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Education

disorderly selection of papers, magazines, files and reports arranged in a swirl

Other Resources

Sometimes you may need to use resources other than academic articles or textbooks. This is referred to as "grey literature." Grey literature includes blogs, conference materials, datasets, discussion forums, dissertations and theses, government and local government papers, interviews, market reports, newsletters, pamphlets, policy statements, pre-print articles, research reports, survey results, social media... basically anything! Below are some examples of grey literature and where to find it. 

Unpublished Academic Research

This includes thesis and dissertations, but also "working papers" that have yet to be published. You can find these resources in online repositories like Explore Bristol Research or subject repositories like APSA Preprints, CrimRxiv,  EdArXiv, LawArXiv... try this list of subject specific repositories to find one covering your area of study. 

Government Publications and Legislation

Information on the structure or policies of UK Government can be found on the GOV.UK website. For older government publications, statistics and information search the UK Government Web Archive. For Parliamentary papers, see the databases below. 

Publications from the Department of Health and Social Care

The Department of Health and Social Care is made up of 29 agencies and public bodies. The following produce publications, disseminate news and conduct research of interest:

The Education Policy and Research Service 

The Education Policy and Research Service (EPRS) provides a monthly digest of the latest research and policy from key government bodies, universities, and thinktanks summarised into two-page reports. UoB staff and students have access to this service, but you will need to contact your subject librarian or eprs-admin@bristol.ac.uk for an access code.

Databases

Some databases index grey literature along with journal articles. The ones listed below specialise in policy documents. 

International and Multilateral Organisations

The organisations below can be useful for finding global information. Click on the i symbol to find out more about them. 

Charities

A charity is a charitable organisation set up to provide assistance to those in need. They are not-for profit organisations, usually with a specific theme such as health, education or another social, medical or economic basis. They are officially recognised (e.g. in the UK, they must be registered with and are regulated by the Charity Commission).

Some charities will commission and publish research in their area of expertise, for example:

  • Barnardo's produce research about the lives of children and young people
  • Mind are active in research about mental health
  • Oxfam undertake research in a broad range of areas
  • The Prison Reform Trust are working to create a just, humane & effective prison system
  • The Health Foundation aims to enable better health and health care in the UK. 
  • The Kings Fund supports research in areas of health and social care
  • Women's Aid are a useful source of information about domestic violence and other forms of abuse
  • YoungMinds specifically research issues around young people's mental health.

Look up charities working in the area of your interest and see if any of them have published any research.

Think tanks

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a think tank as 'a group of experts who are brought together to develop ideas and give advice on a particular subject' (Cambridge Dictionary 2020).

Whilst some think tanks are independent, others have political leanings. As always, read critically and evaluate resources to assess their suitability for inclusion in your writing. This list may help you identify think tanks in your area of study. 

Newspapers

Newspapers aren’t generally considered as grey literature sources because they are "formally published." But news sources can be helpful in assisting in the discovery of grey literature.  For example, news items may flag the latest research report or findings, record speeches, contain statistics and other data.

Statistics

Statistics

Useful Books

Assessing the quality of your grey literature

Grey literature can be really useful because it is often more current - it bypasses the peer review/ publishing process which means that it can be useful when looking at new or emerging areas of research. However, as it's not peer reviewed it can be of variable quality. You will need to assess the quality of this information yourself and decide if it appropriate to include in your review. Below are some useful tools for evaluating the information your are looking at. 

Evaluating information tutorial

Evaluating information tutorial link

A self-help tutorial on evaluating the quality of readings.

The Four Moves

infographic for the Four Moves. The word SIFT with symbols underneath that represent the step explained in the text below. Mike Caulfield. CC BY 4.0, via Hapgood.US

STOP – What is the source of the information? What is the reputation of the information and the source?

INVESTIGATE – What are you reading? Who produced the information? Knowing the expertise and agenda of the source is crucial to understanding the significance and trustworthiness of the information.

FIND BETTER COVERAGE – look for trusted sources to verify the information – “go out and find the best source you can on this topic, or, just as importantly, to scan multiple sources and see what the expert consensus seems to be”

TRACE – try and find the original context for the information you are looking at. Viewing it in it’s original context will help you get a sense of how accurately the information it being presented.

Full details of The Four Moves can be found here.  

CRAAP Test

Developed by staff from Meriam Library at California State University, the CRAAP Test looks at five criteria and suggests questions to ask yourself about of the criteria to help you establish the value of the work. Follow the link to see the full details for each of the criteria. 

Currency

  • When was the information published? Has the information been revised? 

Relevance

  • Is the information relevant to you? Who is the intended audience? Is the information at an appropriate level? Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use? 
  • Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

Authority

  • Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
  • What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations? Is the author qualified to write on the topic? Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
  • Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net

Accuracy

  • Where does the information come from? Has the information been reviewed or refereed? 
  • Is the information supported by evidence? Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
  • Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion? Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

Purpose

  • Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions clear? What is the purpose of the information - inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade? Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
  • Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?

Meriam Library. CC BY 4.0, via California State University

Subjects: Education