Searchable Collections
Discover the best collections of books that the National Academies Press has to offer in selected subject areas. Handpicked by NAP staff, these are the most current and relevant resources. Search inside each book or search across all the titles in each collection to learn more about key issues in science, engineering and medicine.
Adolescent Health and Well-Being
Our publications analyze the available evidence on critical issues facing youth and offer best practices for adolescent health services to support them as they grow, learn and thrive within their families, neighborhoods, and communities.
Advancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education
Knowledge of science and the practice of scientific thinking are essential components of a fully functioning democracy. Science is also crucial for the future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce and the pursuit of living wage jobs. These publications support educators, policy makers, curriculum developers, parent and advocacy groups, and local communities as they strive to deliver high quality, rigorous STEM learning experiences in equal measure to all students from elementary school through grade twelve.
Advising the U.S. Global Change Research Program
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP or the Program) is an interagency program mandated by Congress to assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change. Our Committee to Advise the USGCRP provides ongoing and focused advice to the Program by convening key thought leaders and decision makers at semiannual meetings, providing strategic advice through consensus reports, reviewing draft plans for the Program, and serving as a portal to other relevant Academies� activities.
Airborne Chemical Exposure
Extremely hazardous substances can be released accidentally as a result of chemical spills, industrial explosions, fires, or accidents involving railroad cars and trucks transporting EHSs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified approximately 400 extremely hazardous substances that pose a risk to those who might come into contact with the materials. The reports in this collection review and interpret toxicologic and other scientific data in order to develop acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs) for these high-priority, acutely toxic chemicals.
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting is the largest earth and space science meeting in the world. This collection showcases recent studies from the National Academies in earth sciences, ocean sciences, atmospheric sciences, polar research, and space studies.
Arctic
Although remote to most of Earth's inhabitants, the Arctic is tied to every point on the globe through land, sea, or air. Our daily weather, what we eat, and coastal flooding are all tied to the future of the Arctic. This collection explores the impacts of climate change on the Arctic and makes recommendations for research to expand our knowledge.
Artificial Intelligence and Climate Change
While artificial intelligence (AI) is being harnessed to research and respond to a range of climate change challenges, the growing use of AI is raising worries around its potential environmental and climate impacts. The publications in this collection reflect the breadth of recent work in the AI-for-climate space being done across the National Academies and capture cross-disciplinary discussions on the benefits, challenges, and needed planning to harness artificial intelligence for good.
BCYF 25th Anniversary
The Board on Children, Youth, and Families (BCYF) analyzes the best available evidence and provides innovative and influential solutions for critical issues facing children, youth, and families today. These BCYF reports demonstrate the breadth of the board's body of work in celebration of its 25th anniversary.
Biosecurity
An important aspect of scientists' responsibility to society involves the challenge to move the life sciences forward for legitimate purposes while reducing the risks that some materials, knowledge, tools, and technologies could also be used to do harm. This collection of reports promotes a culture of responsibility and supports efforts to enhance safety and security in life sciences research.
Cancers and Children
Children develop cancers that are biologically distinct from adult cancers and face unique challenges related to their care. These publications examine topics such as accelerating pediatric cancer research and improving cancer care and survivorship care for children with cancer and their families.
Celebrating the Eclipse: The Sun and Our Space Environment
Solar eclipses are awe-inspiring sources of scientific discovery and wonder. For decades, the National Academies has advised the nation on future research directions for solar and space physics, from exploring the Sun's magnetic field to understanding space weather. The publications below explore solar physics broadly, including the impact of solar storms on society. Learn more about our work on this topic by visiting the Space Studies Board website.
Climate Adaptation
As our nation and world work to mitigate the drivers of climate change, we are already experiencing the effects of a changing climate. Adapting to climate impacts requires actions from many decision makers across all levels of government and society. Reports and activities by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide needed technical and scientific resources, incentives to begin adaptation planning, guidance across jurisdictions, shared lessons learned, and support of scientific research to expand knowledge of impacts and adaptation.
Climate Change
Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems. Human activities largely determine the evolution of the Earth's climate, which not only impact the next few decades, but the coming centuries and millennia. This collection emphasizes the importance of 21st century choices regarding long-term climate stabilization through improving understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and expanding the options available to limit the magnitude of climate change.
