How to evaluate grey literature - the AACOGS checklist
The AACODS checklist was created by Jess Tyndall to evaluate and enable critical appraisal of grey literature. This checklist has the flexibility to be applied to a number of grey literature resources.
AACODS (Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity, Date, Significance)
- Authority: Who is responsible for the content and are they credible?
- Accuracy: Is the document supported by credible, authoritative sources?
- Coverage: Does the document clearly state parameters that define their content coverage?
- Objectivity: Is there bias? Is it easily detected?
- Date: Can you find the date? For the content to inform your research it must have a date to confirm relevance
- Significance: Does the document add something unique to the research?
- How low can you go? Toward a hierarchy of grey literature?Presented by Jess Tyndall at the 2008 Australian Library and Information Association Biennial Conference. This article provides context for the checklist.
Source Guide: McMaster University
AGREE Tools - Guidelines Appraisal
- AGREE EnterpriseThe Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) Instrument and other tools.
- AGREE Tools"A variety of tools have been developed to assist in the development, reporting and evaluation of practice guidelines and health system guidance. Each of the available tools is listed below with a brief description of the tool and access to more information."
Handbook
Searching the grey literature: A handbook for finding annual reports, working papers, white papers, government documents, and more [Dunbar Library print copy] by Call Number: Z1033.G73 B66 2018ISBN: 9781538100639Publication Date: 2018
Ask Us
Permissions and License Information
We gratefully acknowledge that the content of this guide (including links, descriptions, and selected categories) is reused/remixed from the following guides and sources under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommerical ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Health Sciences Grey Literature, University of Southern California Libraries, Norris Medical Library
- Grey Literature [Video] Tutorial, Western University
- NURS 826 / 899B: Evidence Based Nursing - Grey Literature (reused from USC Norris Library), Wichita State University
- Finding Grey Literature, McMaster University Health Sciences Library
Confirmation of the Creative Commons status of the entire USC guide was also sought and received in writing from the USC Guide Author Karin Saric on 11 July 2019. Reuse permission was granted provided attribution is given.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 International License.