Grey Literature in a Nut Shell

• Information produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry
• in electronic and print formats
• not controlled by commercial publishing
• i.e. where publishing is not the primary activity of the producing body.

(Luxembourg, 1997 - Expanded in New York, 2004)

Grey literature is not easily found-- which is what makes it 'grey'! 

Expect that in your search for Grey Lit you will click on many links, and perform many searches.

Places to start:

• Relevant government websites, for example Health Canada or the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
• Newspaper and Magazine articles
• Government documents in print (at Robarts Library, 4th Floor Reference area)
• Google and Google Scholar-- use " " to find exact phrases such as the name of an Act or Agency, and include geographical information if required. For example: "Health Information Protection Act" Ontario

Conference Proceedings 

• BIOSIS Previews - Bibliographic citations of current research reported in the biological and medical literature, including articles, reviews, books, book chapters, meeting documents, and meeting reports.
• Conference Papers Index - Citations to papers and poster sessions presented at major scientific meetings around the world. Subject emphasis on the life sciences & environmental sciences.
• ISI Proceedings - Complete bibliographic information and author abstracts of proceedings papers delivered at prestigious international scientific and technology conferences. (coverage 1990+)
• More conference papers databases - Search additional databases to find conference proceedings, meetings, etc.

Research Projects in Progress

• HSRProj - Health Services Research Projects in Progress - Provides information about projects in-progress prior to publication of results. Via Via National Information Center on Health Services Research & Health Care Technology (NICHSR).

Dissertation/Theses

• Dissertation Abstracts International - Dissertations (Masters and Ph.D.) from over 1,000 graduate schools and universities (including UofT). Full text theses and dissertations available from 1997 - present. Citations and abstracts for pre-1997 items. 

Books 

• U of T library catalogue - Search for books, reports and other type of material (both print and online) owned by the UofT Libraries.
• Other library catalogues - Search library catalogues from Ontario universities, major Canadian and U.S. libraries and other library catalogues.

Clinical trials

• The Cochrane Library - The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials is the largest database of clinical trials
• ClinicalTrials.gov - Registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world. Produced by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
• WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform - NGOs, such as WHO, are also great grey lit resources.

Guidelines

• CADTH - Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health
  Includes resources such as rapid response reviews, guidelines, and health technology assessments.
• CPG Infobase - Produced or endorsed in Canada by a national, provincial/territorial or regional medical or health organization, professional society, government agency or expert panel. 
• National Guidelines Clearinghouse (NGC) - Public resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• GAC Guidelines - Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for use in Ontario. Produced by an independent partnership of the Ontario Medical Association and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC)
• Guidelines, Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto - Comprehensive list of websites to find guidelines.

Government Information

• Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) - An independent, not-for-profit organization that provides essential data and analysis on Canada’s health system and the health of Canadians.
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
• Canadian Patient Safety Institute
• Canadian Research Index - Database for Canadian federal, provincial and territorial government research & publications.
• Health Canada
• Health Council of Canada [note: ceases in 2014/2015]
• Health Quality Ontario
• Public Health Agency of Canada
• National Institute of Health (US)

News and Updates

• FDA Patient Safety News
  Televised series for health care personnel (ran from 2002-2011). Features information on new drugs, biologics and medical devices, on FDA safety notifications and product recalls, and on ways to protect patients when using medical products.

• AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet) (US)

National web-based resource featuring the latest news and essential resources on patient safety. Provides weekly updates of literature, news, tools, and meetings, and annotated links to key research and other information on patient safety.

Measures and Tools

• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI): Patient Safety Overview
  Collection of content IHI-evaluated resources (including change concepts, measures, resources, improvement stories, and downloadable tools) to help improve patient safety.

Please contact the guide creator to have them fixed!

• Finding Theses & Dissertations in the Sciences
   
• Finding Newspaper Articles