Evaluation of a Research Project: Techniques and Recommendations

Abstract

        Research project evaluation is the process of reviewing and judging the quality of a research project based on its best characteristics. The important objectives in a research project evaluation are to find strengths and points for improvement, to assist a researcher in reviewing and improving the project, and to judge its quality. Research project evaluation is helpful to a researcher because he/she is able to perform a self-review to improve the quality of the project. Also, it is crucial to the administrators or research funders as it helps them decide whether to approve or provide logical support for the project. The criteria for evaluating a research project include correctness, completeness, appropriateness, clarity, utility, the possibility of conducting research, and the potential of a researcher. The techniques used in evaluating the research project consist of 1) reading and analyzing the research project to be assessed; 2) studying the evaluation criteria; 3) conducting an evaluation by initially assessing the project’s overall characteristics, followed by a detailed assessment; and 4) evaluating and revising the project by the researcher himself/herself or having experts inside or outside the organization evaluate the project; 5) using a scoring rubric assessment form as a tool; 6) reading and recording data; 7) comparing the data with the evaluation criteria; 8) judging the evaluation results based on the criteria; 9) providing clear suggestions for improvement, and 10) carefully reviewing the evaluation results.