Overton is an online database containing policy documents and reports from government bodies, international government organisations (IGOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), think tanks, and other policy-making entities. It covers a wide range of fields, including economics, education, environment, health, politics and international relations, and sociology/social policy. The database includes documents from around 190 countries and territories.

Overton can assist in your research by:

  • Find up-to-date policy documents from all around the world.
  • Helping you identify where research is being used to develop policy (e.g., as evidence of impact).
  • Understanding the policy landscape within a subject area to better plan how to influence policy with current and future research projects.
  • Identifying citations of your work to measure the impact of your research.
  • Gives the option of advanced search methods, making systematic searching of grey literature possible.

The survey conducted after the trial revealed that users from all UM faculties found Overton user-friendly, highlighting its ability to show directly where an article has been cited, alongside various filter options and aggregated information.

One of the respondents said:

“Policy documents are very relevant because they provide empirical evidence on where we are standing on a number of social phenomena. Having access to a comprehensive platform to search these documents will be very valuable for research and teaching.”

Access from January 2025

From January 2025, the Overton database will be available to the entire UM community. The database can be accessed through the UM Library database page.

Need assistance?

Do you have any questions about the library’s databases or services? Please reach out to us via Ask Your Librarian.