The Penn Libraries Provides Access to Overton

The Penn Libraries now provides access to the web-based tool Overton.io. Overton is the world’s largest searchable database of policy documents, guidelines, think tank publications, and working papers. These materials come in various formats, including websites, PDFs, and an API.  The database collects data from 188 countries and over a thousand sources worldwide. There are over 12 million documents indexed in Overton, and hundreds of new documents are added to the database each day, indexed in a searchable and organized format. It analyzes these documents to identify key terms and topics, and links them to related news stories, academic publications, and other policies. It looks for the names of any researchers on expert panels, who are quoted in policy documents, give evidence to committee hearings, and more. Importantly, it can also find the links between policy documents – often, research is picked up by intermediaries like think tanks and agencies, giving you unparalleled insight into the dynamics of policymaking.  

You can use Overton to:

• Discover policy documents from around the world and manage them in one place.
• Understand the routes from research into policy using data.
• Monitor the quality of government policymaking and the influence of think tanks and NGOs.
• See which organizations are producing policy documents on a given subject. 

Want to learn more? Check out this detailed analysis of what Overton can offer you.

To get started and optimize your Overton experience, watch this short video introducing Overton and explore their Knowledge Base's Getting Started section to help orient yourself.