What is grey literature

Papers may be modified and improved in light of the expert feedback before reaching final published status. Not all grey literature material is subject to a similarly rigorous pre publication review process, so you should exercise caution and make your own assessment for quality, reliability and potential bias. See the Evaluating Sources tutorial for more guidance on this. Grey literature is often not formally published.

For example, a report may be posted to a government department website or a poster presentation may be given at a conference. In theses cases you need to consider the longevity of the resource. Something may be available on the web, or a blog for a short period only and may not be formally archived.

Introductory video from the University of Guelph If you prefer an audiovisual introduction, take a look at this short information video. Some examples of Grey Literature A wide, and growing, range of material can be considered as grey literature. Report a problem. Be sure to critically evaluate your source. For an extensive list of the types of documents that might be considered grey literature, see Document types in grey literature from GreyNet International.

Another way to find grey literature is to identify organizations that might be publishing this type of information on topics that you're interested in and then to search their websites—paying close attention to website sections with names like "Documents", "Reports", and "Library".

Consider government agencies, non-profits, professional associations, research institutes, and other organisations, based on the research you have already done.

Use Google's site limits to only search a government or institution's site or top-level domain, for instance use site:gov.

This technique paired with keywords in Google is a quick way to locate grey literature. Example search: site:gov. Search tips for Google and Google Scholar Our quick overview of basic and more advanced techniques. Type your search terms into these pre-built searches to limit results to specific organisation types. Use Search tips for Google and Google Scholar to create your search strings. It can appear in many forms, including government reports, statistics, patents, conference papers and even non-written resources such as posters and infographics.

Grey literature usually has not been peer reviewed, but may still be good, reliable information. It can thus be invaluable for your research. It is produced from a variety of sources, and is usually not indexed or organised, often making it difficult to locate. Grey literature differs from "black literature" which is the familiar peer-reviewed publications found in commercial publishers' databases.

See the HLWiki page on grey literature for a more detailed overview. It is aimed at medical researchers but is relevant to anyone searching for grey literature. For a comprehensive listing of grey literature types view the greynet. We acknowledge and pay respects to the Elders and Traditional Owners of the land on which our four Australian campuses stand.

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