Best Practice in Using Grey Literature for Academic Work

In academic research, the focus often falls on peer-reviewed journal articles and scholarly books. However, an equally important but sometimes overlooked category of evidence is grey literature—material produced outside of traditional academic publishing and distribution channels. Grey literature includes reports, policy documents, theses, conference papers, technical manuals, and working papers produced by governments, NGOs, think tanks, and research institutions.

When used appropriately, grey literature can enrich academic work by broadening the evidence base and providing timely insights. Yet, because it does not undergo the same rigorous peer-review processes, it requires careful evaluation. This blog outlines best practices for integrating grey literature into academic writing.

Why Use Grey Literature?

1. Access to Current Information
   Grey literature often provides the most up-to-date data, particularly in fast-moving fields such as health, technology, and policy (Paez, 2017).
2. Diverse Perspectives
   It includes voices not always represented in academic publishing, such as community organisations or government agencies (Adams et al., 2016).
3. Practical Relevance
   Reports and technical documents may provide applied insights and real-world evidence that complement theoretical academic sources.

Challenges in Using Grey Literature

• Quality Assurance: The absence of peer review means grey literature varies widely in reliability.
• Accessibility: Some documents may be difficult to locate or exist only in institutional repositories.
• Bias and Authority: Organisational or political agendas may influence the presentation of findings (Auger, 1998).

Best Practices for Using Grey Literature

1. Search Strategically

• Use specialised databases and repositories such as OpenGrey, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, and institutional repositories.
• Consult government websites, NGO portals, and professional associations for reports and guidelines.

2. Evaluate Critically

• Authority: Who produced the document? Are they credible in the field?
• Accuracy: Are methods transparent and evidence well-presented?
• Objectivity: Is there evidence of bias or conflict of interest?
• Currency: Is the document up to date?

Frameworks such as AACODS (Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity, Date, Significance) are widely used to evaluate grey literature (Tyndall, 2010).

3. Integrate Thoughtfully

• Use grey literature to supplement peer-reviewed sources, not to replace them.
• Clearly situate grey literature within the academic debate by comparing and contrasting with scholarly studies.
• Acknowledge limitations when citing grey literature with potential bias or methodological weaknesses.

4. Reference Correctly

Follow your institutional or journal guidelines for referencing. Most citation styles, including Harvard, provide examples for reports, theses, and online documents. Ensure you provide stable URLs or DOIs where available.

Summary

Grey literature is a valuable component of academic research, particularly when current, practical, or policy-relevant evidence is needed. However, it must be used with caution. By searching strategically, evaluating critically, and integrating thoughtfully, students and researchers can draw on the richness of grey literature while maintaining academic rigour.

References

Adams, R. J., Smart, P. and Huff, A. S. (2016) ‘Shades of grey: Guidelines for working with the grey literature in systematic reviews for management and organizational studies’, International Journal of Management Reviews, 19(4), pp. 432–454.

Auger, C. P. (1998) Information sources in grey literature. London: Bowker Saur.

Paez, A. (2017) ‘Grey literature: An important resource in systematic reviews’, Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 10(3), pp. 233–240.

Tyndall, J. (2010) AACODS checklist: Systematic review grey literature evaluation checklist. Adelaide: Flinders University.

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