Evaluative language allows self-assessment report authors to communicate ideas, judgments, and points of view in a clear and succinct manner. Evaluative language aids in the transformation of information into essential judgments. It also provides a framework for discussing findings and their relevance to the problem or issue being studied. Writing an effective evaluative statement requires careful consideration of what is being evaluated, why it is important to evaluate it, and how it will be used. The three main purposes of an evaluative statement are to explain findings, describe implications, and make a recommendation. These statements should be concise but comprehensive enough to provide sufficient information for others to understand the significance of the findings. Findings must be presented in a clear, straightforward manner to allow readers to follow the logic and evidence of the argument. Use simple language that can be understood by a broad audience. Avoid technical terms when possible; instead, use common words that have easy-to-understand definitions. Make sure that any abbreviations you use are explained in a footnote or in a list at the beginning of the document. It is important to explain findings because others may know more about the topic than you do. Unless you give credit to other researchers for work that is similar to your own, people will not know where these findings fit into the big picture of knowledge on the subject.