Below are the winning research papers accepted to the fourth annual National Freedom of Information Coalition FOI research competition. They will be presented online Oct. 19, 2022, at 3 p.m. (ET) during the NFOIC virtual summit.
In all, seven one-page proposals were entered and selected through double-blind peer review for final consideration. Four complete papers were submitted for final review, rated by a team of five expert judges on importance, relevance to practitioners, and strength of methodology. Three of the papers earned cash prizes for excellence. Top papers are guaranteed publication in the University of Florida’s Journal of Civic Information, which welcomes submissions from all researchers.
The papers were extremely close in ratings this year. They are…
- Home Address Exemptions in State FOI Laws, by Jodie Gil, Robert A. Smith Jr., and Kauther S. Badr, Southern Connecticut State University (First place, $500)
- Is it Just Dumb Luck? The Challenge of Getting Access to Public Records Related to Smart City Technology, by Amy Kristin Sanders, Daxton “Chip” Stewart, and Steven Morvant, University of Texas at Austin (Second place, $300)
- Owning the Police: Crime, Copyright and Public Information, by A.Jay Wagner, Marquette University (Third place, $200)
- COVID-19 in NC Jails: Building a Database, by Felicia Arriaga, Dana Rice, Stefania Arteaga, Max Rose, Anna Bianche, Jessie Rios, and Kalley Huang, Appalachian State University