Trouble with the Gray Literature

Abstract

In much of the tropics, the gray literature—published by nongovernmental organizations, governments, intergovernmental organizations, consultancies, private companies, and individuals—has a greater volume than the peer-reviewed scientific literature in ecology and conservation. I discuss why this is a problem in terms of quality, discovery, access, and archiving. Unpublished dissertations and theses are another vast untapped source of information in tropical biology. Internet search engines can potentially integrate access to all information sources, but only if the producers of gray literature and theses greatly improve electronic access. Digital repositories can provide both this accessibility and permanent archiving.

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