How results of an evaluation are reported depends on the purpose of the report: Is it to be used as a basis for repeating and implementing the intervention elsewhere? Is it to justify funding? Or is it to demonstrate that the intervention has worked (or has not worked)?

However, any comprehensive evaluation report must be clear, accurate, and easily accessible to the end user and should include the following:

·         An executive summary presenting the main findings of the evaluation

·         A clear description of the intervention being evaluated

·         Statement of purpose of the evaluation and what was being measured (e.g., awareness, behavior change)

·         A clear explanation of the methodology used, including data collection methods

·         Findings, usually linked to particular program objectives against which performance is assessed (attention should be paid here to association, causation, and possible confounders, discussed in Section 4: Data Analysis and Interpretation)

·         Conclusions, lessons learned, and recommendations

·         Annexes, including any background information on the program or evaluation that may be of interest (e.g., the terms of reference and lists of people interviewed and documents reviewed)

How results are to be disseminated will also help inform the presentation of the results:

·         It is important to decide on the number and type of outputs expected from the evaluation (e.g., report, summary brochures).

·         More than one format may be required, depending on the composition of the target audience and key stakeholders (e.g., a comprehensive report for program funders and a short brochure to raise awareness of the activities among program target beneficiaries or others).

Regardless of the dissemination strategy, the following are some simple and useful ways to present and report data.

Quantitative findings:

·         Numerical data (e.g., percentages and rankings) are best presented as tables.

·         Tables provide an easy overview of the results, and differences and similarities become quickly apparent.

·         Where “yes” and “no” answers were used to measure outcomes, these should be grouped and added up so that a total number can be presented.

·         Where respondents were asked to provide rankings, reporting is best done by calculating an average or mean value of the answers to each question. It is also useful to indicate how many people gave a particular answer.

·         Where change is monitored over time, percentages can be used to show increases and decreases.

·         If the sample size is large enough, additional statistical calculations can be done, for example, standard deviations from the mean or confidence intervals. These give an idea of how much variation there may have been among the answers and how much they may deviate from the average.

Qualitative findings:

·         Where responses were not given as numbers or values, other ways must be found to identify common themes and groupings.

·         For example, results of focus groups can be reported as quotes, and consolidated into groups of similar responses or categories.

·         It is important to identify patterns among the responses: Did respondents have similar views on different things? Did they have the same reactions and/or concerns?

·         Grouping multiple responses and identifying themes help with interpreting the findings and understanding similarities and differences.

NEXT  – Section 6: Evaluation Caveats and Pitfalls

PREVIOUS SECTION – Section 4: Data Analysis and Interpretation