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Tips
Tips
- Be specific–the more you know and describe the information you are requesting, the more likely you are to get the information you’re requesting.
- Be prepared to refile your request. If your request is denied, you can resubmit or file an appeal to your request.
- The average time to receive information is approximately 142 days. Plan accordingly and submit your request well in advance of when the information is needed.
- Even if you request a fee waiver, you may not receive one. Sometimes there are fees for photocopying or other services. The CIA posts their fee schedule on the FOIA page, though their information is generally free for academic pursuits.
- For more tips, please visit the Syracuse FOIA Guide.
- Here's an article from the Columbia Journalism Review on "What Makes a Good FOIA request?" by Nicholas Dias, Rashida Kamal and Laurent Bastien (January 30, 2017).
- To find research that used FOIA, you can search a database, such as PubMed or Web of Science: (freedom of information act" or FOIA) AND data and (analys* or analyz*) in the Title/Abstract fields.
