How to Write an Evaluation Report

An evaluation is an assessment of certain topics or subjects typically conducted for a specific purpose. An evaluation report, in the simplest sense, is a document which reports the results, findings, interpretations, conclusions, or recommendations derived through an evaluation. An evaluation report primarily gives a executive summary of the points covered by the evaluation. It also presents an overview of the evaluation process.

Importance of an Evaluation Report

An evaluation report is an essential way of presenting an evaluation to a certain audience. It is intended to promote awareness on how the evaluation reached its outcomes and conclusions.

An evaluation report is thus an effective way to disseminate findings of an evaluation to the people concerned. It is essential to report the conclusions derived from a specific evaluation to ensure its transparency,  and to be able to properly use such conclusions in the future.

This is also for the people to properly understand the purpose of the evaluation plan, and of course, know the outcomes and the possible effects to the subject or subjects of the evaluation. An evaluation report is also presented to determine if the time and resources allocated for such evaluation were used accordingly.

Key Components of an Evaluation Report

Evaluation formal reports contain an essential parts and processes of an evaluation. It is thus important for one to know what constitutes a good evaluation report. The following are the key components commonly discussed in an evaluation report.

• Title or header. This includes a clear and concise title, the authors’ names, date of preparation, etc.
• Executive summary. This should contain a brief summary of the subject of the report.
• Table of contents. This includes an overview of the contents of the report and their respective pages.
• Introductory remarks. Mainly a short report introduction on the purpose, and target of the evaluation.
• Scope. This discusses the evaluation focus. 
• Resources and methods. Materials, equipment, and methods involved in the evaluation.
• Summary. Typically includes findings, conclusions, and interpretations derived in the evaluation.
• Recommendations. This provides an idea on information dissemination and intended use of the evaluation’s findings and conclusions.
• References. This contains the references used by the authors upon report writing the evaluation.

Tips in Writing an Evaluation Report

An evaluation report gives the audience a general idea about the whole evaluation. For it to effectively convey information, it needs to be constructed properly. Consider the following tips in writing an evaluation report.

• Think of a purpose. This creates the foundation of the evaluation business report. One needs to determine the purpose of creating an evaluation report to determine its focus.
• Gather the most important details of the evaluation to be included in the report.
• Know the audience of your report. This includes the people who will view the report, its users, and in most cases, the evaluation’s subjects. Anticipate the questions and concerns they might ask regarding the technical report.
• Divide the report into different sections. This will promote better distribution of ideas and contents of the evaluation itself.
• Write in a clear manner. This will allow your audience to comprehend the ideas you present better.
• Proofread your report. Proofreading is the best way to get rid of the possible errors your report might contain.