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Finding grey literature and government material

Grey literature and trade magazines

Grey Literature is research that has not been commercially published and is therefore not always searchable in academic databases or even some general search engines. 

Common types of grey literature are "reports, conference proceedings, preprints, working papers, theses, dissertations, personal communications, technical notes" and other ephemeral scientific sources, often published by government, business or academic organizations*. This kind of literature can be key for emerging research and alternative perspectives. 

Government Publications are a "subset of grey literature, and can be important sources for state, federal, and international perspectives on official government proceedings of all kinds"*. Find these by using an Advanced Google Search or the Australian Government Web Archive

Trade Literature refers to magazines, websites, newsletters and other sources aimed at professionals in a particular field. These sources will often report news and trends in the field, reviews of products related to the industry at hand, interviews with leaders in the field, as well as job listings and advertisements. Use QUT Library QuickFind or a library database & limit results to trade magazines.  Examples are HRMagazine, Workforce, Strategic HR Review

The Australian Government Web Archive (AGWA)

The Australian Government Web Archive (AGWA) is search function within Trove. 

The National Library continues to archive Commonwealth Government websites for the AGWA and all content is searchable through Trove.

STARTING YOUR SEARCH: From the Trove homepage click the 'Advanced Search' drop-down, select 'Websites' and tick the box labelled 'Limit to the gov.au web domain'

For tips on how to search The Australian Government Web Archive, review the guidance on Trove's Websites advanced search.

Google Advanced

Google Advanced is a good way to discover government reports and statistics.

You can use Google Advanced to build more comprehensive searches and also narrow your results to specific domains, e.g., .gov.au or formats e.g., .pdf

Watch the video below for a more indepth look at this search tool.

Evaluating your Google Advanced results

Whilst Google Advanced is a good way to discover government reports and statistics, not all the of the information you find on the Internet is accurate, up-to-date and reliable. Therefore, it is important to evaluate your information before you decide to use it in your assignment.

Ask yourself:​

  • Authority - Who is the author? What is their point of view? 
  • Purpose - Why was the source created? Who is the intended audience?
  • Publication & format - Where was it published? In what medium?
  • Relevance - How is it relevant to your research? What is its scope?
  • Date of publication - When was it written? Has it been updated?
  • Documentation - Did they cite their sources? Who did they cite?

Always check the URL of a website to determine what type of site the information is coming from:

.edu.au : an educational institution

.gov.au : a government body

.org.au : an organisation

.com.au or .co : a commercial site

.net : a network

Is it published by a reputable author or organisation?

  • Last Updated: Apr 11, 2024 9:03 AM
  • URL: https://libguides.library.qut.edu.au/psmp
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Subjects: Business / General business, Business / Management and human resources
Tags: administration, australia, australian_government, psm, public_affairs