Having trouble accessing government information? See the Libraries’ guide to Alternative Sources for Federal Information and Data.
Organizational Learning & Leadership: Grey Literature and Data
What is Grey Literature?
"Grey literature" (or "gray literature") is a term used to describe a variety of materials that fall outside the traditional publishing and distribution channels.
Grey literature can be produced by government agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions and departments, and private companies.
These materials do not go through the same rigorous peer-review process that most scholarly journal articles do, but they can still provide valuable information to supplement peer-reviewed resources. Be mindful to evaluate these sources carefully and only use them when appropriate.
Examples of grey literature include:
- Government reports
- Non-profit reports
- Newsletters
- White papers
- Policy papers
- Pre-print articles
- Conference papers and proceedings
- Theses and dissertations
- Social media posts
Sources for Grey Literature
- Google Think Tank Search EngineSearches the websites of institutions that generate public policy research, analysis, and activity. These sites are affiliated with universities, governments, advocacy groups, foundations, and non-governmental organizations. The list represents a mixture of partisan and non-partisan think tanks.
- ERICProduced by the Educational Resource Information Center, ERIC provides indexing and abstracting for journal and report literature (1966 to the present) in education and related disciplines.
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global
Indexes US dissertations from 1861 with full text available from 1997; masters theses covered selectively including some full text. Citations for dissertations from 1980 include 350-word abstracts, while masters' theses from 1988 have 150-word abstracts. Selectively covers dissertations from Great Britain and other European universities for recent years. - PAIS IndexA bibliographic index to the literature of public policy, social policy, and the social sciences in general. Includes full-text articles.
Business Data and Statistics
- Sage DataAccess data on economics, crime, health, population, energy, the environment, and more in a single interface. Manipulate data; create charts, graphs, tables, maps. Data come from U.S. and international sources. For help, see the user guide.
- ICPSRThe Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is the world's largest archive of computer readable social science data. ICPSR provides Web access to data files and documentation for use with statistical software, such as SAS, SPSS, and Stata. The ICPSR data holdings contains more than 500,000 files that cover a wide range of social science areas such as population, economics, education, health, social and political behavior, social and political attitudes, history, crime, aging, and substance abuse. Individual registration and adherence to responsible use statement are required.
Note: Off-campus access available if individual's account is created on campus or while authenticated. - StatistaContains statistics, infographics, industry and market research reports and publicly-available data for over 25 countries on all topics. Download statistics and charts in Excel, PowerPoint, or PDF.
Note: UNC Chapel Hill currently has full access to Statista with the exception of the Global Consumer Survey and Market Studies. - Social ExplorerProvides web-based access to United States Census data from 1790 to the present, and to other U.S. and international data, with the ability to make tables and interactive maps easily or export data for analysis. Data include the most commonly used variables and geographies.
Sage Business Tools
- Sage Business SkillsThis interactive resource provides opportunities to develop and practice real-world business and professional skills, supporting students in gaining the skills needed to transition into the modern workplace. Over 950 business skills topics are covered and enhanced with a range of engaging multimedia, including original videos, scenarios, data, and expert perspectives.
- Sage Business CasesCollection of interdisciplinary business cases on subjects such as entrepreneurship, accounting, healthcare management, leadership, sustainability, and more. Download full PDFs of cases. Teaching notes include a case summary, learning objectives, suggested teaching strategy, and discussion questions
Business and Economics Research
For more resources related to business and economics, check out this list of business research guides created by the business librarian, Nancy Lovas.