What is Grey Literature?
Grey literature is "Information produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in electronic and print formats not controlled by commercial publishing i.e. where publishing is not the primary activity of the producing body."
- As defined by the Grey Literature Network Service, 2004
Simply put, Grey Literature consists of materials that are unpublished or have been published outside of the typical commercial or academic publishing environment.
It is often more difficult to find and obtain than the published literature, and may include such things as conference procedings, policy studies and reports, white papers, annual reports, draft legislation, think-tank reports.
Tips for finding Grey Literature
- Search the Gray Literature gateways listed on this page
- Search the corporation, institution, or agency that is most likely to produce the type of information you are looking for.
- When searching, consider keywords such as: report, "proceedings," "think tank," "white paper." "policy," "statistics," etc...
- Consult with a librarian who specializes in your subject.
Where to look for Grey Literature
- Clinical trials.govProvided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine., clinicaltrials.gov is a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the U.S. and around the world.
- ISRCTN RegistryThe ISRCTN registry is a primary clinical trial registry recognised by WHO and ICMJE that accepts all clinical research studies (whether proposed, ongoing or completed), providing content validation and curation and the unique identification number necessary for publication. All study records in the database are freely accessible and searchable.
- Sigma RepositoryThe Sigma Repository (formerly the Virginia Henderson Global Nursing e-Repository) is the only repository solely dedicated to sharing works created by nurses around the world. It is an open digital academic and clinical focused service that freely collects, preserves, and disseminates full-text nursing research, educational, and evidence-based practice materials in a variety of formats and item types.
- International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) Search PortalSponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Clinical Trials Search Portal provides access to a central database containing the trial registration data sets provided by registries. It also provides links to the full original records.
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the safety and quality of America's health care system. AHRQ develops the knowledge, tools, and data needed to improve the health care system and help Americans, health care professionals, and policymakers make informed health decisions.
- CDC StacksCDC Stacks is a free, digital archive of scientific research and literature produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This online archive is composed of curated collections tailored for public health research needs. This repository is retained indefinitely and is available for public health professionals, researchers, as well as the general public.
- NYU Open Data CatalogThis list of datasets is hosted by New York University and includes public datasets freely available to the public.
- OpenDOAROpenDOAR is the quality-assured, global Directory of Open Access Repositories. Hosted repositories provide free, open access to academic outputs and resources. Each repository record within OpenDOAR has been carefully reviewed and processed by a member of their editorial team, offering a trusted service for the community.
- Organization websites A-Z (Medline Plus)This list offers links to organizations, which may publish a variety of reports, white papers, pamphlets, data, presentations, posters, etc.
- PAIS International This link opens in a new window
Public Affairs Information Service: Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Public Administration and includes journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, and publications of international agencies.
- Registry of Open Access RepositoriesHosted at the University of Southampton, UK, the aim of ROAR is to promote the development of open access by providing timely information about the growth and status of repositories throughout the world. Open access to research maximises research access and thereby also research impact, making research more productive and effective.
- Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT)Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools website provides access to reports, data, and analyses of NIH research activities, including information on NIH expenditures and the results of NIH-supported research.
- OAIsterThis huge database provides access to almost 20 million records in over 1,000 institutions’ freely available digital collections and resources. Subject matter and language vary according to the specific collection. Materials covered include electronic books, online journals, audio files, images, movies, and reference materials. Sometimes the records retrieved provide links to the full-text, image, audio, or video, but not always.
- Dissertations & Theses This link opens in a new window Contains over 1,000,000 digitized doctoral dissertations in the humanities and social sciences. It also contains master's theses, including 4,000+ from Cal State Fullerton students, 1967-present. Citations for dissertations from around the world from 1637. NOTE: Includes the theses of Fullerton graduate students who have published through UMI Dissertation Publishing.
- Networked Digital Library of Theses and DissertationsThe Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination and preservation of electronic analogues to the traditional paper-based theses and dissertations.
- Clinical trials.govProvided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine., clinicaltrials.gov is a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the U.S. and around the world.
- Health Services Research Projects in Progress (HSRProj)Sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, HSRProj is a free, openly-accessible, searchable database of information on ongoing and recently completed health services, system, and policy research projects. HSRProj provides a snapshot of real-time, cutting-edge research with information on newly funded projects before outcomes are published.
- Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT)Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools website provides access to reports, data, and analyses of NIH research activities, including information on NIH expenditures and the results of NIH-supported research.
- Sigma RepositoryThe Sigma Repository (formerly the Virginia Henderson Global Nursing e-Repository) is the only repository solely dedicated to sharing works created by nurses around the world. It is an open digital academic and clinical focused service that freely collects, preserves, and disseminates full-text nursing research, educational, and evidence-based practice materials in a variety of formats and item types.
- Health Services Research Projects in Progress (HSRProj)Sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, HSRProj is a free, openly-accessible, searchable database of information on ongoing and recently completed health services, system, and policy research projects. HSRProj provides a snapshot of real-time, cutting-edge research with information on newly funded projects before outcomes are published.
- PAIS International This link opens in a new window Public Affairs Information Service: Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Public Administration and includes journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, and publications of international agencies.