Systematic survey:
Systematic survey is designed to establish clear patterns of land use, based on intensive field-walking.  The results of a systematic survey should establish the presence and absence of human occupation and land use.  In the Sinop region it is not possible to pursue the latter objective in many highland and forested areas, simply because a negative result (i.e. no sites detected) cannot be trusted.  Fewer major sites are found during a given amount of time, since researchers are recording and moving more slowly than in opportunistic survey.  Nevertheless, the payoff is that the results of systematic survey can be trusted by other researchers to yield results that are comparable or at least translatable to other research. (return)

Opportunistic survey:
Opportunistic survey is designed to find as many sites as possible, using whatever means are available.  Opportunistic survey normally consists of interviewing as many local residents as possible about their knowledge of sites in the area, and exploring topographical and environmental features that are most likely to be occupied.  Examples of places that are inhabited more often than others are roads and springs.  Generally a lot of sites are found in an opportunistic survey, but there is no control over whether those are the only sites, or whether other kinds of sites are present.  Opportunistic survey is most useful when it is used to complement a solid program of systematic survey. (return)