Consequently, the evaluation itself is judged by its impact on the actions and thinking of the various stakeholders. Past experience has suggested that evaluation research is underutilized. The question of an evaluation's relevance is essentially whether or not the evaluation provides information that directly addresses the questions and interests of the stakeholders. The degree of two-way communication, particularly during the planning and design phases, between researchers and the end users is key to useful evaluations. Information processing by users.
Individual stakeholders respond to information in a variety of ways.
An additional challenge to information processing is simply the burgeoning amount of information that competes for stakeholders' attention. Plausibility of research results. The degree to which the evaluation findings challenge or support stakeholders' preconceptions and hypotheses about the program will determine how actively the findings are used. User involvement or advocacy. Correlated to the issue of relevance is how actively the end users of the evaluation engage in following up on the findings.