The term ‘grey literature’ may convey the image of dull – and possibly old – literature, but actually these resources can be really fascinating. It’s also possible that your favourite sources of information fall into this category without you even being aware of it!
What is it?
Grey literature can be defined as information or research created by individuals (eg academics) or organisations (eg governments, businesses and charities) that either remains unpublished or has not been published in commercial form. Here are some examples:
• Government reports and policy statements
• Conference proceedings