Book chapter coauthored by Knox discusses FOI requests

Emily Knox
Emily Knox, Associate Professor

Associate Professor and BS/IS Program Director Emily Knox has coauthored a chapter in the book Freedom of Information and Social Science Research Design, which is being published by Routledge this month. Edited by Kevin Walby and Alex Luscombe, the book demonstrates how Freedom of Information (FOI) law and processes can contribute to social science research design across sociology, criminology, political science, anthropology, journalism, and education.

The chapter Knox coauthored with Shannon M. Oltmann (University of Kentucky) and Chris Peterson (MIT), "Designing Research Using FOI Requests in the USA," describes the ways in which FOI can be used as a research tool, how to design FOI-based research projects, and how to conduct FOI requests in the U.S. at both the state and federal levels.

According to the researchers, "There are several key factors to consider in using FOI requests as a research method, but perhaps the most important is a longer time frame, allowing government agencies sufficient time to gather and send the requested information. Attention to the details in a FOI request can facilitate a more rapid response; thus, it is particularly important to submit detailed and accurate FOI requests."

Knox's research interests include information access, intellectual freedom and censorship, information ethics, information policy, and the intersection of print culture and reading practices. At the iSchool, she teaches a course on intellectual freedom and censorship and a course on information ethics. Knox's books include Book Banning in 21st Century America; Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan on a Shoestring; Trigger Warnings: History, Theory, Context; and Foundations of Information Ethics, which she co-edited with John T. F. Burgess.

Knox received her PhD from the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University and her MS from the iSchool at Illinois. She also holds a BA in religious studies from Smith College and an AM in the same field from The University of Chicago Divinity School.

Research Areas:
Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

iSchool researchers present at 4S 2023

iSchool faculty, staff, and students presented their research at the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) annual conference, which was held from November 8-11 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The society is an international, nonprofit association that fosters interdisciplinary scholarship in social studies of science, technology, and medicine. 

Smalheiser named ACMI Fellow

Affiliate Professor Neil Smalheiser, professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago, is one of twenty-three new Fellows inducted into the American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI). New Fellows are elected annually to the College by the 473-member body of Fellows.

Neil R Smalheiser

iSchool researchers to present at Charleston Conference

iSchool faculty, staff, and students will participate in the 2023 Charleston Conference, which will be held November 6-10 in Charleston, South Carolina. The conference is an annual gathering that draws librarians, publishers, vendors, and others to discuss issues relating to the acquisition of books and serials. 

iSchool well represented at ASIS&T 2023

Several faculty, staff, and students will participate in the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) Annual Meeting, which will be held from October 27-31 in London. The theme of this year's conference is "Making a Difference: Translating Information Research into Practice, Policy, and Action."

FABRIC project announces high-speed network infrastructure expansion

The NSF-funded FABRIC project has completed installation of a unique network infrastructure connection, called the TeraCore—a ring spanning the continental U.S.—which boasts data transmission speeds of 1.2 Terabits per second (Tbps), or one trillion bits per second. Anita Nikolich, director of research and technology innovation and research scientist in the iSchool at Illinois, serves as co-principal investigator on the project.