Checklist for straightforward evaluation reports

This checklist by Kelly N. Robertson and Lori Wingate provides suggestions for the content and organization of long-form evaluation reports that are concise, easy to understand, and easy to navigate.

The checklist is not a rigid set of requirements but rather a compilation of suggestions based on evaluation literature, the authors’ experience, and input from experts. It will be useful for those who are new to writing evaluation reports but also as a refresher to those who are more experienced in the genre.

The information provided was supplied by Alice Macfarlan (BetterEvaluation).

Authors and their affiliation

Kelly N. Robertson & Lori A. Wingate

Key features of this evaluation report checklist

This resource contains a summary of a key features found in most evaluation reports, presented as both a quick checklist as well as more detailed sections with more information and guidance on completing each section. It also contains a useful list of tips for presenting content effectively, and a resource list with a number of useful resources for report writing and formatting, and evaluation planning.

How have you used or intend on using this resource?

I recently recommended this to a colleague who is new to the field of evaluation and comes from an academic background. This resource was useful to demonstrate what the key elements of the final reporting would be so that he can bring this knowledge into his planning.

After coming across this, I will probably return to this myself when I next have to work on a report, both as a checklist to make sure that nothing we need to include has been forgotten, and for the tips on style and suggested length of particular sections, which will hopefully act as a prompt to ensure my reports are more accessible and reader-friendly.

Why would you recommend it to other people?

I think this list is going to be a really useful starting point for a lot of people new (or new-ish) to evaluation. The content itself is quick and easy to read but also feels thorough, and it has a number of tips to help your evaluation findings get read and used. The resource list is also a reason to recommend it - I was actually trying to find two different resources to share with a colleague, Stephanie Evergreen's Evaluation Report Layout Checklist and Wingate and Schroeter's Evaluation Questions Checklist, both of which are linked at the bottom of this document, along with a number of other useful resources.

Sources

Robertson, K. N. and Wingate, L. A. (2016) Checklist for Straightforward Evaluation Reports. Version 1.1, December 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.evalu-ate.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/14/Reporting-Checklist-v1.1.pdf