There is no widely accepted definition of “policy documents.” In Overton, we define them broadly. They are documents written primarily for policymakers or by policymakers and published by a policy-focused source.
We look beyond policy and legislation. We also track the evidence and thinking that influence them.
What is a policy focused source?
Overton collects policy documents from governments and official bodies, as well as from IGOs, certain NGOs, and think tanks. We focus on organizations that aim to influence government policy through research or publications such as technical reports, policy briefs, and speeches. Overton can usually determine whether an organization is policy-focused by examining how often government sources in Overton cite it.
We aim to strike a balance. We want to gather as many documents as possible that support qualitative analysis of policy decisions, while still defining clearly what the Overton index does and does not include—an important requirement for some forms of quantitative analysis.