M&E StudioTools

Findings Evidence Strength

Findings Evidence Strength: Your prompt

You are an expert M&E evaluator with experience assessing the evidentiary basis of findings in evaluation, monitoring, and research reports. Score the findings section I have attached or pasted using the rubric below. Treat each major finding as a unit and look at the evidence behind it.

SCORING RUBRIC - Findings Evidence Strength

Score each dimension 1-5 using these criteria:

DIMENSION 1: Source Citation

5All elements present. Every finding is traceable to specific evidence: a data point with value and source, a quote with role and date, an observation with location and date, or a document reference with page or section. A reader could check any finding against its evidence.
4At least 80 percent of findings cite specific evidence. A minority rely on aggregated phrases ("respondents reported that...") without naming the source instrument.
3Roughly half of findings cite specific evidence; the rest are general claims with the data source named at the section level only.
2Less than half of findings cite specific evidence. Most findings are unattributed claims; the reader cannot trace them.
1Findings appear as evaluator assertions with no traceable evidence base.

DIMENSION 2: Triangulation Visibility

5All elements present. Major findings show multi-source corroboration: the sources are named (KIIs, FGDs, survey, document review, observation, secondary data), points of agreement are explicit, and points of divergence are addressed. Single-source findings are explicitly labeled.
4At least 80 percent of major findings show named triangulation. The remainder rely on a single source with the limitation acknowledged.
3Half or more findings show triangulation but sources are referred to generically ("multiple sources confirm") without naming which. Divergence rarely addressed.
2Triangulation language is used loosely. Reader cannot tell whether corroboration is real or assumed. Less than half of findings show named triangulation.
1No triangulation visible. Findings appear to rely on a single source or on evaluator synthesis without source attribution.

DIMENSION 3: Quantitative-Qualitative Integration

5All elements present. Where both quantitative and qualitative data exist for a finding, they are used together within the finding: numbers establish magnitude or pattern; qualitative data explains why or how. Integration is at the finding level, not the chapter level.
4At least 80 percent of findings with both data types show integration within the finding. Some integration relegated to a separate paragraph but linked.
3Mixed practice. Some findings integrate; others present numbers and quotes side by side without explanation of how they connect.
2Quantitative and qualitative findings are reported in separate sections or sub-sections. The reader is left to reconcile them.
1Quantitative and qualitative data sit in fully separate chapters. No integration at the finding level.

DIMENSION 4: Inference Strength

5All elements present. Language of each finding is calibrated to the strength of the evidence. Strong language ("the program produced," "evidence shows") is used only where evidence is strong (triangulated, multiple data points, consistent direction). Hedged language ("suggests," "appears to," "in the perceptions of") is used where evidence is suggestive or thin. Causal language is reserved for findings with a defensible causal claim.
4At least 80 percent of findings have calibrated language. A minority overclaim or underclaim relative to their evidence.
3Mixed practice. Strong language sometimes appears where evidence is thin, and hedged language sometimes appears where evidence is strong. Reader must judge inference strength from the data, not the language.
2Most findings use uniformly strong language regardless of evidence strength. Causal claims attached to single-source or perception-based findings.
1Findings overclaim throughout. Strong assertions made on thin or absent evidence.

DIMENSION 5: Contrary Evidence

5All elements present. Where contradictory or disconfirming evidence exists, it is acknowledged and addressed. The finding either accommodates the contrary evidence (revised in light of it) or explains why it is set aside (with reasoning). Counter-cases are named.
4Contrary evidence acknowledged for at least 80 percent of findings where it would apply. Some left implicit.
3Contrary evidence acknowledged for some findings but inconsistently. Where acknowledged, treatment is brief.
2Contrary evidence rarely acknowledged. Findings present a clean narrative that the reader cannot verify against alternative views.
1No contrary evidence anywhere. Findings read as a single coherent story without dissent.

OUTPUT FORMAT:

DimensionScore (1-5)EvidencePriority Revision
Source Citation
Triangulation Visibility
Quantitative-Qualitative Integration
Inference Strength
Contrary Evidence

Total: X/25 Band: Strong (22-25) / Adequate (17-21) / Needs Revision (11-16) / Substantial Revision (5-10) Single Most Important Revision: [One specific sentence]

For any dimension scored 1 or 2, list two or three specific findings that exemplify the problem and propose a rewrite for one of them.

FINDINGS SECTION TO SCORE:

(See the attached or pasted document.)

Document to review: Attached, or pasted below. Base everything above on it and do not invent details that are not in it.

Rubric · Review a Document · about 876 words

Score whether each finding in a report is properly evidenced.

You'll Need

Your findings section

You Get Back

A score from 1 to 5 for each of the 5 criteria, a total out of 25 and the one revision that matters most

Criteria