Information for staff > Freedom of information > Freedom of information guidance

Freedom of Information Guidance

The following guidance documents on freedom of information are available to download. They are grouped under four headings:

• Introductory guidance and awareness raising
• Request handling procedures
• Guidance on specific aspects of freedom of information
• Further advice

In this section:

• Freedom of information - 5 key points
• Who is my practitioner? - restricted to University of Edinburgh members only
• What is freedom of information?
• Awareness raising resources
• The publication scheme
• Freedom of information at the University of Edinburgh
• External information

Introductory guidance and awareness raising

• Information management matters leaflet for new staff
• Frequently asked questions

Request handling procedures

• Receiving and replying to requests for information - for all staff
• Division of responsibilities between NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh
• Receiving and replying to requests for information - for practitioners 
  Please also see the webpage below (restricted to freedom of information practitioners only).
• Requests handled centrally
• Costings guidance (for practitioners)
• Freedom of information exemptions
• Environmental information regulations exemptions
• Model letters
• Request monitoring database - restricted to freedom of information practitioners only
• Request monitoring database: a manual for information practitioners
• Frequently asked questions about request handling
• Review procedures

Guidance on specific aspects of freedom of information

• Academics
  • Information for academics on freedom of information, data protection and records management

• Assessment and quality
  • Quality and assessment freedom of information implications: guidance produced by the Scottish Higher Education Information Practitioners Group (SHEIP)

• Animal research
  • Freedom of information and animal testing: guidance produced by Universities Scotland

• Commercial confidentiality
  • Freedom of information and commercial confidentiality: guidance produced by SHEIP

• Commercial enterprise
  • Commercial enterprise: implications of freedom of information and data protection
  • Freedom of information and commercial enterprises: guidance produced by SHEIP

• Committee servicing
  • Committee servicing and freedom of information

• Consortia
  • Freedom of information and consortia: guidance produced by SHEIP

• Contracts
  • Contracts and freedom of information: guidance produced by JISC legal

• Creating records
  • The implications of data protection and freedom of information for creating records

• Directors of studies and student support officers
  • Information Governance: What Directors of Studies and Student Support Officers Need to Know

• Disability briefing
  • Disability briefing notes on freedom of information: guidance produced by the Scottish Disability Team

• Disposal of records
  • Disposal of records

• Dissertations
  • Dissertations and freedom of information

• Distance education and virtual learning environments
  • Distance education and virtual learning environments: the implications of freedom of information and data protection

• Email management
  • Email management

• Environmental information regulations
  • Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004: introductory briefing

• Exemptions
  • Exemptions under freedom of information: guidance produced by SHEIP

• External members of University bodies
  • External members of University of Edinburgh bodies: implications of freedom of information and data protection

• Home working
  • Working from home: freedom of information and data protection implications

• Honorary position holders
  • Guidance for those holding honorary positions at the University on freedom of information and data protection

• Intellectual property rights
  • Intellectual property rights, data protection and freedom of information
  • Intellectual property rights and freedom of information: guidance produced by JISC legal

• IT systems
  • IT systems checklist

• Procurement and freedom of information
  • Procurement related information & freedom of information: guidance produced by Scottish public sector

• Professional contributions by staff
  • Policy on records management and professional contributions by staff

• Public interest test
  • Public interest test and freedom of information: guidance produced by JISC legal

• Quality and assessment
  • Quality and assessment - freedom of information implications: guidance produced by SHEIP

• Teaching materials
  • Teaching materials and freedom of information: guidance produced by SHEIP

• Web 2.0
  • Guidelines on using external services

The guidance sheets are available as Word documents and Adobe PDF.  If you do not already have an Adobe Acrobat reader you can download one free from the Adobe web site.

• Adobe web site

Further advice

Further help and advice on freedom of information is available by contacting the Records Management Section.  The Records Management Section can provide tailored briefing sessions on specific freedom of information issues.

• Records Management Section contacts
• Briefings and training

Page last updated: Thursday October 13 2011