Contribute a blog to BetterEvaluation

We welcome guest posts that provide new perspectives or new information about particular issues in evaluation. We’re particularly interested in posts that reflect on using specific evaluation options in different situations and contexts, or explore the issue of which options to use and when to use them.

Download our blog guidelines

These lay out what we're looking for in general terms. But please remember: these are just guidelines. If you're new to blogging or have an idea that you'd like some feedback on, please get in touch.

 

Examples of blogs on BetterEvaluation

Below we've compiled some of the most read blogs on our site. These differ in style, but all are engaging to read and tap into topics and issues that are of high interest to the BetterEvaluation audience. We'd recommend having a look through these while thinking about how to pitch your own guest blog.

A 'think piece' blog:

Anecdote as Epithet - Rumination #1 from Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods by Michael Quinn Patton

A long piece, but interesting, this post picks up on and unpacks in detail a frequent refrain when in discussions about qualitative data: “The plural of anecdote is not evidence” and using this as a frame to discuss the question of what types of qualitative data are valuable.

An advice blog:

How can we assess the value of working in partnerships? by Tiina Pasanen

In this blog post, Tiina Pasanen shares her reflections from the 2016 'M&E on the Cutting Edge' Conference: Partnering for Success, and asks, how do we learn what type of partnerships work well, under what conditions and in what contexts? Apart from being a nice example of sharing lessons from an event, the content addresses an often difficult challenge for many M&E practitioners, and offers practical and easy-to-read advice.

A resource sharing blog:

Three templates for communications planning by Alice Macfarlan

This blog came about from a recognised need for more information on the BetterEvaluation site about how to a particular task in monitoring and evaluation. It presents three resources for communication planning and comparatively unpacks each in detail.

A discussion blog:

Learning about learning in an adaptive programme by Fred Carden and Arnaldo Pellini

In this blog, Arnaldo Pellini and Fred Carden discuss what they learned about adaptive management in a major project on developing capacity for evidence-based policy. It's a long piece about a complex topic, but the format enables the authors to get into the details in a way that draws the reader in.

A reflection blog:

How can you get stakeholders to articulate how they think a program or project works? by Rosemary Cairns

In this blog, which started as a response to a question we posed our newsletter readers, Rosemary Cairns reflects on how she has used a an evaluation option (in this case, using maps and stories to help stakeholders articulate their mental models) in two different experiences from her practice. It's a great example of thoughtful reflection on methods and processes  in practice.

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