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The aim of this study is to identify the status of managing gray literature (GL) in medical science libraries in terms of three dimensions, collection development, organization and dissemination.

In this survey study, a structured questionnaire was used. The questionnaire consisted of 30 questions and consisted of six sections (demographic characteristics, the use of the term GL, types of GL, collection development, organization and dissemination). In total, 50 librarians from 15 medical science libraries participated in this study. The questionnaires were distributed manually to librarians by visiting libraries. All the librarians filled in the questionnaires. It should be noted that descriptive statistics and Excel and SPSS software were used for data analysis.

The results of using the term GL showed that 68 per cent of librarians use the source name itself. Most GL in libraries were theses (94 per cent). Moreover, a review of the status of GL collection showed that 60 per cent of libraries had written instructions for providing these resources. A total of 62 per cent of librarians stated that there is a GL selection committee in their library and the librarian is the most important member of the collection department. A total of 40 per cent of libraries were weeding GL. The most common way of obtaining GL was through deposition. The analysis of the status of GL organization indicated that 80 per cent of libraries had GL organization. A total of 90 per cent of libraries had digitized GL, and that librarians played a large role in organizing such resources. Evaluation of the dissemination of GL showed that all libraries have enabled users to access GL. In most libraries, users were only allowed to use GL in the library, and it was not possible to copy GL. Students and faculty members were the most important users of GL. Informing through the library website and the parent organization was the most important way of informing about these resources.

GL is one of the most important resources in medical and non-medical academic libraries. In this study, for the first time, the status of GL management in Iranian libraries of medical sciences was investigated. The results of this study can be useful for policymakers and managers of medical and non-medical libraries.

The study aims to showcase the developmental perspective of “grey literature” and its importance to different sectors of the society. Furthermore, issues, challenges and possibilities concerned with the existence of “grey literature” have also been discoursed.

The study is based on the existing literature published in the field of “grey literature” which was identified with the aid of three leading indexing and abstracting services, Web of Science, SciVerse Scopus, and Google Scholar. Keywords like grey literature, black literature, The Grey Journal, The International Journal on Grey Literature, International Conference on Grey Literature, non-conventional literature, semi-published literature, System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe (SIGLE), European Association for the Exploitation of Grey Literature (EAGLE), white literature, white papers, theses and dissertations, GreyNet, grey literature-electronic media, Grey market, open access, OpenNet, open access repositories, institutional repositories, open archives, electronic theses and dissertations, institutional libraries, scholarly communication, access to knowledge, metadata standards for grey literature, metadata heterogeneity, disciplinary grey literature, etc. were searched in the select databases. Simple as well as advanced search feature of the databases were made use of. Moreover, for more recent and updated information on the topic, the “citing articles” feature of the databases was also used. The “citing articles” were consulted on the basis of their relevance with the subject content.

The study helps to understand the definitive framework and developmental perspective of “grey literature”. “Grey Literature” has emerged as a promising content for enhancing the visibility of the ideas that were earlier unexplored and least made use of “Grey literature” has also overcome the problems and issues with its existence and adoption. Technology has played a catalytic role in eradicating the issues and problems pertinent to the “grey literature” to a greater extent.

The study is based on the published literature that is indexed by only three databases, i.e. Web of Science, SciVerse Scopus and Google Scholar. Furthermore, some limited aspects of “grey literature” have been covered.

The study will be of great help to various stakeholders and policymakers to showcase the value and importance of “grey literature” for better access and exploitation. It will also be of importance to those interested to know how the literature tagged as grey changed with the passing time and how it through its unseen characteristics has evolved as an important source of information at par with the “white literature”.

The study tries to provide a demarcated and segregated outlook of the “grey literature”. It also focuses on various issues, problems and possibilities pertinent to the adoption and existence of “grey literature”.

To contribute to critical discussion of management education and practice in the “global economy”, engaging with fragmentation of subjects in the academic literature and of issues across zones of production and consumption in the global community. In order to highlight key elements, discusses the role and contribution of the transnational corporation (TNC) and of the export processing zone (EPZ), as illustrative examples of international business.

Places the discussion into a broad context, through consideration of social, political and economic implications of international business. Presents and contrasts representations of international business in various literature sets and in different contexts. Draws loosely on a broad range of literature, from the field of critical management, and from both academic and non‐academic domains that engage with issues of international business and globalization.

Proposes that fragmentation within the mainstream management literature and in areas of management education militates against holistic and critical understanding of the complex nature of global business. Challenges exemplars of “good” management practice from the managerial literature through engagement with a range of discipline‐specific texts, highlighting areas of divergence, contradiction and omission.

Contributes to the developing critical management literature that engages with issues in a broad societal context.

