Discover 8.3 Million pages of grey literature central to policy research.
Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks is a one-stop online discovery service for objective, quality and current research publications from a number of the world’s leading think tanks, policy experts, NGOs and more. With over 27,500+ organisations contributing to Coheren’t Digitital’s Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks, offered by Sabinet, it is one of largest grey literature repositories around.
Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks makes content, policy researchers can’t find in the scholarly records, findable.
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Explore the World’s Largest Collection of Policy and Government Knowledge
Policy decisions shape societies, economies, healthcare systems, education, environmental strategies and public services. Yet finding, accessing and analysing policy literature across organisations, governments and regions can be challenging.
Policy Commons provides access to a vast collection of policy and government publications from around the world, helping researchers, librarians, policymakers and institutions discover trusted evidence, monitor emerging issues and better understand the policy landscape.
Whether you’re conducting research, supporting evidence-based decision-making or exploring the real-world impact of academic work, Policy Commons connects you to valuable policy literature that is often difficult to find through traditional academic databases.
Why Policy Literature Matters
Important research and evidence are often published outside traditional journals.
Governments, policy institutes, international agencies and advocacy organisations publish reports, frameworks, recommendations and studies that influence decision-making and public policy worldwide. This information is often highly valuable but can be difficult to locate and access.
Policy Commons helps you discover these resources in one place, providing visibility into the evidence that shapes policy and practice.
Key Features Of Policy Commons
Access Global Policy Literature
Search and discover policy documents from trusted organisations around the world, including governments, think tanks and international bodies.
Expand Research Discovery
Identify valuable sources that may not be indexed in traditional scholarly databases, helping researchers uncover broader perspectives and evidence.
Support Evidence-Based Decision-Making
Access policy-focused content to inform planning, governance, public programmes, and strategic initiatives.
Discover Policy Connections
Explore how policy issues, organisations and research themes intersect across countries, sectors and disciplines.
Access Preserved Content
Policy documents are preserved and maintained, ensuring ongoing access to valuable information that may otherwise become difficult to find over time.
Content Collections
- Global Think Tanks
- World Governments
- World Cities and Local Governments
- Public Health and Social Care
- North American State, Provincial and Territorial Governments
- Policy Commons Open Collection
Coverage of major and minor organisations:
With a magnifying glass that spans international organisations, Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks highlights and comprehensively indexes content from authoritative sources, with full-text coverage for 7,500 organisations, including smaller organisations deprecated by search engines.
An eye on Africa:
With over 930 organisations, over 36 think tanks, and more than 110,050 reports, Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks has a sizeable and steadily growing content base of Africa-centric materials.
Making elusive entities visible:
Specialised coverage of over 5,300 hard-to-find NGOs, NPOs and research centres.
Preserving what’s important:
Every record housed in the Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks database has its own persistent identifier, enabling you to cite materials with confidence. In addition, a preservation bank of 2.7 million saved copies preserves these materials for the future.
Resource centre:
Download brochures, videos and articles relating to Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks
Who is it for?
Librarians
Provide researchers and students with access to a unique collection of policy and government literature that complements traditional academic resources.
Government and Public Sector Organisations
Access evidence, comparative policy information and research that supports effective governance and informed decision-making.
Researchers
Discover policy evidence, identify emerging trends and better understand how research influences decision-making and public discourse.
Think Tanks and Research Institutes
Monitor policy developments, assess trends and access relevant materials from organisations around the world.
Research Offices
Support research impact initiatives by identifying policy engagement and opportunities for broader societal influence.
Policy Commons and Research Impact
Policy Commons forms an important part of the broader Coherent ecosystem.
As a rich source of policy and grey literature, Policy Commons helps users uncover evidence of how research is being referenced and applied in policy environments. When used alongside Coherent Impact, institutions can gain deeper insights into how research contributes to policy development, public programmes and societal outcomes.
Why Choose Policy Commons?
Gain insights into emerging issues and policy trends
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks provides limited open resources following free registration. But, with a Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks Membership, you’ll gain access to unique search and content integration tools offering:
- Discover unique content – Exclusive access to hundreds of books and other licensed content, including materials previously only available in print, from leading publishers.
- Access to just under 600,000 preserved documents from just under 650 organisations that have disappeared.
- The inclusion of member think tank and research institute content to showcase their output on a premier grey literature platform.
(Source: https://policycommons.net/modules/global-think-tanks/)
Feature-filled, current and diverse, Policy Commons: Global Think Tanks adds research value through tools that:
Search and interrogate content
Advanced search tools surface content in a manner that allows for analysing trends and identifying new research and policy partners.
Find and cite tables
Thumbnails of tables and graphs can be viewed within reports, with the option to browse, cite or download them directly.
Create and share reading lists
Your selected audience has access through a personalised, high-functioning landing page to customised lists of topics, reports, organisations or searches.
Fully deploy policy research in your organisation
All materials have a permanent ID and organisation-level MARC records. Content is indexed by major search engines and linked with library discovery services.
Personalise alerts
With customisable alerts, users can stay up to date with what really matters to them, receiving emails highlighting new materials as they are added to the database.
Collect community contributions
Gain access to a growing collection of community uploads enriched with metadata. Members can also submit their own policy materials within minutes.
Discover the Evidence Behind Policy Decisions
Policy Commons helps you access, discover and explore the information that shapes decision-making across the globe.
Whether you are supporting research, informing policy development or expanding access to grey literature, Policy Commons provides the trusted content and tools you need.
What is Policy Commons?
Policy Commons is a comprehensive collection of policy and grey literature from governments, think tanks, international organisations, research institutes and non-governmental organisations worldwide. It brings together policy-focused information into a single searchable platform, making discovery and access simpler and more effective.
The platform enables users to search across a diverse range of policy-related content, helping them uncover valuable evidence, monitor trends and gain insights into the policymaking process.