Government documents are an important primary source of information on a wide range of issues. They can be found through a search of the library catalog and government websites.
The official web portal for the U.S. government.
What is a Dissertation - The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization.
What is a Theses - A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation, and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.
"That which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers." (Fourth International Conference on Grey Literature, Washington, DC, October, 1999)
Grey literature includes:
Catalog of conference proceedings for purchase. Provides a list of proceeding titles for citation verification.
The Advanced Computing Systems Association listing of free online access of conference proceedings since 2008.
High Energy Physics Conference Database. Provides links and some full text to conference proceedings on high energy physics topics.
Provides open access to conference proceedings mainly in the field of information science.
Institute of Physics open access conference proceedings in the physics, materials science and engineering, and earth and environmental science fields.
Open Access of conference proceedings in biology.
What are Research Reports - A research report is a reliable source to recount details about a conducted research. It is most often considered to be a true testimony of all the work done to garner specificities of research.