A recent systematic review of research on retention in child welfare, undertaken by the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR) in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Social Work, identified 25 studies over the past three decades that specifically address the conditions and factors that influence retention and the strategies that have been implemented to increase retention. However, analysis of the differences across these studies and the limitations of the available research lead to recommendations for future studies. The focus of this Brief is to discuss these research design issues and to make recommendations to the field about methods to enhance the scope and quality of research efforts to address retention issues.