Before you file
Search the agency website, electronic reading room, National Archives catalog, and FOIA.gov. The record may already be public, and an existing release can reveal the office, file series, program name, or date range needed for a better request.
Request records, not answers
FOIA generally requires agencies to search for existing agency records. It does not require an agency to answer questions, conduct research, create a new explanation, or prove a theory. Describe the records you seek: memoranda, emails, reports, photographs, case files, contracts, calendars, briefing material, or database exports.
Scope the request
- Identify the agency component or office most likely to hold the records.
- Use the official program name and known aliases.
- Provide a practical start and end date.
- Name likely custodians only when there is a factual basis.
- Specify useful search terms and whether they must appear together.
- Request electronic delivery and native format when metadata matters.
- State a fee limit and explain any fee-waiver request.
Plain-language template
Under the Freedom of Information Act, I request electronic copies of [record types] created or received by [office/component] between [start date] and [end date] concerning [specific program, event, or subject]. Please search [identified systems or custodians, if known] using [practical search terms]. I prefer records in their native electronic format where available. If fees will exceed [$ amount], please contact me before processing. If any portion is withheld, please release all reasonably segregable material and identify the exemption applied.
After filing
Save the request text, confirmation, tracking number, scope negotiations, fee correspondence, and final determination. A request can often be improved by discussing the likely record system with the agency’s FOIA Public Liaison. If the response is delayed or disputed, review the agency’s current appeal instructions and deadlines.
Common failure modes
- Asking for “all UAP records” across an entire agency.
- Using speculative terminology the agency does not use.
- Combining unrelated offices, decades, and record types.
- Asking the agency to explain why an event happened.
- Assuming a “no records” response proves that no related record exists anywhere.
- Ignoring attachments, enclosures, indexes, or referenced case numbers.
Important limitation
This guide is general research information, not legal representation. Exemptions, fees, records schedules, privacy rules, state laws, and appeal procedures vary. Consult the current agency regulations and qualified counsel when legal rights or deadlines matter.