Background: The world is witnessing the largest cohort of adolescents in history, yet significant gaps in knowledge about how to maximise the opportunities for this population remain. Some of these gaps are tied to methodological shortcoming on how to collect and analyse data on adolescents, particularly those who are disadvantaged or vulnerable.

Objectives: This methodological series consists of seven briefs intended to capture and summarise best-practice approaches to conducting research with adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The target audience is health and development professionals, who conduct, commission or interpret research and/or evaluate research findings to make decisions about programming, policy and advocacy.

Methods: Building on recent work by the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, the briefs are written by leading experts and cover a variety of topics, including indicators and data sources, research ethics, research with disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised populations, participatory research, measuring the enabling and protective systems for adolescent health, and economic strengthening interventions for improving adolescent well-being.

Results: The series provides an overview of the methodological quality of research in adolescent well-being, identifying areas where research methods are lacking and where the unique characteristics of adolescence have been incorporated into methodological approaches.

Conclusions: The methodological briefs are part of a broader effort to increase understanding of the social and structural determinants of adolescent well-being. Social and structural determinants are a key driver of well-being during the adolescent period and, by influencing vital social transitions from adolescence into adulthood, have enormous implications for an individual’s health and well-being across the lifespan.