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Grey literature: An important resource in systematic reviews
1Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department for Continuing Education, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine
|December 22, 2017
Summary
Including grey literature in systematic reviews enhances evidence analysis by reducing publication bias and providing a more comprehensive, timely, and balanced picture of research findings.
Area of Science:
- Evidence-based practice
- Information science
- Research methodology
Background:
- Systematic reviews require comprehensive evidence identification.
- Grey literature offers valuable data not found in commercial publications.
- Including grey literature can mitigate publication bias and improve review timeliness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the benefits of incorporating grey literature into systematic reviews.
- To provide guidance on searching for and utilizing grey literature.
- To illustrate the contribution of grey literature searches with a practical example.
Main Methods:
- This narrative review synthesizes information on grey literature in systematic reviews.
- It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of grey literature search strategies.
- An illustrative search example is presented.
Main Results:
- Grey literature can include theses, reports, and conference papers.
- It provides a platform for disseminating null or negative results.
- Effective grey literature searching can significantly enhance systematic reviews.
Conclusions:
- The benefits of including grey literature in systematic reviews outweigh the search challenges.
- A well-designed grey literature search strategy is crucial for comprehensive reviews.
- Incorporating grey literature fosters a more balanced and complete body of evidence.
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