The plans series may be searched on the online catalogue which has replaced the traditional paper catalogues and card indexes. Catalogue descriptions include location, surveyor, engineer or architect, as well as the subject, date and origin of the plan.
- For topographical and architectural plans, the 'Place Authority' search option allows searches to be restricted to the civil parish whose boundaries will often differ from those of the city, town or settlement of the same name.
- Scottish plans are located by civil parish and county, according to the boundaries in existence immediately before the reorganisation of local government in 1975. This means that cities and towns may fall within the boundaries of a number of civil parishes, all of which will require to be searched independently.
- Other plans of the British Isles are similarly located but by county and country rather than by civil parish and county.
- Foreign plans are initially located by country and continent.
Detailed descriptions of the first 5,000 entries have been published in the 'Descriptive List of Plans in the Scottish Record Office' (four volumes) by Ian H Adams and Loretta R Timperley.
