Q. What is grey literature, and where do I find it?

Grey literature consists of materials that fall outside of the commercial publishing model. Papers, reports, newsletters, and other types of documents written and published by government departments, research institutes, organizations or associations, etc. could be considered grey literature. 

These materials can be valuable sources of information, but it's important to note that they're not considered peer-reviewed or scholarly resources and should be critically evaluated before using them in your research.

Looking for grey literature?

• Canada Commons
  • ​A library database that includes many Canadian government publications
• Company, organization, or association websites
  • Many produce their own research, search for organizations in your topic area and search their website for publications
• Advanced Google searching
  • Use a site: or filetype: search to help narrow down your research to a particular website, domain, or file type:
    • e.g. The site:gc.ca search will search within websites with a gc.ca domain (Government of Canada). Adding some keywords can make a more complex search.
    • e.g. The filetype:PDF search will restrict your search to include only PDF files.
      
      Combine advanced Google search techniques to get the most out of your results.