Reports & Grey Literature

Reports and grey literature constitute a substantial body of research and information that often exists outside traditional, commercially published books and journals. This category includes materials like technical reports, research papers from government agencies or academic institutions, conference proceedings, working papers, dissertations, and theses. These sources frequently contain cutting-edge research, specialized data, and valuable insights that might not be readily accessible through conventional channels.

Properly citing grey literature in MLA style is essential for giving credit to the work of authors or organizations and enabling readers to locate these sometimes harder-to-find materials. The key principle in citing grey literature is to provide as much relevant information as possible, adapting the standard MLA format to the specific type of document.

This section offers detailed guidelines for citing various forms of reports and grey literature, focusing on the core elements for clear and accurate citations. We'll explore how to modify the basic MLA format to include details pertinent to these document types, such as report numbers, sponsoring agencies, conference names, and institutional affiliations. By adhering to these guidelines, researchers can ensure their citations of reports and grey literature are both accurate and helpful for readers.

Basic Format (Adaptable):

Author or Issuing Body. Title of Report (if applicable). Report Number (if applicable). Sponsoring Agency or Institution, Date of Publication. URL (if online). Accessed Date (if online).

Detailed Explanation of Elements

Author or Issuing BodyThis can be an individual author, a government agency, a research institution, a corporation, or a conference organizing body. If an individual author is identified, use the format Last Name, First Name. For organizations or agencies, use the full name.
Title of Report (if applicable)If the report has a formal title, italicize it and capitalize all major words. If the document lacks a formal title, provide a brief description (e.g., 'Working Paper', 'Conference Presentation'). Do not italicize or use quotation marks for this description.
Report Number (if applicable)Many technical and government reports are assigned specific report numbers. Include this number if available. Format: Report No. XXX (or similar as it appears on the document).
Sponsoring Agency or InstitutionIdentify the organization or institution that funded or published the report. This is particularly important for government and research reports.
Date of PublicationProvide the year of publication, and include the month and day if available.
URL (if online)If the report was accessed online, provide a stable URL. Omit 'https://' unless necessary.
Accessed Date (if online)Include the date you accessed the online report, preceded by 'Accessed'.

Detailed Examples

  • Government Report (Print):
    National Institute of Mental Health. National Advisory Mental Health Council Workgroup Report on Genomics and Proteomics in Neuroscience and Mental Health. National Institutes of Health, 2006.
  • Government Report (Online):
    Environmental Protection Agency. Climate Change Indicators in the United States. 4th ed., 2021, www.epa.gov/climate-indicators. Accessed 15 May 2024.
  • Technical Report:
    Smith, John, and Alice Brown. Advanced Materials for Energy Storage: Technical Report TR-2023-001. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Materials Science Laboratory, Jan. 2023.
  • Conference Paper (Published in Proceedings):
    Li, Wei, et al. "Novel Algorithms for Natural Language Processing." Proceedings of the 2024 Conference on Artificial Intelligence, vol. 2, 2024, pp. 150-165.
  • Conference Paper (Accessed Online, Not Formally Published):
    Jones, Sarah. "The Role of Gamification in Education." Presentation at the Annual Conference on Educational Technology, 10-12 May 2024, Chicago, IL. conferencewebsite.org/presentations/jones.pdf. Accessed 20 May 2024.
  • Working Paper:
    European Central Bank. The Macroeconomic Effects of Structural Reforms. Working Paper No. 1563, July 2013.
  • Dissertation/Thesis (Accessed Online):
    Patel, Priya. The Impact of Colonialism on Indigenous Languages in South Asia. 2022. University of Toronto, PhD dissertation. tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/XXXXX. Accessed 25 May 2024.

In-Text Citations for Reports & Grey Literature

  • Use the author's last name if an individual author is listed (e.g., Smith and Brown).
  • Use the name of the issuing body if no individual author is given. You may need to shorten long organizational names (e.g., National Institute of Mental Health) or (EPA).
  • For conference papers, use the presenter's last name (e.g., Li et al.) or (Jones).
  • For dissertations, use the author's last name (e.g., Patel).
  • Remember to provide as much specific information as possible, adapting the basic MLA format to the unique characteristics of the report or grey literature you are citing.