For example, a medical case study might study how a single patient is affected by an injury. A psychology case study might study a small group of people in an experimental form of therapy. Case studies are not designed for large group studies or statistical analysis.
A case study may or may not include both types of research.
Illustrative case studies describe an unfamiliar situation in order to help people understand it. For instance, a case study of a person with depression, designed to help communicate the subjective experience of depression to therapist trainees. Exploratory case studies are preliminary projects to help guide a future, larger-scale project. They aim to identify research questions and possible research approaches. For example, a case study of three school tutoring programs would describe the pros and cons of each approach, and give tentative recommendations on how a new tutoring program could be organized. Critical instance case studies focus on a unique cases, without a generalized purpose. Examples include a descriptive study of a patient with a rare condition, or a study of a specific case to determine whether a broadly applied “universal” theory is actually applicable or useful in all cases.
Follow this step even if you are conducting a retrospective case study. In some cases, publishing a new interpretation can cause harm to the participants in the original study.
Create four or five bullet points that you intend to answer, if possible, in the study. Consider perspectives on approaching the question and the related bullet points. Choose at least two, and preferably more, of these data sources: report collection, internet research, library research, interviewing research subjects, interviewing experts, other fieldwork, and mapping concepts or typologies. Design interview questions that will lead to in-depth answers and continued conversations related to your research goals.
Since you aren’t conducting a statistical analysis, you do not need to recruit a diverse cross-section of society. You should be aware of any biases in your small sample, and make them clear in your report, but they do not invalidate your research.
Any case study, but especially case studies with a retrospective component, will benefit from basic academic research strategies.
Establishing trust with participants can result in less inhibited behavior. Observing people in their home, workplaces, or other “natural” environments may be more effective than bringing them to a laboratory or office. Having subjects fill out a questionnaire is a common example of obtrusive research. Subjects know they are being studied, so their behavior will change, but this is a quick and sometimes the only way to gain certain information.
Describe experience — ask the participant what it’s like to go through the experience you’re studying, or be a part of the system you’re studying. Describe meaning — ask the participant what the experience means to them, or what “life lessons” they take from it. Ask what mental and emotional associations they have with the subject of your study, whether it’s a medical condition, an event, or another topic. Focus – in later interviews, prepare questions that fill gaps in your knowledge, or that are particularly relevant to the development of your research questions and theories over the course of the study.
If you are working with more than one person you will want to assign sections for completion together to make sure your case study will flow. For example, one person may be in charge of making charts of the data you gathered, while other people will each write an analysis of one of your bullet points you are trying to answer.
If writing a case study for a non-academic audience, consider using a narrative form, describing the events that occurred during your case study in chronological order. Minimize your use of jargon.
Request high-level involvement from the client’s side for best results. [4] X Research source Even if the client only wants to vet the materials you send them, make sure the person involved is high up in the organization, and knowledgeable about the company–client relationship.
Collaboration with the client is especially helpful here, so you make sure to include the points that left the most impact and biggest impression. If your target audience wouldn’t immediately identify with your client’s problem, start with a more general intro describing that type of problem in the industry. [6] X Research source
Charts and graphs can be great visual tools, but label these with large letters that make the positive meaning obvious to people who aren’t used to reading raw data. [8] X Research source
These are typically brief quotes just one or two sentences long, describing your service in a positive light.
