ABSTRACT
Field research must be thoroughly prepared so that the time in the field is spent profitably. Getting money often has very little to do with the quality of research, although few established social scientists would ever admit it. Until those who give show greater concern for the quality of the product of research, and until those who do research are uniformly more serious and honest in their undertakings, the necessity of playing the game known as "grantsmanship" will be difficult, if not impossible, to avoid. Government agencies tend to pay for research in one of two ways: through contracts (which is the most popular way) or through outright grants. Research proposals are essential for fund raising, but they also have a more general use. The importance of the research refers to its significance, both for a general public and for the particular discipline.
