The National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) in the United State is calling on authors to submit proposals for its first paper competition in freedom of information research for presentation at its summit, scheduled to take place on April 12 and 13, 2019 in Dallas, Texas.
The NFOIC is looking for research works in freedom of information (FOI) that will make a difference.
Three best papers will receive cash prizes while the best paper will be guaranteed publication in the new online Journal of Civic Information, to be launched in spring of 2019 by the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information.
Interested authors are requested to submit a one-page paper proposal, which should include a one-paragraph abstract/summary, a paragraph outlining the proposed methodology, and a paragraph explaining the relevance of the potential findings for government agencies, FOI advocates, and access practitioners (e.g., journalists, citizens, record custodians). The proposal will be reviewed by a panel of FOI researchers.
Proposals may incorporate any research methodological approach (legal, survey, experimental, content analysis, etc.), and should provide insights of practical value for those who work day-to-day in access to government information.
Topics to be covered may include issues of access to public records and meetings, court transparency, access to public employees and elected officials, open data and technology, and other related matters.
Those whose proposals are accepted are expected to submit a finished paper by March 18, 2019 and present their findings in-person at the summit, scheduled to hold on April 12 and 13, 2019, to freedom of information practitioners from throughout the United States.
Overall best paper will receive $500, second best will get $300 while the third place gets $200, provided by NFOIC. Graduate students are especially encouraged to enter the competition. Completed papers may be submitted in any recognized citation style and will not be subjected to length restrictions.
All entry proposals should be submitted by email by no later than 11:59 p.m. EST of January 21, 2019. Proposals should be emailed as a Word or pdf document to paper competition chair, Dr. David Cuillier, University of Arizona School of Journalism, cuillier@email.arizona.edu.
The NFOIC is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 to assist state coalitions of open government. It is based at the University of Florida.
The aim of the competition is to link research with those who could apply that knowledge for the betterment of government and democracy while the convening is meant to provide a venue for scholars to interact with practitioners and to gain new insights and ideas for future research that can make a difference.
