Constructing an evaluation report

This guide from USAID has been designed to provide guidance on how to construct evaluation reports.

It is also helpful for those who commission and review evaluation reports as a guide for what they should be looking for in a completed report.

The guide outlines five common problems that are seen in reports:

• "An unclear description of the program strategy and the specific results it is designed to achieve.
• Inadequate description of the evaluation’s purpose, intended uses, and the specific evaluation questions to be addressed.
• Imprecise analysis and reporting of quantitative and qualitative data collected during the evaluation.

Conclusions that are not grounded in the facts and recommendations that do not flow logically from conclusions.

This guidance offers tips that apply to an evaluation report for any type of evaluation — be it formative, summative (or impact), a rapid appraisal evaluation, or one using more rigorous options." (Beyna, 2010)

Contents

• Introduction
• A proposed report outline
• Before the writing begins
• Findings, conclusions, and recommendations
• Typical problems with findings
• Typical problems with conclusions
• Typical problems with recommendations
• Choose the best approach for structuring the report
• Other key sections of the report
• Reader-friendly style
• Table 1: Suggested outline for an evaluation report
• Table 2: The quick reference guide for a reader-friendly technical style