Means of verification in a logframe: what should you actually write?
Oct 07 2026 · Templates
Means of verification decides whether an indicator is measurable. Here is how to name a real source, test it, and fix the weak entries.
Means of verification (MoV) is the logframe column that names exactly where each indicator's number will come from: the instrument, the respondent or record, the frequency, and who holds the data. A usable entry reads like 'post-distribution household survey, 400 households, dataset held by the M&E officer' or 'school enrolment register, district education office, termly'. Entries such as 'reports', 'project data' or 'government statistics' describe a category, not a source. If you cannot name the instrument, the indicator is not yet measurable. Either define the tool and budget for it, move the indicator to learning, or replace it with something you can verify.
What is means of verification in a logframe?
Means of verification sits beside each indicator and states how that indicator will be measured. It is not a description of the indicator and it is not a restatement of the target. It is the practical answer to the question a donor, evaluator or auditor will ask: where did this number come from?
A complete entry names an instrument, a source of data, a frequency and a person or office responsible. Where the data comes from outside your organisation, it also names how you will get access to it.
What should a means of verification entry actually contain?
Six things. If one is missing, the entry is still a draft.
- Instrument: survey, register, monitoring visit report, attendance sheet, test, sensor reading.
- Source: who or what the data comes from, such as households, schools, clinics or a government office.
- Frequency: how often it is collected, for example monthly, termly or at endline.
- Responsibility: the role that collects, cleans and stores it, not a person's name.
- Access: permission, data sharing agreement or a public dataset you can retrieve.
- Cost and effort: whether the collection is already funded or needs a budget line.
What separates a weak entry from a strong one?
Weak entries name a category. Strong entries name an object you could go and collect today. Compare the pairs below.
| Weak entry | Strong entry |
|---|---|
| Reports | Quarterly monitoring report using template M&E-3, submitted by the field officer |
| Project data | KoboToolbox submissions from household survey form HH-v2, cleaned monthly |
| Government data | District education office enrolment register, collected termly |
| Survey | Post-distribution household survey, 400 households, dataset held by the M&E officer |
| Attendance sheets | Signed training attendance sheets, scanned and stored by the programme assistant |
Written for M&E professionals. Not a guarantee of accuracy — always verify every claim against its source, and let a named human sign off. Get the free handbook.