Research Guides: Grey literature : Databases

Databases

Many databases, such as ProQuest, Web of Science and PubMed, index both published content and grey literature. There are specific databases for locating different types of grey literature.

Canadian sources

Canadian Public Documents Collection
- 1996 - 2019
- archives publications from Canadian public policy institutes, government agencies, advocacy groups, think-tanks, university research centres and other public interest groups
- contains reports from both the Canadian Public Policy Collection and the Canadian Health Research Collection
Canadian Research Index (1982 - 2018)
- 1982 - 2018
- indexes Canadian government publications, federal, provincial and selected municipal.
- searches abstracts author, title, subject
- Tip: search government bodies under the Company/org heading.
- Useful as a starting point or when other searches (library catalogue, web) produce disappointing results. However titles found here must then be manually searched in the library catalogue and/or web in order to locate them. Items not found there can be located searching LibrarySearch or Canadian Research Index. Individual fiche are available via request through LibrarySearch or email gov.info@utoronto.ca for help.
CanLII
- provides access to statutes, regulations and court judgments of every jurisdiction in Canada
- includes articles, reports, books and other resources

International sources

Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
- includes research paper, abstracts for working papers, article preprints and conference papers in more than 50 disciplines
Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)
- focus on international politics
- grey literature content includes working papers, policy briefs and special reports
Policy File Index
- Research reports from 350 public policy think tanks, NGOs, research institutes, university centers and advocacy groups
PAIS Index
ProQuest
- Interdisciplinary database
- Select document type from Advanced Search for conference, conference paper, conference proceeding, dissertation/theses, government & official documents, technical report, working paper/pre-print and etc
UN Digital Library
CORDIS
- Sources for EU-funded research projects
- contains research reports, project details
European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
- includes publications and blog
OECDiLibrary
Cochrane Library
- "a collection of databases that contain different types of high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making"
- covers health-related topics
Nexis Uni
- Comprehensive coverage of US federal and state case law, statutes and regulations. Includes secondary source materials such as law reviews, newspapers, company reports, government documents. treatises, transcripts of broadcasts, and patent information
Social Care Online
- 1980s - 2023
- includes publications from think tanks, research institutes, charities and government agencies
US Declassified Document Online
- "include intelligence studies, policy papers, diplomatic correspondence, cabinet meeting minutes, briefing materials, and domestic surveillance and military reports"
Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS)
- includes conference papers, reports and project summaries

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Grey literature

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