Grey Literature
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General Information
Grey literature is the unpublished, non-commercial, hard-to-find information that organizations such as professional associations, research institutes, think tanks, and government departments produce.
It can be invaluable to your research: it is part of the overall evidence base and functions as an alternative source that may be used to overcome possible bias presented by published information.
While the bulk of the information here is related to the health sciences, there are general resources (databases for disserations and Scopus and Web of Science, which provide broad coverage of subjects), plus links to more technical (i.e., engineering) and hard science resources on the Other Resources page.
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Finding Grey Literature Evidence and Assessing for Outcome and Analysis Reporting Biases When Comparing Medical Interventions: AHRQ and the Effective Health Care ProgramFrom the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ).
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Grey Literature ReportNYAM's bi-monthly report identifying new publications in health sciences grey literature has ceased publication, but materials from 1999 to 2016 are still available.
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Grey Literature-Producing OrganizationsFrom the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM).
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GreySource IndexProvides categorized examples of web based grey literature.
How to Search for Grey Literature
Searching for grey literature can be time consuming because it is not usually included in bibliographic databases. Therefore, knowing how to search correctly for grey literature can help you use your time as effectively as possible.
On the Strategies for Finding Grey Literature page, you'll find a quick introduction to ways of thinking about searching for grey literature.
Remember, don't hesitate to ask your informationists if you need help.