Document review design and recording worksheet

Design the framework in Step 1 before collecting in Step 2. Changing it later requires re-review.

When to use this worksheet and what completion involves Fictional completed example

EvalCompass Worksheet

Document review design and recording worksheet

Method: Document Review

Design the framework in Step 1 before collecting in Step 2. Changing it later requires re-review.

Step 1: review design

Map questions to documents

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

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Evaluation questions	Information needed	Expected document types and titles	Information location: staff, departments, etc.
Why did the plan change?	Original content, change dates and reasons	Plan v1, meeting notes and delivery report	Training staff and document manager

Reason for this entry: Select sources from questions.

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Evaluation questions	Information needed	Expected document types and titles	Information location: staff, departments, etc.

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Map questions to documents

Select sources from questions.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Step 2: document register

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

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No.	Document title	Author or publisher	Creation date	Type: plan / report / minutes, etc.	Acquisition date and storage
D01	Training-change meeting notes	Training staff (fictional)	May 1, 2026 (fictional)	Minutes	July 1, 2026 / restricted folder (fictional)

Reason for this entry: Make versions and acquisition sources traceable.

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No.	Document title	Author or publisher	Creation date	Type: plan / report / minutes, etc.	Acquisition date and storage

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Make versions and acquisition sources traceable.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Step 3: review sheet for each document

Create 1 sheet per document

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Target document and register number: D01 Training-change meeting notes
Purpose and background: Record venue-change decisions
Main points by evaluation question: Reduced face-to-face sessions and substituted online
Significant statements or numbers, with quotation pages: p.1, agenda item 2 describes venue difficulty (fictional document)
Credibility and bias assessment: Staff record; does not include participant assessment
Consistency with other records or interviews: Counts match delivery report; participant experiences unconfirmed

Reason for this entry: Quotation location is a fictional document example, not an actual source quotation.

Target document and register number

Purpose and background

Main points by evaluation question

Significant statements or numbers, with quotation pages

Credibility and bias assessment

Consistency with other records or interviews

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Create 1 sheet per document

Quotation location is a fictional document example, not an actual source quotation.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Follow each field’s heading to record the program name, focus, period, and other details. Leave undecided matters clearly marked as unresolved.

Read the full fictional example

Step 4: quality checks

Check after review

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

☐ Not checked: Collected favorable and critical documents
☑ Checked: Considered each author's purpose and position
☐ Not checked: Triangulated documents with other sources such as interviews
☑ Checked: Recorded titles and pages for important information
☑ Checked: Stated unrecorded matters in findings too

Reason for this entry: Selection and recording are designed; searching for critical sources and interview triangulation remain.

Collected favorable and critical documents
Considered each author's purpose and position
Triangulated documents with other sources such as interviews
Recorded titles and pages for important information
Stated unrecorded matters in findings too

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Check after review

Selection and recording are designed; searching for critical sources and interview triangulation remain.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Read each item and check those you have confirmed. Do not use the fictional example’s checkbox states as findings about your own program.

Read the full fictional example

Before writing, check when to use the worksheet and what completion involves

Document review design and recording worksheet is a worksheet for applying Document Review in meetings or individual work. For the overall duration of the method, use “Illustrative planning durations, not common standards: collection 1–2 weeks, analysis 1–3 weeks depending on volume and complexity” as a reference, adjusting for scale and resources. Fill in what you know provisionally and leave unresolved matters as questions to check next.

When this worksheet is useful

Reconstruct implementation and decision-making over time
Establish quantitative delivery data such as participants, sessions and expenditure
Organize background before interviews or questionnaires

Participants and preparation

Selection/review staff and subject specialists as needed. Divide roles according to volume and confidentiality and compare difficult sources.

Bring the materials used for decisions, existing data, and differing stakeholder views to help complete the worksheet.

Suggested order

1. Step 1: review designMap questions to documents
2. Step 2: document registerRegister each collected document
3. Step 3: review sheet for each documentCreate 1 sheet per document
4. Step 4: quality checksCheck after review

Signs the worksheet is ready for review

Document register
Review sheets: extraction by document
Integrated document review summary

Cautions for review

Do not collect only successes and miss complaints or internal reflections. Include diverse types in the plan.
Do not cite document statements automatically as facts. Critically read authors' purposes and positions.
Avoid being overwhelmed by reading without a framework. Set the framework before collection and analysis.

Read a completed fictional example (your entries will not change)

Fictional example; not actual results

A fictional illustration comparing plans, delivery reports and meeting notes.

Step 1: review design

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Evaluation questions	Information needed	Expected document types and titles	Information location: staff, departments, etc.
Why did the plan change?	Original content, change dates and reasons	Plan v1, meeting notes and delivery report	Training staff and document manager

Reason for this entry: Select sources from questions.

Step 2: document register

Scroll horizontally to view the table

No.	Document title	Author or publisher	Creation date	Type: plan / report / minutes, etc.	Acquisition date and storage
D01	Training-change meeting notes	Training staff (fictional)	May 1, 2026 (fictional)	Minutes	July 1, 2026 / restricted folder (fictional)

Reason for this entry: Make versions and acquisition sources traceable.

Step 3: review sheet for each document

Target document and register number: D01 Training-change meeting notes
Purpose and background: Record venue-change decisions
Main points by evaluation question: Reduced face-to-face sessions and substituted online
Significant statements or numbers, with quotation pages: p.1, agenda item 2 describes venue difficulty (fictional document)
Credibility and bias assessment: Staff record; does not include participant assessment
Consistency with other records or interviews: Counts match delivery report; participant experiences unconfirmed

Reason for this entry: Quotation location is a fictional document example, not an actual source quotation.

Step 4: quality checks

☐ Not checked: Collected favorable and critical documents
☑ Checked: Considered each author's purpose and position
☐ Not checked: Triangulated documents with other sources such as interviews
☑ Checked: Recorded titles and pages for important information
☑ Checked: Stated unrecorded matters in findings too

Reason for this entry: Selection and recording are designed; searching for critical sources and interview triangulation remain.

Common errors in judgment

Read only the final report

How to revise: Compare plans, change records and delivery records

Reason: Final reports alone hide change processes.

Assert non-delivery because no record exists

How to revise: Distinguish records not found from implementation unconfirmed

Reason: Missing records do not prove absence of activities.

Editorial and checking information

Content updated: 2026-09-13Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)No documented human reviewIncludes fictional examplesEditorial policy and scope of checking Cite this page Report a correction

References and checked sections

Existing documents
BetterEvaluation
Section consulted
Types of existing documents / Advice for using this method
How it relates to the text
Record obtained documents, selection and extraction methods, gaps and changes since creation.
Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)

How to cite this page

EvalCompass Editorial Team. “Document review design and recording worksheet”. EvalCompass, updated 2026-09-13. https://evalcompass.jun-nakatani.com/en/worksheets/document-review/

Add the date you accessed the page. Text created by this site is available under CC BY 4.0. Quotations, external materials, and bundled fonts have their own terms of use. When reusing content, credit the source, link to the license, and indicate any changes.

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Change history

2026-09-13 — Checked definition and condition sources and added fictional examples, judgment rationales and completed fields. Revised unsupported history or uptake claims. Reviewed existing procedures and cautions and adjusted fixed counts, thresholds and institutional generalizations.