Search for 'grey' literature
Systematic reviews are not restricted to papers published in the ‘top’ journals. ‘Grey literature’ refers to texts that cannot be located easily via databases and includes material such as technical reports, working papers, conference proceedings, pre-prints and statistical documents. These texts are often included in systematic reviews to help overcome publication bias and the file drawer problem (where researchers file away studies with negative or neutral outcomes as they are more difficult to publish). Though not technically 'grey' literature, books and book chapters are also listed here as they are often diifcult to locate.
You can search for the working papers at the Social Science Research Network (SSRN). Google Scholar is also a good way of locating grey literature.
Please give details of potential sources of information to be included in the review and include this table in your protocol/plan:
Journals not cited in the databases
|
|
|
|
Conference papers
|
|
|
|
Books
|
|
|
|
Book chapters
|
|
|
|
Working papers or unpublished papers
|
|
|
|
Documents on the internet
|
|
|
|
Reports from relevant institutions: companies, public bodies etc |
|
|
|
technical reports
|
|
|
|
Statistical documents
|
|
|
|
Doctoral theses |
|
|
|
Others… please list
|
|
|
|
To download and use this document – click here
Make a list of the articles that you find by searching the 'grey' literature and include this table in your protocol/plan.
Journals not cited in the databases
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Conference papers
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Books
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Book chapters
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Working papers or unpublished papers
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Documents on the internet
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Reports from relevant institutions: companies, public bodies etc
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Technical reports
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Statistical documents
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Doctoral theses
|
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
Others...
please list |
|
1.
2.
n.
|
|
To download and use this document – click here
|