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POLI 575: The Politics of Global Governance

What is Grey Literature

Grey literature is information produced outside traditional publications (such as scholarly journals). It includes reports, policy briefs and reports, white papers, working papers, government documents, speeches, etc... 

Although not published in traditional media, grey literature can help you find some "behind the scene" information about how policies and decisions came to be.

Given that they are not usually "officially" published, they can be tricky to find. Use the tips below to find grey literature.

How to Find Grey Literature - Advanced Google Search

You can use a Google advanced search to look for working papers, internal documents, and white papers particularly from international organizations.

Search for "working papers" and specify the URL of the website you want to search (ex: un.org).

How to Find Grey Literature - Databases

  • Open Grey: European grey literature. It covers Science, Technology, Biomedical Science, Economics, Social Science and Humanities

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