Clinical Trial Data Sharing
Clinical trials generate vast amounts of data, yet a large portion of this information is never published or made available to other researchers. Data sharing could advance scientific discovery and improve clinical care, but it involves potential risks and costs for key stakeholders, including clinical trialists, sponsors, researchers, and patients. Our publications discuss the challenges and opportunities for stakeholders to better harmonize incentives, policy, data standards, and governance to encourage the sharing and reuse of clinical trial data sharing.
Competitiveness
In a world where advanced knowledge is widespread and low-cost labor is readily available, U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology have begun to erode. A comprehensive and coordinated federal effort is urgently needed to bolster U.S. competitiveness and pre-eminence in these areas. This collection focuses on recommendations and implementation actions that federal policy-makers should take to create high-quality jobs and focus new science and technology efforts on meeting the nation’s needs. This collection is beneficial for federal and state government agencies and representatives, educators and schools, public decision makers, business leaders, economists, research sponsors, regulatory analysts and scholars.
Cosmos
Spanning many decades, this collection of books on space exploration and astrophysics celebrates the premiere of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.
CPNAS Exhibition Catalog Collection
Since the early 1970s the National Academy of Sciences has hosted exhibitions that often explore the intersections of art, science, and culture. These exhibitions provide a platform for cross-disciplinary discussions and a lens through which the Academy can reach a broader audience. This collection of catalogs documents several exhibitions organized by Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences and contains critical essays written about the work.
Crisis Standards of Care
Public health disasters justify temporarily adjusting practice standards and/or shifting the balance of ethical concerns to emphasize the needs of the community rather than the needs of individuals. Our Crisis Standards of Care publications provide guidance for use by state and local public health officials and health-sector agencies and institutions in establishing and implementing standards of care that should apply in disaster situations.
Critical Issues in Transportation
Critical Issues in Transportation explores pressing issues and opportunities concerning the central role transportation play in serving society. Critical Issues sharpens a general understanding of transportation and its societal ramifications, while informing collective and individual decisions.
Cybersecurity
In a world of increasing dependence on information technology, the prevention of cyberattacks on a nation's important computer, infrastructure, and communications systems and networks is a problem that looms large. In order to best prevent such attacks, this collection explains the importance of increasing the usability of security technologies, recommends strategies for future research aimed at countering cyberattacks, and considers how information technology systems can be used to not only maximize protection against attacks, but also respond to threats.
Data and AI for Transportation Advancement
Artificial Intelligence and data analysis have the potential to help the transportation system better reach its goals of providing safe and efficient ways to move people and goods. From workflows to asset management, there are ways machine learning and AI can leverage transportation data to be more proactive.
Dietary Reference Intakes
Responding to the expansion of scientific knowledge about the roles of nutrients in human health, the Institute of Medicine developed a new approach to establish Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and other nutrient reference values. This series of books presents dietary reference values for the intakes of nutrients.
Emergency Preparedness / Disaster Management
Even prepared communities can be overwhelmed in a state of state of emergency. This collection of reports provides guidelines and targeted resources for all stakeholders in a disaster response, including state and local governments, emergency medical services and health care centers. These reports also examine the improvement of emergency services in rural communities and recommends post-disaster public engagement practices.
Energy
Energy touches our lives in countless ways and its costs are felt when we fill up at the gas pump, pay our home heating bills, and keep our businesses running. Our country faces the challenge of developing an energy portfolio that addresses these concerns while still providing sufficient, affordable energy reserves for the nation. This collection analyzes the potential of a wide range of technologies for generation, distribution, and conservation of energy. These reports are necessary in assessing associated impacts and projected costs of increased energy efficiency, coal-fired power generation, nuclear power, renewable energy, oil and natural gas, and alternative transportation fuels.
Environmental Health Matters Initiative
Over the past few decades, the National Academies have provided guidance and leadership in environmental health research and policy through a variety of reports, workshops, and meetings. Explore some of the most recent and impactful environmental health work from the National Academies, curated by the Environmental Health Matters Initiative.
Ethical Foundations of Science
The scientific research enterprise is built on a foundation of trust. Scientists trust that the results reported by others are valid and society trusts that the results of research reflect an honest attempt to describe the world with unbiased accuracy. This collection describes the ethical foundations of scientific practices and some of the personal and professional issues that researchers encounter in their works, as well as recommends the appropriate training in the management of research projects in the digital age. Whether in an academic, industrial, or government setting, this collection applies to all forms of research.
Everglades
The Everglades are unique in the world in its assemblage of geographic and ecological wonders, ranging from tree islands to exotic reptiles and wading birds. This collection contains the biennial evaluations of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program as well as other reports about the complex issues of preserving this unique and special ecosystem.
