American Journal of Evaluation Week: Publishing Tips: How to Pass Peer Review in the International Advances in Evaluation Section of the American Journal of Evaluation by Alysson Akiko Oakley and Caitilin Blaser Mapitsa

Date: Monday, October 20, 2025

Hello! We are Alysson Akiko Oakley, Vice President of Learning, Evidence and Impact at Pact in Washington, DC, and Caitilin Blaser Mapitsa, Associate Professor at Wits School of Governance based in South Africa. In today’s post we provide some tips on how to submit to the journal.

Writing for the International Advances in Evaluation section of the American Journal of Evaluation is not about submitting your evaluation report. It’s about contributing to the field—sharing practices, methods, or lessons that others can use and build on. We identified some common mistakes in recent submissions, and provide our advice on how to prevent them:

Lessons Learned

Writing for the International Advances in Evaluation section of the American Journal of Evaluation is not about submitting your evaluation report. It’s about contributing to the field—sharing practices, methods, or lessons that others can use and build on. We identified some common mistakes in recent submissions, and provide our advice on how to prevent them:

1. Define your contribution. Ask yourself: What am I adding to the field? Are you describing a practice that worked (or didn’t), a method you adapted, a lesson learned, or a practical challenge you overcame? Framing your article around a specific contribution makes it stronger than simply retelling the main findings of an evaluation.
2. Start with an outline. Break your article into sections before you start writing. A clear structure makes it easier for reviewers and readers to follow your thinking.
3. Position yourself in the literature. Even if you’re not an academic, it’s important to show how your experience connects to what others have written. A background section with references helps situate your story in the wider conversation. You can reference academic literature (i.e. peer reviewed books, journals) and/or trade literature (i.e. reports, studies).
4. Make relevance explicit. Don’t assume your readers share your background or views. Explain why your context matters, and why your approach or lesson is useful for evaluators in other settings.
5. Use legitimate data and evidence. Articles should be grounded in credible evidence. Share your data sources, describe your methods, and explain any limitations. Even reflective pieces should show how insights are supported, not just asserted.
6. Follow journal guidelines. Every journal has its own style. Review the AJE author guidelines here. Paying attention to format, word count, and referencing style saves you time in the review process.
7. Conclude with impact. End with a discussion that highlights the main takeaway and offers ideas for the future. What should readers carry forward? What’s the bigger lesson for the field?

With these steps, you’ll move from “evaluation story” to “published contribution”! Our next three blogs share the lessons from three recent articles. Check them out!

The American Evaluation Association is hosting the American Journal of Evaluation (AJE). All posts this week are contributed by evaluators who work for AJE. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this AEA365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on theAEA365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an AEA365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to AEA365@eval.org . AEA365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.