Using freedom of information requests to facilitate research

Ashley Savage · Richard Hyde

147 citations0/0 files storedInternational Journal of Social Research Methodology

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Data Analysis and Archiving Administrative Law and Governance Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods

Abstract

The Freedom of Information Act (FOI) is a powerful tool for social researchers. However, these researchers have yet to harness the full potential of FOIA. Drawing on a number of studies using FOIA as a method of obtaining data, this article identifies the potential uses of FOIA and the limitations in its use, offering important advice on research design for studies which use FOIA both in the UK and abroad. The section ‘The role of freedom of information in research’ outlines the provisions of the UK FOIA and the section ‘How to make a request for information’ outlines the costs and benefits of utilising FOIA as a data collection tool. In sections ‘The risks and rewards of FOIA’ and ‘Combining FOIA and other methodologies,’ the article considers the place of FOIA within mixed methodology and cross jurisdictional studies, demonstrating the central role that FOIA can play in research.

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2007Analyzing Qualitative Data 2003Social Research Methods 1990The Vulnerable System: An Analysis of the Tenerife Air Disaster 2018Analyzing Qualitative Data 2005Technology Trends in Survey Data Collection 2012Sport in Care: Using Freedom of Information Requests to Elicit Data about Looked After Children's Involvement in Physical Activity

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