Abstract
Sociologists rarely attempt to obtain public records through freedom of information requests (FOIR), despite the numerous ways such requests can contribute to social research. FOIR refers to the process of procuring data from the government through public records laws and requests. The limited sociological literature on FOIR largely portrays it as a critical-activist tool that requires an uncertain and time-consuming process. But these conceptions vastly limit the scope and usefulness of FOIR as a data collection method. This article provides a recent review of sociological literature that highlights four primary uses of FOIR: (1) to carry out archival research on government action, (2) as a supplementary data source in case studies, (3) to evaluate and complement existing data sources, and (4) to examine the organizational characteristics of public agencies. However, few of these studies provide details of the FOIR process. Therefore, I describe a successful application of FOIR to familiarize researchers with the process of brokering for access to data. These examples provide concrete illustrations of how FOIR can contribute to sociological research and may encourage academics to consider FOIR a valuable data collection method.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 110-117 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Social Currents |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Social Sciences(all)
Cite this
Strengthening sociological research through public records requests. / Greenberg, Pierce.
In: Social Currents, Vol. 3, No. 2, 01.01.2016, p. 110-117.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Strengthening sociological research through public records requests
AU - Greenberg, Pierce
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - Sociologists rarely attempt to obtain public records through freedom of information requests (FOIR), despite the numerous ways such requests can contribute to social research. FOIR refers to the process of procuring data from the government through public records laws and requests. The limited sociological literature on FOIR largely portrays it as a critical-activist tool that requires an uncertain and time-consuming process. But these conceptions vastly limit the scope and usefulness of FOIR as a data collection method. This article provides a recent review of sociological literature that highlights four primary uses of FOIR: (1) to carry out archival research on government action, (2) as a supplementary data source in case studies, (3) to evaluate and complement existing data sources, and (4) to examine the organizational characteristics of public agencies. However, few of these studies provide details of the FOIR process. Therefore, I describe a successful application of FOIR to familiarize researchers with the process of brokering for access to data. These examples provide concrete illustrations of how FOIR can contribute to sociological research and may encourage academics to consider FOIR a valuable data collection method.
AB - Sociologists rarely attempt to obtain public records through freedom of information requests (FOIR), despite the numerous ways such requests can contribute to social research. FOIR refers to the process of procuring data from the government through public records laws and requests. The limited sociological literature on FOIR largely portrays it as a critical-activist tool that requires an uncertain and time-consuming process. But these conceptions vastly limit the scope and usefulness of FOIR as a data collection method. This article provides a recent review of sociological literature that highlights four primary uses of FOIR: (1) to carry out archival research on government action, (2) as a supplementary data source in case studies, (3) to evaluate and complement existing data sources, and (4) to examine the organizational characteristics of public agencies. However, few of these studies provide details of the FOIR process. Therefore, I describe a successful application of FOIR to familiarize researchers with the process of brokering for access to data. These examples provide concrete illustrations of how FOIR can contribute to sociological research and may encourage academics to consider FOIR a valuable data collection method.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85028054013&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85028054013&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/2329496515620646
DO - 10.1177/2329496515620646
M3 - Review article
VL - 3
SP - 110
EP - 117
JO - Social Currents
JF - Social Currents
SN - 2329-4965
IS - 2
ER -