The Melvin N. Gough Papers span from 1919 to 1971 and include a wide variety of materials reflecting Gough's career as a test pilot, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) administrator, and flight safety investigator. It is especially rich in materials from his years at NACA-Langley and equally rich on the topics of aviation safety and accident investigation procedures.

The papers are organized largely according to Gough's own filing system, and there is some degree of overlap in the contents of folders. Many of the folders include manuscript materials and other items such as magazine articles and newspaper clippings. The NACA reports and other documents that are individually listed include manuscript annotations, correspondence, or other items that make them unique. Documents published before 1930 are also listed individually, whether they have manuscript items associated with them or not. Other NACA reports and miscellaneous publications are arranged chronologically. NACA reports are usually grouped by year; other publications are grouped by decade.

The collection has been separated into eleven series:

Series I: Aircraft Design Considerations, 1921-1971, contains materials related to aircraft design and flight, such as notes and reports on aerodynamics, files on airplane parts such as cowling, landing gear, and instruments, and articles on design and performance.

Series II: Specific Aircraft, 1919-1971, includes files specific to a certain type of aircraft, and is divided into three subseries by subject.

Subseries A: Helicopter Files, 1943-1958, comprises materials related to helicopters such as notes, flight trials, articles, and accident reports.

Subseries B: Missile Files, 1948-1960, documents missle development, such as progress reports and files on locations like White Sands Proving Ground.

Subseries C: Planes, 1919-1971, alphabetized by plane name, contains reports, tests, and files on specific planes, such as the Boeing 707, Lockheed Electra, and the Hiller X-18.

Series III: Logs, 1929-1959, consists of daily logs and pilot logs.

Series IV: Aircraft Safety, 1930-1968, divided into four subseries, comprises files on aviation safety—both crashes and preventative measures.

Subseries A: Accidents and Incidents, 1948-1967, contains Gough's files on flight accidents and incidents, including crash reports, photographs, and studies.

Subseries B: Fires, 1930-1963, has files on fires in aviation accidents and the safety of aviation fuels.

Subseries C: Investigations and Analyses, 1941-1962, focuses on accident analysis and methodology in accident investigations, including reports and articles on the subject.

Subseries D: Safety and Prevention, 1950-1968, relates to flight safety, accident survival, and emergency procedures. It includes bulletins from the Flight Safety Foundation, reports, and files from the first annual U.S. Air Force Safety Congress.

Series V: Aviation and People, 1933-1971, is divided into subseries by subject:

Subseries A: Piloting Aircraft, 1933-1959, focuses on pilots, such as publications on handling characteristics, psychological aspects of instrument displays, pilot errors, and the pilot's role in space flight.

Subseries B: Files on People, 1934-1971, consists of Gough's files on people and personnel, such as pilots Warren Eaton and Howard Lily, and NACA-Langley employees.

Series VI: Organizations and Consulting Files, 1925-1973, documents organizations Gough was a member of or did consulting work for. Organizations include the Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development, the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Series VII: Photographs, 1920-1969, contains photographs depicting pilots, cockpits, and the Langley Research Center.

Series VIII: Correspondence, 1942-1969, comprises personal and professional correspondence, including letters, telephone calls, and notes.

Series IX: Talks and Speeches, 1934-1963, includes notes on talks and speeches given by Gough.

Series X: Personal Files, 1930-1965, contains Gough's personal files, such as contacts, biographical information, curriculum vitae, and calendars.

Series XI: General Files, 1925-1969, includes publications, papers, articles, and data on general topics.