Critically evaluating grey literature to determine the quality of the information is especially important since it does not go through the peer-review process. Consider the following with evaluating sources:
Authority:
Accuracy:
Coverage (If applicable):
Objectivity:
Currency:
Significance:
Grey literature is research that produced by the government, academics, and businesses in either a published or unpublished form, print or electronic, that is not controlled by a commercial entity.
Examples of grey literature include: conference abstracts, presentations, & proceedings; regulatory data; unpublished trial data; government publications; reports (such as white papers, working papers, internal documentation); theses/dissertations; patents; geological & geophysical surveys; maps; newsletters & bulletins; and policies & procedures.
Grey literature is often "grey" because the document has not gone through a peer review process for publication and therefore the status of the information is considered to be "uncertain" or "grey." However, since it has not been through the long peer-review process the information is able to be published more quickly and provide quickly up-to-date information. Grey literature is also a great place to turn to when it appears that not much peer-reviewed research has been published on a topic.
The following search engines search across inter-governmental organization (IGO) or non-governmental organization (NGO) websites for resources.