An interesting paper from PLOS One addressing the role of Google Scholar in searching for grey literature (one of the key questions posed by the authors: "what proportion of Google Scholar search results is grey literature?") Via extensive case studies and analysis, the authors conclude that "the high proportion of grey literature that is missed by Google Scholar means that it is not a viable alternative to hand searching as a stand-alone tool." The key notation in this phrase is alternative, since the author's do admit that a considerable amount of grey literature is indexed in Google Scholar; they key though is to recognize Scholar's role as a supplement to hand searching and other means for locating grey literature, in lieu of a be-all-end-all approach. The open-access article can be accessed here .
the Environmental Sciences LibGuide at the University of Ottawa emphasizes the importance of establishing a search strategy at the outset, not only when consulting databases, but when perusing grey literature as well: "searching for grey literature is complex and the number of results one retrieves can be overwhelming if you have not set strict parameters from the get-go." ( Langlois , 2017). The following case study on s chool-based breakfast programs in Canada exemplify Langlois' statement.
A resource-intensive page for students devoted to providing an overview of grey literature. Written by Annette Lamb, a self-proclaimed educator, lifelong learner, and mobile maverick, this site is similar to Coles Notes, or perhaps a point-of care resource, as it breaks the study of grey literature into several sections: Grey Literature Defined Pros and Cons of Grey Literature Access to Grey Literature Conference Documents Course Materials Data Sets and Statistics Dissertations and Theses Essays and Treatise Papers Prints Projects Reports Social Media Standards Other Materials LibGuide on Grey Literature Institutional Repositories General Sources of Grey Literature Grey Literature and the Scholarly Publication Cycle Lamb's personal anecdotes, and recommendations (including reference to both GreyNet and Schopfel's and Farace's monograph of Grey Literature) The site is available here .
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