Evolution
How did life evolve on Earth? The answer can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. This collection documents the overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution, stresses the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem management, and evaluates the alternative perspectives offered by various kinds of creationism. These reports also focus on how science and religion can be viewed as different ways of understanding the world, rather than as frameworks that are in conflict with each other. For educators, students, teachers, community leaders, legislators, policy makers, and parents who seek to better understand all aspects of evolutionary science, this collection is an essential resource.
Flood Resilience: Preparedness and Recovery
In the devastation that follows a flood, there is a need for multiple sectors to unite and devote new resources to support the rebuilding of infrastructure, the provision of health and social services, the restoration of care delivery systems, and other critical recovery needs. This collection examines the current state of knowledge surrounding floods and their impact on social and physical infrastructure and offers guidance for multiple sectors involved in community planning and the flood recovery process.
Frontiers of Engineering
At the Frontiers of Engineering Symposiums, this country's best and brightest early-career engineers - from academia, industry, and government and a variety of engineering disciplines - learn from their peers about pioneering work in different areas of engineering. These summaries convey the excitement of these unique meetings and highlight innovative developments in engineering research and technical work.
Genomics
Thousands of human genomes have been completely sequenced, and many more have been mapped at lower levels of resolution. Genomic studies hold great promise to advance the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and advance research in anthropology, forensics, and other branches of science. The reports of this collection discuss the history, advancement, and translation of genomic-based research.
Health Literacy
Health literacy aims to align the demands of health care systems with people�s skills, abilities, and values. These publications support the development, implementation and sharing of evidence-based health literacy practices and policies.
Heart Health
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, resulting in 18 million deaths in 2015 alone. Yet, it is also one of the most preventable health problems. This collection contains the National Academies� work on heart health and the factors that impact it, including smoking and obesity.
Higher Education
The importance of higher education has never been clearer: it prepares the professionals of today and those of tomorrow, while also helping all students develop knowledge and skills they can draw on in a variety of occupations and as individual citizens. This collection examines the current state of U.S. higher education and makes recommendations that will enable this system to better serve the needs and interests of its students.
Highway Planning
The United States highway system connects most major cities and allows for increased mobility between states. These reports examine areas in need of improvement and present best practices for future highway management.
Immigration
The United States prides itself on being a nation of immigrants, and the country has a long history of successfully absorbing people from across the globe. These reports examine what we know about how immigrants and their descendants are integrating into American society in a range of areas such as education, occupations, health, and language.
Infectious Diseases in Airports and Aircraft
This collection of resources on infectious diseases provides research on public health preparedness, communicable diseases, emergency response, and other topics to help airport professionals address and respond to public health needs.
Informal Learning
Aside from the traditional school setting, a great deal of learning takes place in museums, libraries, nature centers, after-school programs, amateur science clubs, and even during conversations at the dinner table. Collectively, these kinds of settings are often referred to as informal learning environments. This collection provides resources for understanding the learning that occurs in these environments in all of its complexity and then exploring how to more fully capitalize on these settings.
International Cooperation to Reduce Global Threats
International engagement in health-related activities has historically resulted in direct benefit for the United States by advancing knowledge of infectious disease epidemiology and the development of medical countermeasures as well as fostering good will and trust with international partners. These publications explore efforts to work with other countries to diminish the global risk of biological threats, enhance surveillance, and increase the speed of response.
Laboratory Safety
Laboratory safety is essential in maintaining the integrity of the work being performed and protecting the lab�s occupants. Our resources recommend strategies and procedures to promote laboratory safety and security.
Law and Justice
Science is improving how we approach law enforcement and our justice system. Forensics is only the first part of the picture. The reports in this collection evaluate the evidence base and recommend best practices for policing, evidence collection and processing, and eyewitness identification.
Mathematics
The mathematical sciences are part of everyday life. Modern communication, transportation, science, engineering, technology, medicine, manufacturing, security, and finance all depend on the mathematical sciences. This collection of books is geared towards general readers who would like to know more about how the mathematical sciences contribute to modern life and advance discovery, biology, code, math learning in the classroom, and more.
Next Generation Science Standards
Next Generation Science Standards identifies the science all K-12 students should know. These new standards are based on the National Research Council's A Framework for K-12 Science Education. The National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Achieve have partnered to create standards through a collaborative state-led process. The reports in this collection either form the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards, or provide resources on how to implement them.
