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The definition of research data is as encompassing as the field of grey literature. What should be included and what should be excluded is and remains an issue of concern. Research data can be defined as factual materials collected by diverse communities of practice required to validate findings. While the majority of research data is created in digital format, research data in other formats cannot be excluded. The formats in which research data appear are multiple and the types of research data are diverse. This also holds for the numerous document types in which grey literature appear published.

Today, while emphasis is placed on big data, the fact that the majority of research projects are small to medium size is overlooked. This is but another characteristic that holds true for grey literature. Nonetheless, one should be aware that research publications are not research data, for they are often managed separately from one another. Just as there are a number of stakeholders involved in the production, access, and preservation of grey publications, so too are there stakeholders tasked with the creation and management of research data. Libraries and data management librarians have the responsibility for the curation of the data they collect and preserve. And, it is important to stress the need to maintain appropriate metadata related to research data in order to facilitate their interpretation and further reuse.

Over the past quarter century, grey literature communities have worked diligently to demonstrate how their documents are produced, published, reviewed, indexed, accessed, and further used, applied, and preserved.  Today, these communities are now challenged to demonstrate how research data fuels and sustains their grey literature. These communities of dedicated researchers and authors maintain a strong conviction in the uses and applications of grey literature for science and society. Through the years, they have proved willing to share the results of scholarly work well beyond their own institutions. Hence, one can assume they are aware that innovation forfeits with the loss of data as with the loss of information. This 20^th International Conference in the GL-Series seeks to address key issues and topics related to grey literature and its underlying research data.