Federal Government Information Research Tools: FOIA Requests

Government bodies produce a voluminous amount of documents and records. While much is available online through sources such as GPO.gov and individual agency websites, many other records and communications are not. To gain access to additional federal government information, researchers submit requests under the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Lawyers, journalists, and other researchers frequently rely on FOIA requests to obtain these documents. Under FOIA, the public has the right to request any information that has not already been made publicly available. Agencies are required to disclose the information in response, as long as it does not fall under one of the nine exemptions. These exemptions include matters of national security, law enforcement, and personal privacy. To learn more about FOIA and how to make a request, check out FOIA.gov. For a summary of the process and a few interesting stats, check out this infographic.