Grey literature refers to all types of publications that are not published commercially in books or journals. Grey literature is generally not subject to peer review, but it can often be a good source of up-to-date information. Alternatively, it can provide a valuable historical link to how things were done in the past.

Examples of grey literature include:

• conference proceeding
• government reports
• clinical guidelines
• statistical information
• theses
• academic publications
• fact sheets and bulletins
• informal communication
• websites
• standards
• policy statements
• practical guidelines

For more information about these types of resources, take a look at our library guide on Grey Literature. For health specific resources, check out the Health section of the Grey Literature Library Guide for more great information.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) is an independent statutory agency. They produce authoritative and accessible information and statistics to inform and support better policy and service delivery decisions, leading to better health and wellbeing for all Australians. The AIHW releases around 180 publications a year, including:

• Statistics Canada Census Profile Downloads - search or browse for communities, postal code or geographic areas. Chosen area can then be compared with e.g. a province or select the Geographic Hierarchies icon  to change your comparison area to Canada as a whole.
• Statistics Canada Health Releases
• Canadian Institute for Health Information - data and reports regarding health care in Canada
• Government of Canada's Open Government Portal - social determinants search
• Indigenous Services Canada - Indigenous Health
• Canadian Public Health Association - includes link to the Canadian Journal of Public Health (some articles are open access, subscription also available via Charles Sturt Library)
• Canadian Mental Health Association - social determinants of health + access to Canadian facts 2020
• National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) - resources & publications
• Public Health Ontario

Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) is a product developed by the ABS that ranks areas in Australia according to relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage. The indexes are based on information from the five-yearly Census.

Socio-Economic Indexes for Area (SEIFA), Australia – latest release, includes links to the:

• Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD)
• Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD)
• Index of Education and Occupation (IEO)
• Index of Economic Resources (IER)
• Interactive maps, etc

For information on Using and interpreting SEIFA. Further information about SEIFA can be found in this technical paper.

The Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU) offers free online access to a comprehensive range of current data at national, jurisdictional, regional and small area levels for Australia.

Socioeconomic and geographical variations in health are highlighted in interactive maps, graphs and topic specific atlases, and supported by data tables and metadata. Where available, data are analysed by age, sex and Indigenous status.

PHIDU's emphasis is on the publication of small area statistics for monitoring inequality in health and wellbeing, and for supporting opportunities to improve population health outcomes.

For information on how to use this site please see: PHIDU Help Guides & FAQs

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Select Data by region and use the interactive map provided or browse by Local Government Areas from the left hand menu.
• .Idcommunity - suburb-based community profiles for councils across Australia and New Zealand.
• BOSCAR - NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics & Research, Crime Mapping Tool shows crime reports in NSW Local Government Areas, suburbs or postcodes.
• DOTE2021 (Dropping off the Edge 2021) - Persistent and multilayered disadvantage in Australia. 
• Australia's Health Tracker by socioeconomic status 2021 - This report card looks at the health of adult Australians by socioeconomic status. 
• APO - Open access evidence platform making public policy research and resources accessible and reusable.
• Australia's Health Tracker by Area - Interactive website that provides Australian data on chronic diseases, conditions and their risk factors.
• Australian Health Policy Collaboration AHPC - a library of nationally focused consensus-building process that provide simple guidance on preventable chronic conditions.
• Local Government websites - look for a community profile