Accessing government information is complicated. In many cases, the information you are after is hidden for a reason.
Submitting a good FOI is a skill that requires practice, a great deal of planning and finesse.
To help you out, the Student Publication Association has published this handy guide to submitting your first FOI and how to best use the information you receive.
According to the author Edd Church, the most important step is to "know what you are looking for."
"Do some research into the names of the types of documents/data sets you are trying to find. If you are looking for change over time, try and obtain data for a few years."
Is it important for you to make your content more searchable? Join the 'Essential SEO skills for media professionals' training course with Adam Tinworth and update your knowledge of the latest algorithm changes.
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