Publishing Evaluation Research

The late 1960s was a period of great optimism about progressive social policy and about the ability of social science to inform the policy process. In retrospect, it seems almost inevitable that the late 1960s was also the period during which evaluation research became a self-identified field. Evaluation research and the War on Poverty had common roots, and many academics were active in both efforts (for an historical account, see Rossi and Wright, 1984). It was natural for these academics to seek publication outlets for their work. However, evaluation research manuscripts were not greeted with great enthusiasm by the editors and reviewers of the conventional social science journals (Berk, 1981). Strike one was called because evaluation research was applied research. Strike two was called because evaluation research was interdisciplinary research. And strike three was called because evaluation research was methodologically opportunistic; the procedures applied were dictated by the empirical problem, with no sense of loyalty to any particular methodological school. An obvious response was to establish new journals that would be more sympathetic. Over the past twenty years, the number of evaluation research journals has grown and become more heterogeneous. Depending on how one chooses to draw the boundaries, at least a half dozen journals routinely publish evaluation research. Relatively few of the published papers, however, have been authored by sociologists. While some sociologists are major figures in the field, the most visible and numerous evaluators come from psychology, education, and economics. No doubt the underrepresentation of sociologists derives in part from the way mainstream sociology is currently practiced. But many sociologists, especially more junior ones, may not realize that there are several good journals in which to publish evaluation research. These journals also provide an excellent resource for scholars who want information on the design, implementation, and effectiveness of a wide variety of social programs. In this light, I will address in the next several pages what sorts of work these journals favor. I will try, in the process, briefly to clarify what is meant by evaluation research and how it is related to such neighboring fields as policy analysis, social impact assessment, and clinical sociology.