| University Libraries
Grey literature is research of a scholarly nature produced by specialists with expert opinions, but not published through traditional presses (journals, books, etc). Grey literature include think tank reports, conference proceedings, and government reports. It is particularly helpful when conducting research on recent events.
Select the appropriate policy area (or go into "More Search" for more options) to search for reports from leading think tanks.
Locate analysis and advocacy reports using custom google searches in specific topic areas. Primary focus is US national policy, but international topics can be searched with some success. From the University of Oregon.
A custom Google search of more than 480 think tank websites allowing you to do a broad search on your topic to find analysis by leading think tanks.
Before you start first consider what types of organizations conduct research on your topic. If you aren't sure - or a number of organizations might investigate your topic - then using grey literature databases are a helpful alterative.
Use broad language to locate grey literature. When searching databases like Proquest you narrow and focus your search to limit your results. You do the opposite for grey literature searches.
Grey literature should be evaluated using the same standards as traditionally published materials. The following evaluation checklist was specifically created for grey literature to help judge the quality of the material.