IT IS SUGGESTED THAT VARIATIONS IN RESEARCH SUCCESS ARE RELATED TO DIFFERENT DEGREES OF AWARENESS AND DIFFERENTIAL SKILL IN COPING WITH FIVE DIMENSIONS OF RESEARCH ACTIVITY (IN THIS ORDER): COOPERATION, RELIABILITY, VALIDITY, PRECISION, AND EFFICIENCY. MEANS FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THESE DIMENSIONS IN RESEARCH WORK ARE CONSIDERED. COOPERATION MUST BE SECURED FROM ALL PARTIES INVOLVED IN THE RESEARCH, INCLUDING SUBJECTS, INFORMANTS, AND PERSONS WHO HAVE LEGAL OR QUASI-LEGAL MEANS TO PREVENT INVESTIGATION. RELIABLE MEASURES AND MEANS FOR RECORDING DATA SHOULD BE USED, AND THE VALIDITY CAN BE ENHANCED IF RESEARCHERS ARE AWARE OF THE LIMITATIONS FOR ACCEPTING VERBAL RESPONSES AS INDICATORS OR REFLECTIONS OF INTERPERSONAL AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR. PRECISION CAN BE IMPROVED BY PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO RELIABILITY, BY REDUCING THE REFUSAL RATE AND INCREASING THE RESPONSE RATE OF RESPONDENTS, AND BY CAREFUL EDITING OF INTERVIEWS AND FIELD NOTES. FINALLY, THERE IS A NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THE EFFICIENCY OF RESEARCH DUE TO FINANCIAL AND HUMAN RESEARCH LIMITATIONS. SELECTION OF APPROPRIATE RESEARCH APPROACHES AND DESIGNS INCREASES EFFICIENCY. PRACTICAL WAYS OF DEVELOPING STUDIES CONSISTENT WITH THE DESIGN ELEMENTS AND DIRECTIONS IN WHICH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH ARE GOING ARE CONSIDERED. THE PLANNING, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION STAGES OF SOCIAL RESEARCH ARE EXAMINED. THE NEED FOR IMPROVED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TYPE OF INFORMATION AND APPROPRIATE METHOD IS STRESSED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DAG)