Editor's Tips: Guide to Grey Literature
Guide to Grey Literature
This guide introduces grey literature—its origins and definitions—and its merits compared to traditional scholarly content. It includes a list of key grey literature databases and a short bibliography for further reading.
What is grey literature?
Grey literature is material of interest to researchers and students that’s published informally, without using the traditional academic formats of books and journals. It includes reports, working papers, policy documents, conference proceedings, theses, and now also born-digital formats like blogs, podcasts, and videos.
Producers of grey literature include:
Governments at all levels, producing reports, policy documents, and statistics.
Research institutions such as university centers and think tanks, sharing findings through reports and working papers.
Companies including consultancies and multinationals, publishing case studies and white papers.
Charities and professional networks, producing advocacy reports and evaluations.
NGOs like Greenpeace and Oxfam, publishing project-based reports and case studies.
IGOs such as the UN, WHO, and OECD, issuing global policy documents and development reports.
Origin of the term and definition
The term grey literature was first used by Charles P. Auger in the 1970s at a conference held by the British Lending Library Division to describe World War II intelligence reports. In 1984, D. N. Wood defined it as material “which is not available through normal bookselling channels … leading to problems for the producers of secondary services, for librarians who wish to collect it, and for end users.”
The Prague Definition (2010), adopted at an international conference on grey literature, defines it as:
“Information produced on all levels of government, academia, business, and industry in both print and electronic formats, not controlled by commercial publishing.”
How does grey literature compare with traditional scholarly journals?
Grey literature uses accessible, practical language aimed at diverse audiences, including policymakers, practitioners, and communities. It often features a wide range of voices—including from the Global South—bringing in local, Indigenous, and underrepresented perspectives. Formats are flexible, and content is action-oriented, focusing on real-world issues and solutions. The publishing process is fast so the information can be very current.
Academic journals, by contrast, follow formal, standardized structures and use technical language intended for scholarly audiences. The peer-review process can limit inclusion, often favoring voices from the Global North and established institutions. As a result, academic writing may lack the diversity of perspectives found in grey literature. The publishing process is slow, it can take months for articles to be published.
Grey literature complements traditional scholarly journals and books by providing additional data, case studies, and real-world examples that are not found in academic publications.
Grey literature and peer review
It is often thought that peer review is exclusive to traditional scholarly publishing. This is incorrect. As Lawrence (2017) shows, most grey literature undergoes some form of independent review or quality control to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the content. Organizations producing grey literature sometimes include a description of the review process in the front matter - some list as many as 80 reviewers. They have every incentive to ensure the quality of their outputs; their good reputation—and future funding—is at stake every time they publish. In traditional publishing, a journal’s brand acts as a quality mark; in gray literature, the organization’s brand plays the same role.
Grey Literature Resources
Further reading/listening about grey literature
1. Wood, D. N. (1990). Management of Grey Literature (chapter). Management of Recorded Information. K.G. Saur. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111514598.61
2. Marsolek, Wanda et al. (2021). Grey literature: Advocating for diverse voices, increased use, improved access, and preservation. College & Research Libraries News, 82(2). https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.82.2.58
3. Lawrence, Amanda (2017). Influence seekers: The production of grey literature for policy and practice. Information Services and Use, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.3233/ISU-170857
4. Green, Toby (2022). Wait! What? There’s stuff missing from the scholarly record? Medical Writing, 31(4). https://doi.org/10.56012/ajel9043
5. Wikipedia: Grey Literature https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_literature
6. GreyLit Cafe Podcast https://policycommons.net/collections/65674/the-grey-lit-cafe-podcast/
7. Bringing Research into the Light (Video) https://youtu.be/ocOhs_M23mE?si=398137Lj4__5D_L6
8. Citing Gray Literature (Video) https://youtu.be/z-fpFIzhgj4?si=JteioUtEjeDxzB6J
9. Is Gray Literature Peer Reviewed? (Video) https://youtu.be/fRq32WwPHHE?si=5U6COJj_0OicScQO
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