Realistic evaluation as both a science and as a methodology

This paper examines an increasingly used methodology developed by Pawson and Tilley (1997) that they termed, ‘Realistic Evaluation’. The paper provides an overview of methodology as well as exploring its underpinning philosophy, that of critical realism. The paper suggests that Realistic Evaluation provides a useful means of exploring the health and social sciences through the use of mixed methods and concludes with how a researcher might go about constructing a Realist Evaluation study.