Credible and Actionable Evidence

"Donaldson, Christie and Mark′s thorough book on credible and actionable evidence provides a comprehensive overview of how thinking about this topic has evolved to its present state in the program evaluation community. There can never be a last word on the topic, but this is as good a current snapshot as one might find. I recommend it." -- William R. Shadish, University of California, Merced

"The book is very well constructed in terms of building blocks to develop what the editors are addressing. The division into sections is a good example of strong organizational approach to a topic. The quality of the individual chapters isexemplary…[G]ood writing and solid expertise in compiling various aspects of the debate around research evaluation." 

-- Audrey J. Penner, Holland College and University of Prince Edward Island

"A huge strength of the text is the discussion of research decisions within a social/cultural/political context. This is a critical conversation for students to have about applied research."

-- Matthew J. Zagumny, Tennessee Technological University
"High quality papers on an important issue written by some of the top scholars in the field. A must read for those interested in the topic." -- Ernie House
Rigor generating credible evidence that influences decisions and action: that′s the heady vision of an experimenting society. This book, bringing together evaluation′s best thinkers and most astute practitioners, realistically explains why it′s hard to achieve while inspirationally portraying how we can -- and sometimes do --get there.  A book for anyone interested in evaluations that make a difference.    -- Michael Quinn Patton
"′What is credible and actionable evidence?′, and ′How can we provide it?′ are challenging, but fundamental, issues in evaluation.  Experts across disciplines and perspectives have different views on the meaning and content of these concepts, and they often propose different strategies and methods for addressing these concerns.  Credible and Actionable Evidence makes an essential contribution to this discussion by providing a platform for experts to productively discuss these questions, in order to understand the nature of evidence and exploit possible solutions.  It is a great resource for anyone who is interested in enhancing the quality of evidence in their evaluation or applied research." -- Huey T. Chen