Research can be a rather rewarding way for you to give back to your community, country or society. It allows you to employ your skills in the service of others and to help make the world a little better place in your own way. However, what happens when your offer of help is refused? What happens when you can't get access to information you need to conduct research due to red tape? This topic was not taught explicitly in any of the research methodology courses I have attended and an inexperienced researcher may find themselves at a loss when dealing with it. This post will attempt to provide some sort of comfort to them by dealing with this topic is some detail. It will cover the reasons organisations may give for doing this and strategies for coping with it as a researcher.
Reasons for Bureaucracy:
The reasons for blocking access to information can be varied and this list is by no means exhaustive. An organisation may have a completely legitimate reason for blocking access to its information. At the same time you may be stonewalled because your research may reveal some unscrupulous dealings on the part of members of the organisation that they'd rather no one know about. This list is in descending order of rationality.
1. They may be bound by legislation
Bear in mind that it may not necessarily be the organisation's fault they are blocking you. They could want to share the information with you, but may be bound to keep it confidential by external regulation. Military and intelligence organisations which are involved in national security are prime examples of where this might occur. There is little that can be done in this case by either party so it is best to just accept it and move on.
2. They may be obligated to protect their clients' privacy
Particularly applicable to microdata ("OECD Glossary Of Statistical Terms - Statistical Microdata Definition" 2016) (i.e. data on individuals like names, addresses etc. ) the organisation may not want to share the information requested with you because they are ethically obligated to protect their clients' privacy. For example, a department store may not want to share sensitive information about its customers like items the purchased or spending habits with researchers because this can be considered a breach of confidence.
3. The information requested may be proprietary
Trade secrets are closely guarded by organisations, particularly if they are perceived to give them a competitive edge in the market. Organisations such as Coca Cola ("Coca-Cola Formula" 2016) and KFC ("KFC Original Recipe" 2016) guard the secret recipes to their products rather astutely, some companies may not be willing divulge aspects of their manufacturing process and the list goes on. While they are within their legal rights to do so, the ethics of this decision occupies a bit of a grey area. This doesn't apply so much to fried chicken or soft-drinks, but what if the information requested is the formula for a life-saving drug required to save millions? Unfortunately, you as a researcher do not have to power to fight this, so you will just have to live with it.
4. The information requested may show evidence of improper conduct
Corruption is a societal constant anywhere on this planet. It can be as simple as giving a friend a job they are not qualified for or as complex as altering survey results to fit a political agenda. Despicable acts like these are an unfortunate mainstay of human nature. Should you request information that may reveal corruption or improper conduct on the part of a person or organisation, your request will probably be denied. Generally, people who have been involved in such activity do not wish to be caught and as such, will not be willing to release the information to you if this could potentially lead to them being caught.
Dealing with Bureaucracy:
So what can you do? Your research has been blocked by some gaudy bureaucrat with a god complex. How do you proceed from here? Well while you may be limited in terms of power, there are several strategies which you can employ to get around issues such as these. Each of them however have some drawbacks and it is up to your personal judgement which to select.
1. Change your research methodology
This may be your only option, changing your research methodology to omit the data you cannot obtain. While this could be disappointing in that you will not be able to get all your intended research done, you will at least have something at the end of the day, which can help you if you have to publish something such as a thesis or research project. However, this course of action tends to increase in difficulty the further along in the research process you are. Additionally, if your research topic is highly specialised (eg. A study centred on a particular organisation or community) this may not be an option.
2. Invoke freedom of information requests
Some countries (such as the US ("The Freedom Of Information Act: U.S. Department Of State" 2016) and my very own T&T ("GORTT-Freedom Of Information Unit" 2016)) have a legal mandate of freedom of information and one can possibly use this route to gain access to the required information. Be warned however that given the legislative particularities this may not be applicable to the organisation. Some organisations are immune to freedom of information requests and the process can be so drawn out and tedious that it becomes impractical.
3. Obtain the required information through alternative methods
You can try to use alternative legal and ethical (this does not include bribing a clerk to give you the information or kidnapping someone's spouse to extort information out of them or similar acts which may get you thrown in jail) methods of obtaining information. For example, can't get access to a compound or area to do geotagging? Try using a publicly available GIS software like Google Earth or Openstreetmap to give you a layout of the area instead. It may not be as precise, but it will be better than nothing. You should also be okay legally as the information is in the public domain and hypothetically accessible to anyone. Unfortunately, there may not be alternative channels available to you and you would have to do without.
