Researchers must carefully weigh potential costs against potential benefits before undertaking research activities. This is especially true for research conducted for social service agencies, which often deal with society’s most vulnerable populations. Accordingly, our approach to research and evaluation is characterized by the following principles and practices:

• No nonsense: Research designs maximize information while minimizing burdens on both organizations and individuals. Accordingly, Q2 does not push for unneeded or frivolous work.
  
  
• Realism: Service providers are on the front lines of helping the poor and the vulnerable. Adding research tasks to already burdensome responsibilities is often stressful. We take pride in our facilitative and sensitive relationships with service providers.
  
  
• Expertise-based: All research activities are directed by our senior staff, individuals who have Ph.D. training from the country’s finest research universities.
  
  
• Constructiveness: Project evaluation should always provide ongoing and positive feedback to help improve programs. While program evaluators must necessarily be objective, their job is not to be critical but rather to find feasible solutions.
  
  
• Transparency: Contract research must be conducted with full financial transparency. Q2’s billing and invoicing are linked to specific tasks and full records are always available for audit.