LibGuides: Systematic Reviews: 6. Locating Grey Literature

Grey Literature

Searching for grey literature can help you locate evidence-based materials that may not be published in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. Grey literature includes:

Dissertation and theses
Documents or reports from agencies (government or non-government)
Conference proceedings

For more information, see Chapter 4.3.2 Ongoing studies and unpublished data sources in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention.

Locating Grey Literature

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I This link opens in a new window
1861 - present. Lists most U.S. dissertations, and many dissertations and master's theses from Canada, Great Britain and continental Europe. Abstracts included 1980-present. Includes full text for all UC dissertations, at no charge, 1997 - present. British and Continental European dissertations covered 1988 - present. Masters theses listed selectively from 1988.
PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
Previously PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service). Covers issues in the public debate through selective coverage of a wide variety of international sources including journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, web content, and more.
Policy Commons This link opens in a new window
A freely available archive for public policy research including reports, charts, videos and white papers. Materials are provided by registered organizations and verified before posting. Search and browse capabilities are available. Initiated by Indiana University-Purdue University's Indianapolis Library and Center for Governmental Studies. Previously PolicyArchive.

Grey Literature Report
From the New York Academy of Medicine, this is a bimonthly report and database of grey literature published in the areas of health policy, healthy aging, prevention, eliminating health disparities, engaging communities, and global health.
MedNar
Mednar is a free, medically-focused deep web search engine that uses Explorit Everywhere!, an advanced search technology by Deep Web Technologies. As an alternative to Google, Mednar accelerates your research with a search of authoritative public and deep web resources, returning the most relevant results to one easily navigable page. Unlike Google, a Mednar search occurs in real-time, retrieving relevant medical information as if you were going to each individual website yourself.
Science.gov
Science.gov is a gateway to over 50 million pages of authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. government agencies, including research and development results.
WorldWideScience.org
WorldWideScience.org is a global science gateway-accelerating scientific discovery and progress through a multilateral partnership to enable federated searching of national and international scientific databases.
OpenGrey Repository
OpenGrey is a multidisciplinary European database, covering science, technology, biomedical science, economics, social science and humanities. The information is all in English and covers technical or research reports, doctoral dissertations, conference papers, official publications, and other types of grey literature.
Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce
Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce is a collaboration of U.S. government agencies, public health organizations, and health sciences libraries which provides timely, convenient access to selected public health resources on the Internet.

Handsearching

Cochrane Information Specialists' Handbook
See Chapter 5 Handsearching for more information.

Searching for trial reports in databases may not retrieve all relevant available studies. Handsearching is the task of searching through medical journals or conference abstract books for reports of controlled trials which are not indexed in the major electronic databases like MEDLINE and Embase.

For complete identification of reports of trials, electronic searching may need to be supplemented by conducting page by page searches of a variety of sources including journals and supplements, conference proceedings and abstracts, and correspondence.

Professional Organizations & Conferences

You may also want to look up reports and articles from public health associations, as well as any conference proceedings from public health conference websites.

Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) A Washington, DC-based non-profit organization with more than 13,000 members, ACRP is setting standards for clinical research competence and workforce development. ACRP supports professionals and organizations across the clinical research enterprise with the Membership, Training, and Certification programs necessary for clinical trial quality and efficiency improvements.
American Public Health Organization (APHO) APHA is the only organization that influences federal policy, has a 140-plus year perspective and brings together members from all fields of public health.
Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) For more than 60 years, the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) has served as an independent professional association represented by a diverse membership of nearly 4,000 health education professionals and students throughout the United States and 25 international countries. The organization promotes healthy behaviors, healthy communities, and healthy environments through its membership, its network of local chapters, and its numerous partnerships with other organizations. SOPHE members work in elementary/secondary schools, universities, voluntary organizations, health care settings, worksites, and local/state/federal government agencies.
The World Federation of Public Health Association Country responses Knowledge centre Media centre Global Forums The World Federation of Public Health Association, Washington DC, USA Member profile The World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) is an international, nongovernmental, multi-professional and civil society organization bringing together public health professionals interested and active in safeguarding and promoting the public’s health through professional exchange, collaboration, and action. Founded in 1967 in Washington, D.C., it is the only worldwide professional society representing and serving the broad area of public health, as distinct from single disciplines or occupations. The Federations’ members are national and regional public health associations, as well as regional associations of schools of public health presently numbering more than 80.

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Systematic Reviews

Grey Literature

Locating Conference Proceedings & Reports in Databases

Locating Grey Literature

Handsearching

Professional Organizations & Conferences

Systematic Searches #10: Finding Gray Literature: Yale School of Medicine (5.33)