both the scope of the project (including its timeline, plan of work,
and budget) and the preparedness of the applicant (including lan-
guage skills, past experience, and advisers). Half the panelists men-
tion factoring in feasibility when making an evaluation, and it is of
roughly equal concern for historians, humanists, and social scien-
tists. As a political scientist explains, evaluators typically ask, “[Is it]
the right proposal being done by the right person? Oftentimes you
see really great proposals and you think it should be being done
by somebody else.” Another panelist observes, “We’re wasting our
money and they’re wasting our time if they can’t do what they think
they’re doing.” She assesses feasibility based on whether “they have
a concept that can be examined, given the human limitations of
the student, the people that they’re looking at, or the evidence that
they’re looking at.” Summarizing the importance of the plan of work,
a political scientist says, “People can’t know all the answers, but at
least [they should] have a sense of where they’re going to go when
they get in the car. They should have [a] road map. Obviously they
can make mistakes, but they should at least be in the right country.”
The track-record aspect of feasibility is important because all aca-
demics recognize how difficult it is to remain productive, given the
many demands that accrue with seniority (many panelists them-
selves describe being less productive than they would like to be).
Nevertheless, as noted earlier, factoring in an applicant’s track record
can cause problems because panel members may disagree about its
proper weight. Some see past level of activity as correlated with ex-
cellence, and indeed, some empirical research supports this claim;
others feel it can be misleading.^23
Informal, “Evanescent” Criteria of Evaluation
In addition to applying the formal criteria prescribed by the fund-
ing agency, panelists use other, unofficially acknowledged criteria as
part of the evaluation process. They are not necessarily always aware
Recognizing Various Kinds of Excellence / 187