These databases are frequently searched for systematic reviews in the health sciences. They are arranged in order of importance and usage frequency.
Definition:
There are many definitions of grey literature, but it is usually understood to mean literature that is not formally published in sources such as books or journal articles. It may be described as ephemeral, invisible, informal, underground, etc., that is, literature that may be unevaluated, not peer reviewed.
Grey Literature exists in many formats: preprints; preliminary progress and advanced reports; institutional, internal, technical, and statistical reports; research memoranda; state-of-the-art reports; market research reports; reports of commissions and study groups; as well as theses, conference proceedings, technical specifications and standards
translations (not distributed commercially), bibliographies, technical and commercial documentation, official documents (issued in limited numbers).
Alberani V, De Castro Pietrangeli P, Mazza AM. The use of grey literature in health sciences: a preliminary survey. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1990 Oct;78(4):358-63.
Grey Literature Sources
Contains citations and summaries of journal articles, books, and technical reports in the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines.
CIRRIE facilitates the sharing of information and expertise between the U.S. and world-wide partners to improve the conditions of people with disabilities, located in the School of Public Health and Health Professionsat the University of Buffalo since 1999.
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The Grey Literature Network Service was founded in 1992. The goal of GreyNet is to facilitate dialog, research, and communication between persons and organizations in the field of grey literature.
The National Technical Information Service serves as the largest central resource for government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information available today.
OAIster is a union catalog of millions of records representing open access resources from collections worldwide.
The REHABDATA database from the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC). spans almost 50 years of disability and rehabilitation research. More than 200,000 abstracts are available through this database, including approximately 115,000 records originally indexed in the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) database.
Web of Science indexes leading scholarly journals, books, proceedings, reports, and other formats. Its major subject areas include sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
Database of dissertations and theses from institutions around the world, including records for international dissertations beginning in 1637 and U.S. dissertations beginning in 1861 (the year the first doctoral dissertation was accepted at a U.S. institution).
Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) have replaced printed theses and dissertations for most Rutgers graduate programs and are available through RUcore. Beginning with October 2007 degree date submissions, dissertations and theses that represent a terminal degree from the Graduate School--New Brunswick are submitted in online form only. Other graduate schools, including the Graduate School--Newark, the Camden Graduate School, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, and the Graduate School of Education, are participating in the program as well. The Mason Gross School of the Arts has made electronic submission optional.