Nutrient Requirements of Animals
The Nutrient Requirements series represents a comprehensive review of the most recent information available on animal nutrition and ingredient composition that will allow efficient, profitable, and environmentally conscious animal production.
Obesity Prevention
Nearly 40 Percent of U.S. adults and 20 percent of U.S. children are obese. Those living with obesity have increased risks of disability, disease, and premature death, as well as substantial health, economic, and social costs. This collection presents a fresh perspective about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to the growing obesity epidemic by recommending obesity prevention actions, programs, and policies.
Oil Spill Prevention and Response and Deepwater Horizon
After the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, our reports provided analyses of the spill and guidance for policy making, health care monitoring, and environmental protection. The select titles here are a sampling of our reports on the Deepwater Horizon as well as the long history of the National Academies of advising the nation on oil spills and their human and environmental effects.
For more information, please visit the Gulf Research Program's website.
Our Most Downloaded 2021 Publications
In 2021, we�ve reached readers with 1,970,308 PDF downloads from every country in the world. This year, our top reports reflect the span of our work across energy, space, climate change, education, and health care.
Our Most Downloaded 2022 Publications
In 2022, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released 269 new publications. Our top 15 most-downloaded titles reflect our mission to address the most pressing issues of today and provide guidance to inform our future. The titles below explore issues including environmental health, research and policy, health care, educational equity, and new directions for science and exploration.
Our Planet, Our Future: Nobel Prize Summit Reading List
The inaugural Nobel Prize Summit, Our Planet, Our Future, hosted talks from Nobel laureates and conversations among experts from the science, policy, arts, and youth activist communities that explored the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, increasing inequality, and technological innovation in support of societal goals. The titles in this collection represent our recent work that addresses these issues to present solutions for a sustainable, more prosperous future.
Pain Management and Opioid Use Disorder
Opioid use disorder and chronic pain affect millions of Americans. It is critical to seek solutions that balance pain management strategies with the opioid use disorder epidemic. The reports in this collection examine the opioid use disorder epidemic, explore tools for pain management and their implications, and propose new pain management alternatives for the future.
Pandemic and Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Preparedness
The global response to COVID-19 has expanded what is possible for rapid pandemic response in several areas, including vaccine research and development, more resilient supply chains, public health interventions and the need for global coordination. The reports in this collection explore how these unprecedented actions could inform and advance future pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccine preparedness efforts.
Planetary Protection
Planetary protection is a set of policies and implementation guidelines developed by the space science community in order to preserve the integrity of Earth�s biosphere and to protect the biological and environmental integrity of other solar system bodies for future scientific study. The National Academies has contributed extensively to the development of these policies since the late 1950s and these publications provide independent, multidisciplinary advice on planetary protection issues.
Pollinator Conservation
Pollinators are an essential part of natural and agricultural ecosystems throughout North America. Pollinating insect populations are declining, and, if widely distributed insect populations continue to decline, these species may become listed under the Endangered Species Act. The reports in this collection provide guidance for conservation and restoration of pollinator species and communities.
Quality Chasm
In 1996, The Institute of Medicine launched a concerted, ongoing effort focused on assessing and improving the nation's quality of health care. Since then, the Quality Chasm series has grown to 12 important books--crucial reading for policy makers, licensing officials, hospital administrators, medical educators and students, caregivers, health journalists, patient advocates, and patients themselves.
Quantum Information Science
The field of quantum information science investigates how to use quantum behavior to encode, sense, process, and transmit information. Our publications explore the status of the field and the research and development needs to promote further transformative and fundamental scientific discoveries.
Reproducibility
Reproducibility is a hallmark of good science because it provides researchers with the tools to address computational errors and ensure the integrity of the results in scientific research. An inconsistency can be an important precursor to a new discovery, or reveal otherwise unidentifiable miscalculations. However, there is not currently a system that structures how computational scientific data is reported, published, and shared. When a newly reported scientific study has far-reaching implications, it is critical for the data to be accessible for others to recompute and verify. Our reports discuss the importance and challenges of fostering reproducibility in science.
Safe Bridge Design and Construction
Our daily routines and our economy are dependent on infrastructure such as roads and bridges. The collapse of a bridge can disrupt commuters and slow delivery of goods and services, resulting in a chain of other problems. The titles in this collection explore safety issues in design of bridges and provide guidance for bridge design and construction.
