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