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Grey literature

Your guide to grey literature reports, working papers, government documents, white papers and evaluations

Grey literature are materials and research produced by organisations outside of traditional commercial or academic publishing and distribution channels. Grey literature publication types include reports, working papers, government documents, white papers and evaluations. 

As grey literature includes a range of information types you may need to explore different sources to find what you need. This may involve searching Library databases, using search engines such as Google or browsing government or organisation websites.

If using Google to find grey literature, we recommend searching via Google advanced search rather than the standard Google search box or Google Scholar. A search strategy needs to be robust, so that it has credibility and can be replicated by others. As a result, Google advanced is the best option out of the Google services. See our Google Like a Pro and Google Advanced Search Commands help sheets for further tips and advice on searching Google effectively.

Grey Literature Databases

Health Organisations