Researchers working in the field of accessibility of public information are encouraged to submit paper proposals for presentation at the upcoming National Freedom of Information Coalition summit, taking place April 12-13, 2019 in Dallas, Texas.

The top three papers will earn cash prizes and the best paper will be guaranteed publication in the new online Journal of Civic Information, a peer-reviewed journal launching in spring 2019 by the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information.

Authors are invited to submit a one-page paper proposal, which will be reviewed by a panel of FOI researchers. Proposals 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).

Proposals may encompass 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 may include issues regarding access to public records and meetings, court transparency, access to public employees and elected officials, open data and technology, and other related matters.

Papers are welcomed from both scholars and practitioners, and we encourage submissions from a wide range of disciplines that involve managing information for public use.

Proposals should focus on civic information at the state/local levels, but topics regarding U.S. FOIA and international access also will be considered if they have broader relevancy or application (e.g., the spreading of the “Glomar response” from federal agencies to state/local agencies, or the effects of technology or policies on agency transparency in a federal agency or other country that can be applied to any government agency). Because the primary purpose of the Journal is to furnish actionable information to professionals, an article’s usefulness to a lay audience will weigh in the publication decision; we encourage authors to consider audience accessibility in decisions of presentation style and depth of treatment.

All proposals must be submitted via email by no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, January 21, 2019. Email your one-page proposal as a Word or pdf to paper competition chair Dr. David Cuillier, University of Arizona School of Journalism, cuillier@email.arizona.edu.

Those whose proposals are accepted must submit a finished paper by March 18, 2019 and present their findings in-person at the summit, scheduled for April 12-13, 2019, to freedom of information practitioners from throughout the United States. First place will receive $500, second place $300 and third place $200, provided by NFOIC. The Journal will be peer reviewed by an editorial board of scholars from across the “information” disciplines, including journalism, media law, political science, library sciences and computer science. Completed papers may be submitted in any recognized citation style and will not be subject to length restrictions.

Posted: January 3, 2019
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: call for papers, Journal of Civic Information, law journals, NFOIC, submission deadlines