FOLLOWING AN OVERVIEW DEALING WITH BASIC, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN EVALUATION RESEARCH, GENERAL ARTICLES ADDRESS SUCH ISSUES AS THE NATURE OF THE EVALUATION TASK, THE ROLE OF EVALUATION RESEARCH IN PROGRAMS OF DIRECTED CHANGE, THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT IN WHICH EVALUATION RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED, AND THE METHODOLOGICAL STRATEGIES APPROPRIATE FOR EVALUATION RESEARCH. SPECIFIC ARTICLES CONSIDER THE EVALUATION OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, PROGRAM EVALUATION MODELS AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS, ORGANIZATIONAL STRAINS IN THE RESEARCH-PRACTITIONER RELATIONSHIP, PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND THE FEDERAL EVALUATOR, THE NEED FOR RESEARCH ON THE COMMUNICATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS, THE EVALUATION OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS, EVALUATIVE STUDIES OF INSTITUTIONS FOR DELINQUENTS, RESEARCH IN LARGE-SCALE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS, AND PITFALLS IN THE EVALUATION OF SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAMS. THE CASE MATERIALS INCLUDE TREATMENT OF PROBLEMS IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EVALUATION RESEARCH ROLE AND REPORTS OF FINDINGS OF COMPLETED EVALUATION RESEARCH STUDIES, WITH ATTENTION TO THE EVALUATION OF BROAD-AIM PROGRAMS, THE EVOLUTION OF AN EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOL-AGED MOTHERS, EXPERIMENTAL METHODOLOGY AND INNOVATIVE SOCIAL PROGRAMMING, A SUMMARY OF THE KANSAS CITY (MO.) PREVENTIVE PATROL EXPERIMENT, THE IMPACT OF THE HEAD START PROGRAM, AND A NATIONAL EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICES AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN AMERICAN NEW TOWNS. REFERENCES ACCOMPANY MOST OF THE ARTICLES. GRAPHIC AND TABULAR DATA, AND SUBJECT AND NAME INDEXES ARE PROVIDED. SEE ALSO NCJ-42537, 50206, AND 50469-50482.