This issue of the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation ( CJPE) is one of our most comprehensive to date. Not only does it include five full articles, five practice notes, and two book reviews, but it also covers a wide range of evaluation-related topics, practices, and studies. I am pleased to note that our editorial team continues to receive high-quality submissions, and I encourage you to keep thinking of the CJPE as an outlet for your work.

In reviewing all of the papers included in this issue of the CJPE, I am struck by the fact that all of them, in their own way, focus on people, organizations, and groups. This is not surprising, given that our work as evaluators requires constant contact and communication with stakeholders, clients, managers, and benefi ciaries. This link to others is often what defines our practice and sets us apart from other disciplines. To start us off, Carman and Fredericks co-author a paper on social network analysis, an approach that is gaining traction in our field.

Our cross-cutting overview of the three papers that make up this thematic segment shows that each of the papers addresses the issue of stakeholder involvement quite differently from the others. We focus here on the key messages from each of these papers in order to highlight success factors and lessons learned for stakeholder participation in evaluation.

En mai dernier, l’Association francophone pour le savoir (ACFAS) était l’hôte d’un colloque sur la place et le rôle des parties prenantes au sein de la pratique évaluative (Montréal, mai 2016). Plusieurs théoriciens et praticiens ont répondu à l’appel et leurs diverses présentations ont été l’occasion de s’informer sur leurs dernières recherches et réflexions ainsi que d’engager un riche dialogue. Trois présentateurs ont décidé de donner suite à cette journée en soumettant un article que nous regroupons dans le présent numéro de la Revue.

This issue of The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation will interest evaluators from many different sectors and with many different interests. The articles and practice notes featured in these pages focus on innovative methodological approaches, applied to various practice settings, such as health and education. First, the article by Rusticus, Eva, and Peterson argues for construct-aligned rating scales as one of the evaluator’s tools, specifically in the area of medical education.

Given the potential of the federal program evaluation function to inform decision-making at the highest levels of government, this project sought to investigate the nature and extent to which program evaluation findings are used as part of spending reviews and other reallocation exercises in selected government organizations. The multiple case study design used in this investigation included a qualitative content analysis of evaluation reports published between 2010 and 2013, as well as a series of key informant interviews conducted with evaluation staff and program managers.

I am honoured to address you for the first time as Editor of the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation (CJPE). As a former Book Review Editor and Associate Editor of the journal, I am tackling my new responsibilities with a solid sense of all that has been accomplished thus far and great enthusiasm for what is to come next. I want to thank Robert Schwartz for his leadership during his 7-year tenure; his influence and impact on the Journal’s quality and reach will be felt for years to come.