Reports & Grey Literature

Reports and grey literature encompass a wide range of materials that are often produced outside traditional commercial academic publishing channels. This category includes reports from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research institutes, foundations, and corporations; working papers; discussion papers; white papers; and other documents that present research, findings, or policy recommendations. While not always peer-reviewed in the same way as journal articles, these sources can provide valuable, timely, and specialized information. Citing them accurately in the Chicago/Turabian Notes and Bibliography (NB) system requires careful attention to identifying authorship, titles, issuing organizations, and availability.

This section will provide detailed guidelines on how to format citations for various types of reports and grey literature, including examples for full notes, shortened notes, and bibliography entries.

Core Elements for Citing Reports & Grey Literature:

  • Author(s): This can be one or more individuals, or a corporate body (the organization, institution, or committee that produced the report).
  • Title of Report or Document:
    • Titles of published reports and those formally available online are generally italicized, similar to book titles. Use headline-style capitalization.
    • For some types of unpublished grey literature or working papers within a specific series, the title might occasionally be placed in quotation marks, especially if the series title is then italicized. However, italics for the main report title is the more common Chicago recommendation for accessible reports.
  • Report Number, Document Number, or Series Information: If the report is part of a numbered series (e.g., Working Paper No. 123, Special Report 5), include this information. The series title is typically italicized if the specific report title is also italicized, or if the report title is in quotes, the series title is italicized. For simplicity, if the main report title is italicized, the series information can follow.
  • Issuing Organization/Institution: The body responsible for the report, if not already listed as the author. This often also serves as the publisher.
  • Place of Publication: The city where the issuing organization or publisher is located (if applicable and known).
  • Publisher: The organization that published or disseminated the report. Often this is the same as the corporate author or issuing organization.
  • Date of Publication or Release: The year, and month or specific day if available.
  • URL or DOI: If accessed online, a DOI is preferred. If no DOI, provide a stable URL.
  • Access Date: Highly recommended for online reports and grey literature, especially if not formally published with a DOI or if the URL might be unstable, to indicate when you viewed the content.

A. Report by a Corporate Author (e.g., NGO, Research Institute)

Full Note (N):
Name of Organization, Title of Report: Subtitle of Report (Place of Publication: Publisher [often the organization itself], Date of Publication), Page(s) Cited (if applicable), URL or DOI if online.
Example: Amnesty International, The State of the World’s Human Rights 2023/24 (London: Amnesty International Ltd., 2024), 25, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/7777/2024/en/. (Access date could be added if deemed necessary).
Shortened Note (SN):
2. Name of Organization (can be shortened if clear), Shortened Title of Report, Page(s).
Example: 2. Amnesty International, State of the World’s Human Rights 2023/24, 30.
Bibliography Entry (B):
Name of Organization. Title of Report: Subtitle of Report. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. URL or DOI if online. (Access date optional unless no publication date).
Example: Amnesty International. The State of the World’s Human Rights 2023/24. London: Amnesty International Ltd., 2024. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/7777/2024/en/.

B. Report by Individual Author(s) for an Organization

Full Note (N):
Author's First Name Last Name and Second Author's First Name Last Name, Title of Report, Name of Issuing Organization (if not clear from publisher) (Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication), Page(s), URL or DOI.
Example: Priya Singh and David Miller, Renewable Energy Futures in Developing Nations, Global Environment Institute Report no. 15 (Washington, DC: Global Environment Institute, 2023), 42, https://www.globaleinstitute.org/reports/renewable_energy_2023.pdf.
Shortened Note (SN):
2. Author's Last Name and Second Author's Last Name, Shortened Title of Report, Page(s).
Example: 2. Singh and Miller, Renewable Energy Futures, 45.
Bibliography Entry (B):
Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. Title of Report. Name of Issuing Organization (if needed for clarity). Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. URL or DOI.
Example: Singh, Priya, and David Miller. Renewable Energy Futures in Developing Nations. Global Environment Institute Report no. 15. Washington, DC: Global Environment Institute, 2023. https://www.globaleinstitute.org/reports/renewable_energy_2023.pdf.

C. Numbered Report in a Series

Full Note (N):
Author's First Name Last Name, Title of Report, Name of Series and number (Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication), Page(s).
Example: John K. Analyst, Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific Economic Reports, no. 2024-03 (Singapore: Economic Research Centre, 2024), 17.
Shortened Note (SN):
2. Author's Last Name, Shortened Title of Report, Page(s).
Example: 2. Analyst, Economic Outlook, 19.
Bibliography Entry (B):
Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Report. Name of Series and number. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication.
Example: Analyst, John K. Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia. Asia Pacific Economic Reports, no. 2024-03. Singapore: Economic Research Centre, 2024.

D. Working Paper / Discussion Paper

Full Note (N) (Paper title italicized):
Author's First Name Last Name, Title of Working Paper, Working Paper Series name and number (Name of Institution, Date), Page(s), URL or DOI.
Example: Elena Petrova, The Impact of AI on Labor Markets, IZA Discussion Paper No. 15001 (Bonn, Germany: Institute of Labor Economics, January 2024), 10, https://ftp.iza.org/dp15001.pdf.
Shortened Note (SN):
2. Author's Last Name, Shortened Title of Working Paper, Page(s).
Example: 2. Petrova, Impact of AI, 12.
Bibliography Entry (B):
Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Working Paper. Working Paper Series name and number. Name of Institution, Date. URL or DOI.
Example: Petrova, Elena. The Impact of AI on Labor Markets. IZA Discussion Paper No. 15001. Institute of Labor Economics, January 2024. https://ftp.iza.org/dp15001.pdf.
Alternative for Working Paper (Paper title in quotes, Series title italicized):
Full Note (N):
Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Working Paper," Working Paper Series Name no. XXX (Name of Institution, Date), Page(s), URL.
Bibliography (B):
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Working Paper." Working Paper Series Name no. XXX. Name of Institution, Date. URL. (This alternative is less common if the paper itself is a substantial, retrievable document, where italics for its title are often preferred.)

E. Online Report (General emphasis on access details)

Full Note (N):
Author/Organization, Title of Report (Place: Publisher, Date), Page(s), accessed Access Date (if needed), URL.
Example: GreenTech Solutions, Annual Sustainability Report 2024 (San Francisco: GreenTech Solutions, March 15, 2025), 22, accessed May 28, 2025, http://www.greentechsolutions.com/reports/sustainability2024.pdf.
Shortened Note (SN):
2. Author/Organization, Shortened Title, Page(s).
Example: 2. GreenTech Solutions, Sustainability Report 2024, 25.
Bibliography Entry (B):
Author/Organization. Title of Report. Place: Publisher, Date. Accessed Access Date (if needed). URL.
Example: GreenTech Solutions. Annual Sustainability Report 2024. San Francisco: GreenTech Solutions, March 15, 2025. Accessed May 28, 2025. http://www.greentechsolutions.com/reports/sustainability2024.pdf.

Key Considerations for Reports & Grey Literature:

  • Identifying Authorship: Carefully determine if an individual or an organization is the primary author. If individual authors are named, they should be credited.
  • Finding Publication Details: These can sometimes be difficult to locate. Look for information on a title page, cover, introduction, or "About Us" section of the issuing organization's website.
  • Stability of Sources: Grey literature can be less stable than formally published works. Including an access date is a good practice for online items in this category. Saving a personal copy (e.g., PDF) of the report is also advisable for your records.
  • Flexibility: The primary goal is to provide enough information for your reader to identify and potentially locate the source. Adapt the citation elements as needed based on the information available, while striving for consistency.