Conclusion:
Speaking from personal experience, not being able to access the information needed for your research can be a disappointment. However, you need to bare in mind that there may be good reasons for this information being withheld from you and as a researcher you have to respect an individual's or entity's right to do so, despite your personal views on the matter. In an ideal world, information would be freely accessible to all, but we do not live in an ideal world. We live in one complicated by red-tape and bureaucracy which as a researcher you will need to learn to navigate.
Thanks for Reading,
Barindra
References
"Coca-Cola Formula". 2016. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula.
"KFC Original Recipe". 2016. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFC_Original_Recipe.
"GORTT-Freedom Of Information Unit". 2016. Foia.Gov.Tt. http://www.foia.gov.tt/.
"OECD Glossary Of Statistical Terms - Statistical Microdata Definition". 2016. Stats.Oecd.Org. https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1656.
"The Freedom Of Information Act: U.S. Department Of State". 2016. Foia.State.Gov. https://foia.state.gov/Learn/FOIA.aspx.
4. The information requested may show evidence of improper conduct
Corruption is a societal constant anywhere on this planet. It can be as simple as giving a friend a job they are not qualified for or as complex as altering survey results to fit a political agenda. Despicable acts like these are an unfortunate mainstay of human nature. Should you request information that may reveal corruption or improper conduct on the part of a person or organisation, your request will probably be denied. Generally, people who have been involved in such activity do not wish to be caught and as such, will not be willing to release the information to you if this could potentially lead to them being caught.
Dealing with Bureaucracy:
So what can you do? Your research has been blocked by some gaudy bureaucrat with a god complex. How do you proceed from here? Well while you may be limited in terms of power, there are several strategies which you can employ to get around issues such as these. Each of them however have some drawbacks and it is up to your personal judgement which to select.
1. Change your research methodology
This may be your only option, changing your research methodology to omit the data you cannot obtain. While this could be disappointing in that you will not be able to get all your intended research done, you will at least have something at the end of the day, which can help you if you have to publish something such as a thesis or research project. However, this course of action tends to increase in difficulty the further along in the research process you are. Additionally, if your research topic is highly specialised (eg. A study centred on a particular organisation or community) this may not be an option.
2. Invoke freedom of information requests
Some countries (such as the US ("The Freedom Of Information Act: U.S. Department Of State" 2016) and my very own T&T ("GORTT-Freedom Of Information Unit" 2016)) have a legal mandate of freedom of information and one can possibly use this route to gain access to the required information. Be warned however that given the legislative particularities this may not be applicable to the organisation. Some organisations are immune to freedom of information requests and the process can be so drawn out and tedious that it becomes impractical.
3. Obtain the required information through alternative methods
You can try to use alternative legal and ethical (this does not include bribing a clerk to give you the information or kidnapping someone's spouse to extort information out of them or similar acts which may get you thrown in jail) methods of obtaining information. For example, can't get access to a compound or area to do geotagging? Try using a publicly available GIS software like Google Earth or Openstreetmap to give you a layout of the area instead. It may not be as precise, but it will be better than nothing. You should also be okay legally as the information is in the public domain and hypothetically accessible to anyone. Unfortunately, there may not be alternative channels available to you and you would have to do without.
Conclusion:
Speaking from personal experience, not being able to access the information needed for your research can be a disappointment. However, you need to bare in mind that there may be good reasons for this information being withheld from you and as a researcher you have to respect an individual's or entity's right to do so, despite your personal views on the matter. In an ideal world, information would be freely accessible to all, but we do not live in an ideal world. We live in one complicated by red-tape and bureaucracy which as a researcher you will need to learn to navigate.
Thanks for Reading,
Barindra
References
"Coca-Cola Formula". 2016. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula.
"KFC Original Recipe". 2016. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFC_Original_Recipe.
"GORTT-Freedom Of Information Unit". 2016. Foia.Gov.Tt. http://www.foia.gov.tt/.
"OECD Glossary Of Statistical Terms - Statistical Microdata Definition". 2016. Stats.Oecd.Org. https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1656.
"The Freedom Of Information Act: U.S. Department Of State". 2016. Foia.State.Gov. https://foia.state.gov/Learn/FOIA.aspx.
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