This case study provides an account of the conceptual and ethical aspects of developing a 3-year research project into youth transitions, examining several contextual challenges that arose during its development. It highlights the importance of developing a rigorous conceptual framework and provides a practical example of the process of its development. Specifically, this case study focuses on the use and development of key terms within this framework, including defining what it means to be "young," "soft skills," the relatively novel concept of "adversity capital," and related challenges of comparing data on youth transitions across different contexts. The case study provides insight into the particular challenges in using widely used but variable concepts and, more generally, into the ways that the process of "doing" research is iterative and can usefully draw on peer feedback in a variety of forms. These forms range from traditional peer review for publication to the less formal peer review that takes place when presenting research in development at internal faculty seminars and through conference presentations. The aim is to provide early career researchers with examples of how to hone the conceptualization of their work in a rigorous and ethical way. [This content is provided in the format of an e-book.]