This brief offers practical guidance on how to design and manage impact evaluations that are credible, useful, and ethically sound. It walks through how to choose the right evaluation approach—whether experimental, quasi-experimental, or mixed methods—based on the stage of the intervention, the data available, and real-world considerations. It highlights how mixed methods can deepen understanding by showing not just whether an intervention worked, but also how it worked, for whom, and in what context. The brief also underscores the importance of ethical practice, offering clear steps to protect participants and ensure responsible decision-making. It concludes with key principles for managing evaluations effectively, from early planning and stakeholder engagement to ensuring data quality and communicating findings clearly.

This brief is part of a series of five brief guides produced by the Queen Rania Foundation, based on materials developed by Prof. Howard White (presenting  the Research and Evaluation Center (REC)) for the training course titled “Impact Evaluation: Methods, Advocacy, and Scalability”. The training was funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), the BHP Foundation, and the Queen Rania Foundation.