Definition: Gray Lit
Frankly, gray literature is an abstract concept because for every generalization there are exceptions.
Most reference people just know it when they see it!
After this lecture, I hope you will be in the "know" too!
Or another way to look at
Open lit vs closed lit a.Getable—might not be easy but…b.Hard to get—ephemeralc.Very hard to get—proprietaryd.Can’t get for love of money--secret
Gray Literature for Sure Product literature and manuals Brochures and event programs Local government reports White papers—think tanks, universities Proprietary analysis—reports and
market research Transportation schedules Personnel information
Gray ish : Preprints Reports
progress, technical, statistical, memoranda, contractor, etc.
Conference proceedings Theses, master’s reports Standards/specifications Non commercial translations National Government reports Workshops and Power point slides Public web!
So what is a Preprint Paper that has gone through a peer-
review process and awaits publication in a traditional journal. A preprint accessible over the Web may be
referred to as an “e-print.” Papers submitted for publication, but no
publication decision has been reached. Papers electronically posted for peer
consideration and comment before submission for publication.
Preprint Servers Grayish on preprint servers Ephemeral on open web Hard to get when old..
Writer dies or retires Web page disappears Research center loses interest
Technical & Research Reports Nearly every organization produces
some kind of 'open source' technical or research report.
The ones we will be talking about in this section are truly open-source.
This means they are getable —isn't quick or easy but it can be done.
Reports are: Most not yet available full text on the
Internet Not in cataloging utilities such as RLIN
or WorldCat Not cataloged by owning library or
agency If treated, treated serially
Even if all reports aren't available on the Internet — a whole bunch are.
Example 1: The effects of atomic oxygen on the thermal
remittance of high temperature radiator surfaces. Rutledge, Sharon K. (NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH., United States); Hotes, Deborah L. (Cleveland State Univ., OH., United States); Paulsen, Phillip E. (Cleveland State Univ., OH., United States)
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)NASA-TM-103224 , 1989
No digital
Example 2:Comparison of On-Orbit and Ground Based
Hollow Cathode Operation. Burke, Tom; Carpenter, ChristianNASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)
NASA/CR-2003-212585; E-14140; NAS 1.26:212585; AIAA Paper 2003-5145; 39th Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, Huntsville, AL, United States, 20-23 Jul. 2003
No digital
Places to Look NTIS http://ntrs.nasa.gov/ DTIC Firstgov.gov Web
http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~ircs/reports/ http://wrri.nmsu.edu/publish/techrpt/
techrpt.html http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/research/pubs/trs/
search.php
Some Likely http://graylit.osti.gov www.ntis.gov/search http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/cs http://Trisline.bts.gov http://Stinet.dtic.mil www.osti.gov/energycitations www.osti.gov/eprints
Product Information Catalogs Product inserts {non pharmacy} Product manuals Product spec sheets Bid info, pricing info Web pages
Proprietary Information describes the level of
confidentiality given to documents or information by the owner.
Generally, a document classified by the owner as proprietary limits who can view it or know about its contents.
Another name for proprietary information is "trade secrets".
Caveat
Publication and dissemination of gray/open information is not centrally coordinated by anybody, therefore, it can be particularly difficult to identify and locate.