This study aims at determining the factors that favor a systematic approach to deal with complex operational and strategic problems. Management literature on problem-solving makes a clear distinction between either fixing a problem temporarily by eliminating its symptoms or solving it by diagnosing and altering underlying causes. Adopting a cognitive perspective of the dual-processing theory, this study labels these two approaches intuitive problem-solving and systematic problem-solving (SPS). While the superior effectiveness of SPS in fostering organizational learning is widely documented, existing literature fails to provide an overview of the conditions that support the adoption of SPS.

This paper presents a systematic literature review to shed light on the main supporting factors of SPS in operational as well as strategic domains.

Seven supporting factors of SPS (namely, nature of the problem, time availability, information availability, collaborative culture, transformational leadership, organizational learning infrastructure and environmental dynamism) are first identified and then discussed in an integrative model.

This work is an original attempt to inclusively address organizational, environmental and problem nature-related factors that favor SPS adoption. By determining the SPS supporting factors, this study highlights why many organizations fail or struggle to implement and sustain SPS over time.

The current study aims to map the scientific output of grey literature (GL) through bibliometric approaches.

The source for data extraction is a comprehensive “indexing and abstracting” database, “Web of Science” (WOS). A lexical title search was applied to get the corpus of the study – a total of 4,599 articles were extracted for data analysis and visualisation. Further, the data were analysed by using the data analytical tools, R-studio and VOSViewer.

The findings showed that the “publications” have substantially grown up during the timeline. The most productive phase (2018–2021) resulted in 47% of articles. The prominent sources were PLOS One and NeuroImage. The highest number of papers were contributed by Haddaway and Kumar. The most relevant countries were the USA and UK.

The study is useful for researchers interested in the GL research domain. The study helps to understand the evolution of the GL to provide research support further in this area.

The present study provides a new orientation to the scholarly output of the GL. The study is rigorous and all-inclusive based on analytical operations like the research networks, collaboration and visualisation. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this manuscript is original, and no similar works have been found with the research objectives included here.

This paper outlines the principal stages in the development of grey literature (GL), from its first appearance in the post‐war period to its evolution into electronic GL. To this end, the study analyses some of the most important studies and conferences organised up to the 1990s. It also examines the first bibliographies and databases, which transformed the way in which GL was collected and distributed. The second part of the paper briefly outlines the main subjects addressed at international GL conferences, identifying both elements of continuity with earlier work and new developments.

The purpose of this paper is to address issues in grey literature (GL) management and to proffer solutions to the problems. The specific aims are: to identify the categories of grey materials stocked, and the method of acquisition; to examine the method of GL management and the degree of access in Illinois state libraries; and also to identify the challenges/solutions to the problems associated with GL management and access.

A survey was conducted in Illinois state, USA in 2010, using an online questionnaire posted to various listservs used by 118 academic libraries in Illinois, including those of the Consortia of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois and the Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries. The online survey questionnaire was designed to identify the categories of grey materials stocked by libraries, the method of acquisition and organization, the degree of access and the challenges/solutions to the problems associated with GL management and access. Simple frequencies and percentage were used in data analyses.

The study identified various categories of grey stocked, including: theses and dissertations, faculty works, conference proceedings, research reports, in‐house publications of associations, government documents and translations. The study diagnosed various challenges in the organization and dissemination of GL, and solutions to the challenges in order to ensure optimal access and utilization of grey materials.

The implication of this work is that institutional and subject repositories are needed in order to aggregate these useful resources into globally accessible databases, where the resources will be rediscovered through international catalogues such as online computer library center and major web search engines such as Google. The end result will showcase the value of these resources to the public for greater access and utilization.

The knowledge gained will help to more effectively manage and harness the current and factual contents of grey materials, for quality education, research and national advancement. The paper will be of benefit to libraries, librarians, educationists, researchers and decision makers globally.

This paper aims to study the organisation and management of grey literature (GL) to select social science libraries. Further, the study is an attempt to make known the types of GL; extent of demand and the frequency of use of GL; GL collection in other languages; workshops or training programmes or seminars for GL; bibliographic control for GL, etc., in select social science libraries.

A survey with the help of a questionnaire followed by interviews was conducted among the social science libraries understudy to explore the issues and challenges involved in organizing and managing GL.

The study finds that 83.3% of libraries have a separate wing for the management of GL and the majority of the GL acquired by the library are accessed through compact disc and are present in digital form access via online public access catalog.

The paper explores the organisation and management of GL by social science libraries, which is a unique study on its own as the management of GL is not much popular here in India. The study paves the path for more issues to be explored in the area i.e. GL.

Grey literature in its various aspects presents many problems for producers, intermediaries and end‐users. SIGLE‐System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe – was established with the aim of providing access to, and incidentally improving bibliographic coverage of, grey literature produced in Europe. The background to and workings of the system are described. Its strengths and weaknesses are analysed to allow consideration of how far it can be presented as a model for similar ventures.