Despite the strong case that can be made for metaevaluation, not all evaluations will
require or merit a metaevaluation. Small-scale, locally focused, and improvement-oriented
evaluations may not require any special metaevaluation. Making such determinations is a
matter for careful judgment by the evaluator and client; they should take into account the
local setting and especially the audience for the evaluation. The many evaluations that do
merit a special metaevaluation will vary considerably concerning the type and level of needed
effort. In general, evaluators should bring a strong metaevaluation orientation to their work,
whatever the type and level of evaluation to be conducted. Small, improvement-oriented
evaluations often should employ a modicum of formative metaevaluation. Large-scale,
summative evaluations usually should secure at least a formal, summative metaevaluation
and often a formative metaevaluation as well. In deciding whether or not to commission or
conduct a metaevaluation, evaluators and their clients should keep in mind that a metaevaluation’s
cost is typically small compared with the cost of the target evaluation and that the
value of the metaevaluation’s benefits can far outweigh the metaevaluation’s costs.