Acquainting students with the complexities inherent in evaluation research, this timely and accessible guide explores how we apply research methods in evaluating social programs, and illustrates its points with reference to a variety of fields, including education, social services, and criminal justice. Written in an intelligent and graceful prose, it offers practical advice on understanding the reasons for the study, identifying key questions to be answered, and planning and implementing the overall design of the study, including measurement, qualitative methods of inquiry, data collection, analysis, reporting, and dissemination.