Grey literature
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Sometimes you need to look for resources beyond the commercially published sphere of academic journal articles and books. This guide provides an introduction to searching for such 'grey literature', as well as sources in different discipline areas.
What is grey literature?
Grey literature is generally described as material “which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers". (4th International Conference on Grey Literature, Washington DC, 1999)
The term 'grey literature' encompasses a wide range of information resource types. Below are some examples:
Grey literature
- Government reports
- Clinical trials
- Standards
- Statistics
- Conference papers
- Maps
- Patents
- Policy documents
- Theses
Traditional literature
- Journal articles
- Books
- News articles
What is unique about grey literature?
Much grey literature is of high quality and can be an excellent source of up-to-date research in certain subject areas.
However, it can be a challenge to locate, and it should be noted that most grey literature is not subject to peer review and should be evaluated accordingly.
It can provide unique insights
- Grey literature can provide more local information or alternative perspectives.
- It can be a useful source of evidence for literature reviews, helping to increase comprehensiveness and reduce bias.
It can be more current
- Grey literature can provide more current information than formally published research literature.
- It can be especially helpful in emerging research areas.
It can be difficult to find
- Locating grey literature may require looking in a range of sources.
- It is not necessarily searchable via the standard databases and search engines.
It can vary in quality
- The reliability of the information provided in grey literature can vary.
- Always evaluate the information for potential bias or inaccuracies, and cross reference different sources.
Where can I find grey literature?
Explore grey literature sources across different subject areas:
You can also learn more about finding specific types of grey literature:
Statistics & datasets Standards & patentsTheses Maps
Historical grey literature
When seeking inaccessible grey literature such as older conference papers and government reports, you can explore archived websites using collections such as TROVE website search and the Wayback machine
How do I evaluate grey literature?
Provides five criteria for judging the quality of grey information. - Evaluating resources
Simple criteria to evaluate resources in general.
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