and R&D reports from national laboratories, including all US Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and their international equivalents in Europe, East Asia, and Australasia. Discover field trials, prototypes, experimental simulations, and methodological studies on cutting-edge topics like autonomous systems, renewable energy grids, digital twins, fluid dynamics, and materials research. The collection preserves historical content from the nearly defunct NTIS-NTRL database, while backfilling missing coverage from 2006 to 2025 and adding current reports. Use this resource to trace methodological evolution, compare technology pathways across governments, and find practical applications for complex technical challenges in infrastructure, defense, space technology, energy and climate, public health, and engineering. Essential for interdisciplinary research across engineering, energy, industry, and applied sciences.
Mental Health in VR and Video
Skills-based videos and immersive virtual-reality (VR) experiences for mental health education in counseling, psychology, social work, and nursing. Features expert-led demonstration therapy sessions covering Family Systems Therapy, Experiential Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Multicultural Counseling, and Alzheimer's and Caregiver Support. Includes exclusive Microcases (three-to-four-minute clips of clients presenting with anger, suicidal ideation, anxiety, grief, and trauma) and Interactive Simulations (tne-to-fifteen minute videos on empathy, goal setting, alliance ruptures, stages of change, and evaluating suicide risk). Over fifty VR experiences allow immersion in perspectives of individuals facing depression, anxiety, bullying, and homelessness. Content highlights international perspectives, multicultural dynamics, immigration experiences, and issues related to gender identity, socioeconomic status, and spirituality. Most materials are less than five years old. VR experiences viewable with headsets or on laptops in 2D.
Public Health and Social Care
A collection containing millions of publications from thousands of healthcare and social care organizations worldwide, with coverage from 1995 to the present. Includes materials from hospitals, public health agencies, medical associations, charities, and government health departments. Features community health needs assessments, policy briefs, clinical guidelines, health technology assessments, implementation reports, and other materials not found in traditional health databases. Valuable for systematic reviews, evidence-based practice, and health policy research. Continually updated and growing.
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