4. Unpublished works, working papers, manuscripts: what's the value of monitoring?

These documents are less formalized than reports, and are often not subject to institutional validation. Particular attention must therefore be paid to the quality and reliability of the content and source.

Their interest is complementary to other types of documents: they define research and reflection in gestation, real-time communication, working documents close to the field, research teams and structures...

They contain information on experts and organizations in a particular field, on projects in progress or in preparation, but also on emerging topics and weak signals.

Their impact and representativeness vary from one discipline to another. In some fields, such as economics or IT, they are part of normal, accepted communication.