Science Communication
Successful scientists must be effective communicators within their professions and in political and social settings. The books in this collection synthesize research on communication and provide guidance to improve public engagement with science.
Social Capital and Social Connectedness
People's bonds, associations and networks - as well as the civil, political, and institutional characteristics of the society in which they live - can be powerful drivers affecting the quality of life among a community's, a city's, or a nation's inhabitants and their ability to achieve both individual and societal goals. These titles explore how civic engagement, social cohesion, and other dimensions of social capital affect social, economic and health outcomes for individuals and communities.
Space Exploration and Weather
Since a human first stepped foot on the moon four decades ago, great strides have been made in understanding what is required to support an enduring presence in space. These reports will enable the U.S. space program to deliver on new exploration initiatives, excite the public, and address the questions of space weather risk assessment and management. This collection develops a forward-looking portfolio of research that will provide the basis for recapturing the value of human spaceflight and once again place the United States at the forefront of space exploration for the global good.
Stem Cells
Stem cell research is being pursued in the hope of achieving major medical breakthroughs. Drawing on expert scientists, doctors, bioethicists, and others, the National Academies have examined the potential of stem cell technologies and provided a forum for discussing the ethical implications of stem cell research.
Supply Chains
Global and local supply chains knit together raw material sources, farmers, manufacturers, distributors, and consumers, providing critical links for the global economy. Our work considers current and future supply chains, with a focus on strengthening resilience to disruptions.
Teaching Math
This collection explores mathematics teaching from many angles, including curricula, teacher education, and the future interdisciplinary nature of mathematics. One of the reports, Fueling Innovation and Discovery, has sparked a new video series, Math Stories. Each video in the series explores the story of a mathematical concept, from its discovery to its application in new technologies.
The Vital Role of Nursing in Health Care
At more than 3 million in number, nurses make up the single largest segment of the health care work force. They also spend the greatest amount of time in delivering patient care as a profession. Our titles explore ways to support and strengthen the role of nursing in the changing health care landscape.
Tobacco
Tobacco consumption continues to be the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Worldwide, there are still more than one billion people who regularly use tobacco. This collection compiles research and recommendations on tobacco use, policy, and health effects.
Transportation and Sustainability
The future of transportation lies in the development of more sustainable methods and technology. These reports examine existing systems and present recommendations moving forward.
Transportation Emergency Resources
Infrastructure can be impacted by disasters or other emergencies. Emergencies may consist of a short-duration, simple, static, and singular incident, or may be prolonged, complex, and dynamic, having an impact on multiple fronts and requiring deployment of extensive assets and resources. The titles in this collection provide guidance to respond and recover from an incident, and to pro-actively promote resiliency.
Urban Planning and Development
Cities have experienced an unprecedented rate of growth in the last decade, and this continued growth highlights the importance of a sustainable future. These reports assess the current state and recommend strategies and pathways that will aid in the ongoing development of urban planning.
Vaccines
Vaccines are among the safest and most effective public health interventions to prevent serious disease and death. Because of the success of vaccines, most Americans today have no firsthand experience with such devastating illnesses as polio or diphtheria. The reports in this collection examine immunization safety in depth and present the science to support vaccination's crucial role in protecting public health.
Veterans Health
Service members who were deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since October 2001 face serious challenges in readjusting after returning home, while Gulf War and Vietnam veterans are facing long term health effects from war. This collection presents findings on the most critical challenges facing U.S. service members, and explores how to best support returning troops, veterans, and their families.
Water Infrastructure
Water comes to us in various natural and processed forms and each requires continued development and management. These reports seek to help prepare communities for water-related disasters, and better manage water reuse and waterway systems.
Wildfires: Preparation, Management, and Health Effects
Current environmental and climatic conditions are causing wildfires to become more frequent, larger, and hotter more quickly than wildland fires of the past, putting more and more people, wildlife, and ecosystems at risk. Smoke generated from wildfires can negatively impact air quality and human health, even for people far away from the fire's origin. The reports in this collection provide deeper insight into the science of wildfires, their impacts on the environment and human health, and how individuals, communities, and decision makers can prepare for future fires.
Women's Adventures in Science
What would it be like to build the first robot that could interact with people? Or to study human remains in search of criminal evidence? In Women's Adventures in Science, readers will learn about the trailblazing women who are leaders in a variety of scientific fields, from robotics to forensics. Each book focuses on the life and work of a woman active in her field today, providing readers with insights into the personal and professional paths that led to their careers in science.