Making a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request is complicated and takes time.  Use the resources of the following agencies and organizations to make your request as strong as possible.  Use the resources on the Declassified Documents page of this guide to verify that the documents you need have not already been released.

• National Security Archive, GWU
  "How To" and expert advice on making FOIA requests
• FOIA.gov
  US Dept of Justice guide to making requests; provides tools for tracking your request - try out the new search tool (launched 10/24/2023)
• FOIA Machine
  Provides online tools and community to assist you with requests
• MuckRock
  "...a collaborative news site that brings together journalists, researchers, activists, and regular citizens to request, analyze, and share government documents..."  Includes a Q&A forum about the FOIA process where you can tap into expert advice.
• Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press, Federal Open Government Guide
  Summary of the law, exemptions, and how to apply for materials.
• Freedom of Information Act Resources, Law Librarians' Society of Washington DC
  Extensive resource list for materials pertinent to FOIA, including legislative history, Dept of Justice decisions and guides, other federal agency materials and non-governmental resources.
• Get Grandpa's FBI Files
  Site assists with composing the letters to request FBI file for those who have died.
• Get My FBI File
  Site assists with composing the letters to request FBI file for yourself.  Letters to the CIA, NSA, DIA, DSS, USMS, USSS, or CID can also be generated.  See the FAQ for decoding of acronyms.

Federal agencies are required to provide an electronic reading room for materials released in response to FOIA requests.  For those agencies not linked below, try this search in google:

"electronic reading room" site:agencyurl   |  for example:  "electronic reading room" site:fbi.gov

If you need to contact an Illinois state agency about FOIA and they are not listed at the link above, try a google search structured as follows (substitute the name of the agency of interest where "public health" is used in this example):

The Congressional Research Service provides the following reports explaining the scope and limitations of FOIA and related legislation which clarify the extent of transparency in governance.

• Stuessy, Meghan M. (2022, March 31). Access to Government Information: An Overview. (R47058). Congressional Research Service.

  • Reviews the provisions of four legislative acts which provide access to government information, the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act of 1974, the Government in the Sunshine Act, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

• Sheffner, Daniel J. (2020, August 24). The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): A Legal Overview (R46238).  Congressional Research Service.

• U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). (2021, January). Freedom of Information Act: Update on Federal Agencies’ Use of Exemption Statutes, GAO-21-148.