What are your favorite FOIA tips and tricks?

Asked by Michael Morisy on March 27, 2013.

4 answers from Michael Morisy, Jay Gairson, Shawn Musgrave and Ryan Carboni.

Michael Morisy 03/27/2013

Every frequent FOIA filer has a host of tips, tricks, and other strategies up their sleeve. What’s are your favorite tips?

Shawn Musgrave 07/11/2013

I scan report indexes, document databases and Tables of Contents for source material regularly.

Jay Gairson 10/02/2013

Google what you are looking for first. More often than not I find what or a portion of it that has already been released either directly or indirectly (e.g., privacy impact assessment reports). From there I narrow down the scope of my request to only include documents that I know are not otherwise readily available.

Additionally, it never hurts to talk to others who handle similar requests to yourself, to see if they have already requested the documents that you are searching for and received a response. A lot of people are happy to share.

Michael Morisy 02/07/2014

Via an email:

If you are ever chasing down records for a DoD element, always hit DFAS as well for records. Follow the money.

DFAS in the past has always been a helpful agency, they will provide requesters with spreadsheets showing payments, amounts, dates, etc.

Ryan Carboni 02/07/2014

Yes, accounting is the underrated nerve center of administration.