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Global Affairs, International Relations and Politics

Grey Literature

Grey literature refers to materials and research produced outside of traditional academic or commercial publishing channels. It exists beyond scholarly books and journal articles, offering a wealth of information not readily available in mainstream publications.

Why is Grey Literature Useful for Your Studies?

  • Real-World Applications: Grey literature bridges the gap between theory and practice in politics, international relations, and global affairs. You'll find policy briefs, government reports, think tank analyses, and NGO publications that illuminate how policies are formulated, implemented, and evaluated in real-world scenarios.
  • Emerging Issues and Trends: Grey literature often captures emerging issues and trends before they become mainstream topics of academic research. It provides insights into evolving political landscapes, new policy approaches, and the latest developments in international relations.
  • Diverse Perspectives: Explore global issues from various viewpoints, including those of government agencies, international organisations, advocacy groups, think tanks, and grassroots movements. This can broaden your understanding of complex political and international problems and potential solutions.
  • Comparative Analysis: Access policy documents, reports, and analyses from different countries and regions, which can be invaluable for comparative studies and understanding diverse approaches to global challenges.
  • Primary Source Material: Grey literature can include primary source material like government documents, speeches, and interviews, offering firsthand accounts and insights into political decision-making processes and international negotiations.
Feature Grey Literature Academic Sources (Books, Journal Articles)
Publication process Informal, non-commercial channels (e.g., government reports, policy briefs, think tank publications) Rigorous peer-review process, ensuring quality and adherence to scholarly standards
Availability Can be harder to find, often through specialized sources (e.g., government websites, organisational repositories) Widely available in libraries (both physical and digital) and academic databases (e.g., JSTOR, ProQuest)
Authors Varied: government officials, policy analysts, NGO representatives, researchers, practitioners Primarily scholars, academics, and researchers with expertise in the field
Purpose Diverse: inform, advocate, document, analyse, influence policy Disseminate scholarly research, contribute to theoretical debates, advance knowledge in the field
Strengths Offers unique perspectives, practical insights, real-world data, and up-to-date information on current issues Provides in-depth analysis, rigorous methodology, theoretical frameworks, and contributes to the broader body of knowledge
Limitations May be biased, lack peer review, vary in quality, and be difficult to locate May be less accessible to the public, can be theoretical or jargon-heavy, and may not always address the latest developments

 

Types of Grey Literature You Might Encounter:

  • Policy Briefs: Concise summaries and analyses of specific policy issues, often with recommendations for action.
  • Government Reports: Official reports from government ministries, departments, and agencies on a wide range of topics, such as foreign policy, defense, trade, development, and human rights.
  • Think Tank Reports: Research papers, policy briefs, and analyses from organizations specialising in international relations, politics, and global affairs. These reports often offer independent perspectives and policy recommendations.
  • NGO Reports: Reports and publications from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on issues like human rights, humanitarian crises, environmental concerns, and development projects. These reports often provide firsthand accounts and advocacy perspectives.
  • International Organisation Reports: Reports and publications from international organisations like the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund on global issues, development projects, and economic trends.
  • White Papers: Authoritative reports on specific topics or policy proposals, often written by government officials, experts, or organisations.
  • Legislative Analyses: Detailed analyses of proposed or enacted legislation, examining their potential impact and implications for various stakeholders.
  • Transcripts of Speeches and Interviews: Transcripts of speeches given by political leaders, diplomats, or experts in the field, as well as interviews with key figures, can provide valuable insights into their perspectives and motivations.
  • Social Media Content: While not strictly grey literature, social media posts by government officials, organisations, and experts can offer real-time commentary and analysis on current events and political developments.

For a more detailed list of different types of grey literature, vist this link at GreyNet.org

Where to Find Grey Literature:

  • Government Websites:
  • Court Websites:
    • Example: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) website for press releases and summaries of judgements, or the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) website for case law summaries and statistics.
    • What to Look For: Case summaries, press releases, unpublished judgements, and statistics related to international law and human rights.
  • NGO Websites:
  • Professional Associations:
  • Think Tank Websites:
    • Example: Chatham House reports on global security challenges, or the Brookings Institution's analysis of U.S. foreign policy.
    • What to Look For: Policy briefs, research reports, working papers, and expert commentaries on a wide range of international relations and political issues.
  • Legal Databases:
    • Example: Westlaw or Lexis for unpublished court decisions, legal briefs, and other legal documents.
    • What to Look For: Unpublished court decisions, legal briefs, government reports, and other legal documents relevant to international law and human rights.
  • Specialised Websites:
    • Example: ReliefWeb for reports on humanitarian crises, or the World Bank's Open Knowledge Repository for development reports.
    • What to Look For: Data sets, statistics, working papers, reports, and other information on a wide range of global issues.

Additional Sources:

  • University Research Repositories: Many universities have open-access repositories where faculty and students can share their research, including working papers, conference presentations, and dissertations. Derby's is called UDORA - try searching for some of your lecturers' work!
  • Social Media: While not strictly grey literature, social media platforms like X (Twitter) can provide real-time insights into political debates, public opinion, and emerging issues in international relations.

Google:

In addition to using Google to find sources of grey literature, you can also use the Advanced Search to search within particular sites or domains as well. This is often more effective than using the site's own search engine, plus you can specify types of files (i.e. most reports and publications will be .PDF files) and date updated.

To search within a particular website using Google Advanced Search, put the domain URL in the 'site or domain' field - for example, .gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office. This will search just within the Home Office. Using .un.org will just search within the website of the United Nations.

(If you're not sure which part of the URL to use, basically take everything after the www, including the full stop.)

Custom Google Searches:

A number of custom Google searches have been helpfully set up by other librarians and/or librarians.

Custom Google Search: