This special issue of the Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology (JDLCC) is dedicated to the importance of advancing methodological innovations on developmental and life-course research on crime and criminal behaviour. Our interest in this topic is both altruistic and self-serving. Altruistic in that we have a collective interest in advancing new forms of methodological innovation in developmental research and research on crime across the life course. Without this our field, our disciplines of knowledge and their attendant methodological procedures will stagnate. Self-serving, in the sense that as developmental and life-course researchers, we are especially pleased to be exposed to and to learn from some of the key debates and innovative methodological approaches that are seeking to push the boundaries of the field. In short, we stand to materially benefit by learning from our colleagues who have contributed to this special issue!