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CDC Stacks (stacks.cdc.gov) is the digital repository where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) keeps its published products, described on its home page as “an archival repository of CDC-published products” such as scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines and recommendations. People also search for it as stacks cdc or the CDC digital repository. Documents are kept in their original published format.
For a general introduction to the field these publications serve, see what is public health. This guide covers the repository itself.
What It Is
CDC Stacks is a searchable archive of agency publications. For researchers it is useful as a stable place to find the official version of a CDC report, guideline or surveillance series, including items that no longer sit on current program web pages. Its collection list includes a “Historical CDC.gov Content” collection, and a “CDC Public Access” collection that connects to the agency’s public access work (see PHS policy for the wider policy context).
Who Runs It and What It Covers
The site carries CDC branding and is published by the agency. The Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library, according to its own CDC page, serves CDC employees at home and abroad and links to Stacks from its “Public Health Publications” footer link under Archive.
The home page lists these collections under “Search Our Collections”:
- Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
- CDC and ATSDR Budget Documents
- CDC Open Science Resources
- CDC Public Access
- Chronic Diseases and Conditions
- David J. Sencer CDC Museum
- Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
- Guidelines and Recommendations
- Health Alert Network (HAN)
- Historical CDC.gov Content
- Infectious Diseases
- Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
- National Center for Health Statistics
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS)
- Preventing Chronic Disease
- Public Health Reports
- Public Health Resources
- Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library
- The Community Guide
Evaluation frameworks and similar methods documents are a common reason researchers visit; see the CDC Program Evaluation Framework guide for one example of CDC methodology.
How to Search or Use It
The home page offers the following entry points, using these labels:
- Open the site. Go to
stacks.cdc.gov. - Search. Type your topic into the box labeled “Search our Collections”. An exact phrase can be placed in quotation marks.
- Browse by collection. Choose a collection from the list, or use the “Collections” browse option, to limit your search to one series such as MMWR.
- Use “Advanced Search”. The home page links to an Advanced Search page for more specific queries.
- Check “Recent Additions”. This browse option lists newly added items.
- Narrow results. Result links on the site use filters for publication year and parent collection, and results can be sorted by last modified date.
Each collection has a numeric identifier in its address; for example, the MMWR collection link uses cdc:101 and Emerging Infectious Diseases uses cdc:13740.
Strengths and Limits
Strengths
- Official source: items are CDC-published products kept in their original published format.
- Broad collection range, from MMWR and ACIP recommendations to NIOSH, NCHS, budget documents and historical web content.
- Browse by collection, so a researcher can work within one series.
Limits
- Scope is CDC-published material. It is not a general index of biomedical literature from other institutions.
- It holds publications, not interactive data tools. Check each record for what it links to.
- Always confirm availability and terms on the individual record page, since the home page does not state them.
Alternatives
| Resource | Operator | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| CDC Stacks | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | CDC-published products: MMWR, guidelines, journals, historical web content |
| Science.gov | Overseen by CENDI, an interagency working group of scientific and technical information managers | Federally funded research: reports, peer-reviewed publications, data and software, searched across multiple federal agencies |
For study-design reporting that often accompanies public health surveillance work, see the STROBE checklist, and for the difference between two related fields, epidemiology vs public health.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CDC Stacks?
It is the CDC’s archival repository of CDC-published products, including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines and recommendations.
Is the MMWR in CDC Stacks?
Yes. “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)” is listed as a collection on the home page.
What is the CDC digital repository?
That is another name for CDC Stacks, the site at stacks.cdc.gov.
How do I cite something from CDC Stacks?
Follow your required style guide. Record the title, the originating CDC unit or series, the year and the record’s web address from the item page.
Sources
Checked 2026-11-07.
- CDC Stacks home page: https://stacks.cdc.gov/
- Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library: https://www.cdc.gov/library/
- Science.gov, About: https://www.science.gov/about.html
