In an era of evidence-based practices, the question of research quality should be on everyone's radar.  The Canadian office, Public Safety Canada, is tackling this issue head-on.  Although focusing on sexual offender treatment research, a new report addresses issues applicable to other research into "what works" in correctional treatment.  Guidelines for rating research study quality are discussed, including existing scales and the new Canadian scale.  As the new Canadian guidelines themselves are not included in this Introduction and Overview, we hope to see them in a subsequent report.