Research Guides: International Affairs: Grey Literature & Think Tanks

What is Grey Literature?

Grey literature is information that is created and distributed outside of academic and commercial publishers. Policy papers, policy briefs, white papers, occasional papers, working papers, studies, and reports are examples of grey literature.

Locating Grey Literature

CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)
Focus: International politics, security studies, global finance, humanitarian law, and development.
Content: Policy briefs, working papers, case studies, and reports.
Note: One of the largest collections of international affairs research.
Find Policy
Focus: Public policy research from leading U.S. and European think tanks.
Content: Policy briefs, research papers, and analyses.
Tip: Scroll past Google ads to view results.
Issue Lab
Focus: Research published and funded by nonprofit and social sector organizations.
Content: Research reports, white papers, case studies, evaluations, and issue briefs.
Note: Great for practical perspectives on social and policy issues.
Policy Commons
"One-stop access to more than 30 million pages of curated, high quality policy reports, briefs, analyses, working papers, and datasets from thousands of policy organizations."
(Note: You need to create a free account to use this site.)
Think Tank Search
Focus: Research from 1,200+ think tanks and research centers.
Content: Policy papers, briefs, and reports.
Note: A Google Custom Search created by Harvard Kennedy School.

Locating Grey Literature

Grey literature can be found in specialized databases and search tools. These resources provide access to policy papers, reports, and research produced by governments, think tanks, and nonprofit organizations.

CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)
Focus: International politics, security studies, global finance, humanitarian law, and development.
Content: Policy briefs, working papers, case studies, and reports.
Note: One of the largest collections of international affairs research.
Find Policy
Focus: Public policy research from leading U.S. and European think tanks.
Content: Policy briefs, research papers, and analyses.
Tip: Scroll past Google ads to view results.
Issue Lab
Focus: Research published and funded by nonprofit and social sector organizations.
Content: Research reports, white papers, case studies, evaluations, and issue briefs.
Note: Great for practical perspectives on social and policy issues.
Policy Commons
"One-stop access to more than 30 million pages of curated, high quality policy reports, briefs, analyses, working papers, and datasets from thousands of policy organizations."
(Note: You need to create a free account to use this site.)
Think Tank Search
Focus: Research from 1,200+ think tanks and research centers.
Content: Policy papers, briefs, and reports.
Note: A Google Custom Search created by Harvard Kennedy School.
SSRN (Social Science Research Network)
Focus: Working papers and preprints in the social sciences, law, economics, and public policy.
Content: Early-stage research, conference papers, and drafts that may not yet be published in journals.
Tip: Many papers are freely available as PDFs, but not all are peer reviewed. Use these sources to explore emerging ideas or find the latest scholarship before it appears in journals.

Lists of Think Tanks & Research Centers

U.S. Think Tanks and Research Centers
A Harvard Library guide listing major U.S. think tanks and research centers with links to their publications.
Non-U.S. Think Tanks by Region
A Harvard Library guide to international think tanks, organized by global region, with links to their research outputs.
Selected Think Tanks
A Georgetown University Library guide listing U.S. think tanks, categorized by political leaning.
Brookings Institute
Focus: Public policy research across economics, governance, foreign policy, and social issues.
Content: Reports, briefs, and commentary written by policy experts.
Note: Brookings is widely cited in policy debates and provides accessible, well-organized reports useful for student papers.
RAND Corporation
Focus: Policy research and analysis, especially in defense, health, education, and social policy.
Content: Research reports, policy briefs, and data-driven studies.
Tip: Known for producing detailed, methodologically rigorous reports — often longer than those from other think tanks.
Urban Institute
Focus: Social and economic policy, with special emphasis on housing, health, taxes, and urban development.
Content: Reports, briefs, interactive data tools, and evaluations.
Note: Particularly useful for research on U.S. domestic policy and applied community issues.

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