Getting Started - Grey Literature for Health Sciences - Guides de recherche

Finding Grey Literature: The Challenge

Grey literature is vast and not systematically organized so it helps to find ways to narrow down the scope of your search, for example:

Who are you producing the information for?

Knowing who you are creating the information for will help you determine which grey literature sources you want to include.

What kind of literature are you interested in?

What time period is relevant to your research?

Essential Information to Include in Checklists/Tracking Sheets

Name of resource and link/contact info.
Format of resource (online repository, abstract/conference resource, clinical trial registry, etc.)
Resource coverage information (timeframe, geography, etc.)
Date search(es) carried out
Number of results retrieved (total)
Number of relevant results tracked (ideally stored in citation management software, e.g., EndNote, Mendeley)

Use this simple spreadsheet to list the grey literature sources you will search and how you searched them. Examples included.

Answer questions such as where and how to start your search for grey literature
Provide you with an up-to-date, dynamic checklist for effectively searching literature
Provide useful, practical and proven tips for searching out hidden material, from evidence-based medicine and systematic reviews to economic evaluations or drug reviews
Give you access to regulatory information and economic evaluations from other HTA agencies

Grey Matters Lite (CADTH)
Checklist of top 14 resources from CADTH's Grey Matters document for evidence-based medical grey literature searching.

Here are a few starting points for finding grey literature:

Canadian Public Documents Collection » Ce lien s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre / This link opens in a new window
A collection of monographs from Canadian public policy institutes, government agencies, advocacy groups, think-tanks, university research centres and other public interest groups. The collection includes all titles in the former Canadian Public Policy Collection and Canadian Health Research Collections.

Grey Literature Publishers List - International (The New York Academy of Medicine)
Links to grey literature publications in health services research and selected urban health topics.
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NOTE: Although the resources remain accessible, as of January 2017 the Grey Literature Report website and database have been discontinued and are no longer be updated.
Health Organizations by Topic - USA (MedlinePlus)

The Conference Board of Canada E-Library » Ce lien s'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre / This link opens in a new window
Research and economic indicators on all aspects of Canadian public policy and management; economic trends at national, provincial and international levels.

Health Systems Evidence
The world's most comprehensive, free access point for evidence to support policy makers, stakeholders and researchers interested in how to strengthen or reform health systems or in how to get cost-effective programs, services and drugs to those who need them.
Grey literature Report
The report is a bimonthly publication of The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) alerting readers to new grey literature publications in health services research and selected public health topics. The database platform is keyword searchable and serves as an archive for the cataloged reports.