Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is the National Technical Information Service?
The National Technical Information Service proudly serves as our nation's largest central source for government-sponsored scientific, technical, engineering, and related business information. NTIS has almost 3 million information titles in its collection!

Who would be interested in products from NTIS?
The NTIS customer-base is far reaching and includes scientists, engineers, the business community, librarians, and information specialists in government, academia, and the general public.

Why does NTIS charge for its products?
Title 15, U.S. Code 1151-7 directs NTIS to recover its costs from the sale of its products and services. All the costs of its products and services, including salaries, cataloging and indexing, permanent storage and retrieval, and postage, are paid from sales income.

Can I order NTIS products directly from the Web?
NTIS now offers direct and secure ordering via the World Wide Web. A product that can be ordered from NTIS via the Web will feature an order button on its Web page. Learn more at our ordering products page.

What is your policy on returning a product?
NTIS electronically stores many of the 3 million items in our collection and custom-reproduces a single copy specifically for your order. Therefore, NTIS does not accept cancellations, requests for modifications, or returns for credit or refund. All sales are final. NTIS strives to provide quality products, reliable service, and fast delivery. Please contact us for a replacement within 30 days if the item you receive is defective or if we have made an error in filling your order.

E-mail: customerservice@ntis.gov

Phone: (888) 584-8332 or (703) 605-6050

I need a price quote.
The quickest way is to use our Web site to verify the availability and price of a document or other NTIS product. Use our order verification page to do this.

How do I place an order by phone?
Just call our Sales Desk at 1-800-553-6847 or (703) 605-6000 during our normal business hours. When you place an order by telephone, please have the product order number and title ready. Also, you will need an NTIS deposit account number or number of a major credit card as method of payment.

Can I cancel my order?
Once your order is placed, it cannot be canceled because it is immediately put into our automated processing system.

If I have a question about an order I have already placed, whom do I contact?
No problem! Representatives in our Customer Service Department will gladly assist you. Please have the following information available: your NTIS customer account number, all product numbers ordered, the ship-to ZIP code, how and when you placed the order, and your method of payment.

Do I get a discount if I order more than one item?
Please e-mail our Sales Desk (orders@ntis.gov) for information on multiple-copy discounts available for certain documents.

When can I expect to receive my order?
Our About Your Order page provides the answer.

May I pick up my order at NTIS?
Yes. Orders may be picked up at the NTIS Springfield Bookstore.

Why does one federal agency pay another (NTIS) for documents?
Federal agencies are also customers of NTIS products and services. The sales to the general public do not subsidize the dissemination of documents to other agencies.

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