Social Sciences: Sociology, Social Policy, Politics, International Relations, International Development: Reports etc.. (Grey Literature)

What is Grey Literature?

Grey literature encompasses lots of different types of information source that are not traditional academic publications.

Some types of grey literature: Reports, statistics, legislation, professional guidelines, technical standards, inquiry documents, newsletters, and PhD theses.

Who might produce it? Government or international agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), professional or trade bodies, charities, special interest groups, or companies for example.

Is Grey Literature useful?

Reports and other grey literature can be an important source of information that may not be incorporated into published in academic books or journal articles. It can be a good sources of very up-to-date data, policy, guidelines and opinion.

However, it may not pass through a rigorous, formal review process before being published. Anyone can post material on the internet for any purpose so it is important to evaluate these sources. The following links can help you assess the quality of the things you find.

• ARU Information Skills Guide for basic evaluation.
• Grey literature evaluation tool  AACODS  (from Jess Tyndall, Flinders University)
• PROMPT from the Open University
• CRAAP test from California State University.

Ways to find grey literature

Your lecturers will probably recommend specific sites and there are also a limited selection of gateways and websites shown on this page. Use these and the following resources to look for non-journal resources that may be useful in your assignments.

Library databases

• Statista - library database giving access to wide range of statistics and summary reports.
• Overton - policy documents from governmental, non-governmental and international organisations and think tanks.
• Web of Science (for conference papers), ProQuest Social Sciences Premium and other library databases.

Search engines

• Google or other internet search engines can be used to search using keywords.
• Use these Google Search tips to narrow your search to specific organisations or file types e.g. site:gov.uk or filetype:pdf
• Google dataset search: evaluate the sites you find here as you would with any Google Search.

Referencing Grey Literature 

Students should use Cite Them Right Harvard style (12th edition). 

Here are some useful categories within Cite Them Right Harvard instructions for grey literature. Work out what type of source you are using before referencing it - ask by email or chat through Library Enquiries if you need help with a specific source.

You will need to login to the CTR Online site to access the links here.

• Reports available from organisational websites. CTR advice states to use the organisation name but examples show individual authors. Either approach can be used.
• Legislation and legal documents
• Government and department publications
• Datasets
• Standards
• Websites - general advice and links to specific instructions

See Cite Them Right Online for instructions on referencing many more source types and general advice.

   Statistics, data and reports

UK

• Office for National Statistics (ONS) - The UK's main statistical agency covering economy, society and population.
• Home Office statistics - data on migration and borders, public safety, and homeland security.
• Gov.uk - UK government website, scroll down to Government Activity to link to policy, research, statistics, consultations, guidance and regulations. Every country should also have a similar government site.
• Commons Library Research- UK policy analysis and statistical research.
• British Social Attitudes- Annual survey of British public opinion.
• UK Data Service - access to curated social science data including crime, poverty and housing. Includes specific advice for students using data.
• NatCen - UK leading independent social research institute.

International (most also include UK)

• Statista - library database giving access to wide range of global crime statistics and reports
• Overton - database with wide range of global reports and policy documents
• Google Trends- Find out the most popular searches on Google in general or by location.
• Eurostat - official statistics from the European Union.
• United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD) - International trade, national accounts, energy, industry, environment and demographic and social statistics gathered from national and international sources.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - global reports and statistics. OECD works with governments, policy makers and citizens to establish evidence-based international standards solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges.
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office - UK ministerial department, leading the UK’s diplomatic, development and consular work around the world.
• International Developent Association (IDA) - part of the World Bank that focuses on assisting low-income countries.
• Chatham House - Home of the Royal Institute of International Affairs and includes extensive collection of reports.

 Organisations 

Some of the organisations that may hold/produce reports and other grey literature

  Newspapers

Newspapers are an excellent source of current and historical public opinion, case studies and crime reporting. Find out more from Newspapers in the Library. Use the Full Fact UK-based fact checking site to help verify reports - this uses official statistics and other sources to verify or disprove claims.

 Legislation

• legislation.gov.uk/ - full access to current UK legislation

• Westlaw UK: Access through ARU. One of the main databases for UK cases, legislation, journals, current awareness and more. Includes Index of Legal Terms and Topic Overviews. Click for list of content.

• Guide to Law Online: Nations of the World - links to legal resources by country.

Please see the Law Subject Guide for a full range of resources to help you access legal information. 

 Theses & Repositories

PhD theses can be a useful source of information on research that may not have been published. Some, but not all, theses can be read in full online - the following links can be used to find content. University repositories hold published and pre-published material from insitutions.

  Maps

 View and create quality maps of any location in Great Britain with the EDINA Digimap Service. 

Allows users to view and create maps using Ordnance Survey map data. You can also download map data for use in other software packages. You need to register to use the Digimap Service. You will receive an email to confirm your email and will also need to agree to terms and conditions.

Our Digimap subscription includes, amongst others, the following relevant mapping packages: Ordnance Survey, Geology, Historic, Social, Environment (land cover) and Aerial.