Beyond Grey Literature: How Grey Questions Can Drive Research

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although accessing grey literature has received a lot of attention in recent years, the study of grey literature has been problematic. Information specialists lack agreement even on a definition. For this paper, grey literature is that which cannot be found using traditional indexing and abstracting sources. Information seekers who turn to grey literature come equipped with ‘grey questions.’ Librarians and other information professionals are accustomed to such questions and are often experts in providing answers to them. Many grey questions, however, remain unanswered. This paper treats unanswered grey questions themselves as valuable information and suggests that they might be used to drive research. A model grey question repository is proposed. It could be queried and manipulated much as other bibliographic databases and its information might lead to the filling of important gaps in knowledge.