Grey market science: research libraries, grey literature, and the legitimization of scientific discourse in the Internet age

摘要

The growth in the Internet has spawned a trade of grey market science. This has undermined the traditional system for legitimization of scientific writing. This trend has significant implications for the research library community and other users. The paper explores how the control system has become endangered and offers examples of how grey literature in the sciences has become more mainstream. The implications of having access to this grey literature are many. The chief concerns and challenges remain in the socioeconomics of how to distribute the information, to archive it, to provide reliable assistance in using it, and to maintain authentication.