In the present chapter, we want to address the issues that come up when preparing for different types of fieldwork. As this preparation is highly dependent on the setting of your work, some sections in this chapter will be more relevant to your particular situation than others.

The theme of this book is that fieldwork can be carried out in many different ways, ranging from prototypical fieldwork to less classical methods. Fieldwork settings can differ considerably, between going far away to staying close to home; conducting fieldwork on your own, with your family or in a group of researchers; working for long or short periods of time, and so on.

Yet, a considerable part of the chapter is concerned with preparing fieldwork in a remote place, because this type of fieldwork generally requires an additional layer of preparation. The first sections are concerned with preparation for any type of fieldwork, and it is important to consider whether you want to go far away, stay close to home, document a language or work on a specific structure. Altogether, careful preparation is the backbone of any type of fieldwork: it will help you to have strategies in place to deal with unexpected situations; make sure you cover the various aspects you are setting out to study; and will help you to avoid wasting your own, as well as the speakers’, time.