This is a quick reference for finding grey literature in science fields.
A grey area
Grey literature often requires searching in a range of sources, depending on the type of resource you are trying to find.
There may be resources beyond this guide that are useful for your topic area.
Consider the organisations, departments or groups that would be publishing information related to your field.
Grey literature resources
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Dimensions This link opens in a new windowA linked research data platform that includes research publications, funding information, clinical trials, datasets, patents and policy documents.
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Science.govGateway to U.S. government science information. Offers free access to research and development outputs and scientific and technical information. Includes access to research data.
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National technical reports library (NTRL) This link opens in a new windowA central source of U.S. Government-sponsored research and development reports. 1966+
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CSIRO data portalProvides access to research data, software and other digital assets published by CSIRO across a range of disciplines.
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Research data AustraliaFind, access, and re-use data for research from over one hundred Australian research organisations, government agencies, and cultural institutions.
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Google dataset searchFind datasets stored across thousands of online repositories.
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ArXiv This link opens in a new windowOpen access to resources within the areas of Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Quantitative Biology, Quantitative Finance and Statistics.
More grey literature sources
Tip: Make Google search smarter
Google advanced search allows you to search by domain, file type, and other beneficial limits for searching grey literature.
For example, to find grey literature available from Australian government websites in PDF format:
- Enter relevant keywords for your topic
- Then add .gov.au to the domain field and select the pdf file type.
Looking for more help with searching?
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