An experiment published in Government Information Quarterly found that public record requesters who remind record custodians of the public records law are more likely to get the records they seek, particularly when asking for large amounts of data.

The researchers emailed record requests to 800 randomly selected cities in Slovakia, asking for records pertaining to local referendums and city staff. Half the letters requested a minimal amount of information and the other half a lot. Of those two groups, half were reminded of the FOI law and the others not.

Overall, 380 (47.5%) actually provided the information. The researchers found that when large volumes of public records were requested, clerks were less likely to respond, unless the requester specifically reminded them of the law. A mention of the law more than doubled the response rate of large requests, from 23% to 48%.

When asking for a small amount of data, a reminder of the law only slightly improved response (from 53% to 66%), but still helped. When making requests, make sure to mention the law! 

Posted: May 8, 2025
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Brechner FOI Project, Brechner Freedom of Information Project, FOI, open records laws, Student Journalists, Supreme Court