How to Do a Case Study
Define the subject of study., Decide between prospective and retrospective research., Narrow down your research goal., Apply for ethical approval., Plan for a long-term study., Design your research strategy in detail., Recruit participants if...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Define the subject of study.
A case study focuses on a single individual, a small group of people, or occasionally a single event.
You'll be conducting qualitative research to find specific details and descriptions of how your subject is affected.
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. -
Step 2: Decide between prospective and retrospective research.
Prospective case studies perform new studies of their own, involving individuals or small groups.
Retrospective case studies examine a small number of past cases related to the subject of study, and do not require new involvement with the subject of these cases.
A case study may or may not include both types of research. , This may be given to you in advance by a professor or employer, or you may develop it on your own.
Here are the main types of case studies, organized by goal:
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. , Almost all case studies are required by law to obtain ethical approval before they can begin.
Contact your institution or department and propose your case study to the people in charge of ethics oversight.
You may be asked to prove that the case study does no harm to its participants.
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. , Most academic case studies last at least 3–6 months, and many of them continue for years.
You may be limited by your research funding or the length of your degree program, but you should allow a few weeks to conduct the study at the very least. , Create an outline describing how you will gather data and answer your research questions.
The exact approach is up to you, but these tips may help:
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. , You may have a specific individual in mind, or you may need to recruit people from a broader pool who satisfy your research criteria.
Make your research methods and time frame extremely clear to the potential participants.
Unclear communication could be a breach of ethics, or could cause a participant to walk out partway through the study, wasting a great deal of time.
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. -
Step 3: Narrow down your research goal.
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Step 4: Apply for ethical approval.
-
Step 5: Plan for a long-term study.
-
Step 6: Design your research strategy in detail.
-
Step 7: Recruit participants if necessary.
Detailed Guide
A case study focuses on a single individual, a small group of people, or occasionally a single event.
You'll be conducting qualitative research to find specific details and descriptions of how your subject is affected.
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.
Prospective case studies perform new studies of their own, involving individuals or small groups.
Retrospective case studies examine a small number of past cases related to the subject of study, and do not require new involvement with the subject of these cases.
A case study may or may not include both types of research. , This may be given to you in advance by a professor or employer, or you may develop it on your own.
Here are the main types of case studies, organized by goal:
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. , Almost all case studies are required by law to obtain ethical approval before they can begin.
Contact your institution or department and propose your case study to the people in charge of ethics oversight.
You may be asked to prove that the case study does no harm to its participants.
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. , Most academic case studies last at least 3–6 months, and many of them continue for years.
You may be limited by your research funding or the length of your degree program, but you should allow a few weeks to conduct the study at the very least. , Create an outline describing how you will gather data and answer your research questions.
The exact approach is up to you, but these tips may help:
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. , You may have a specific individual in mind, or you may need to recruit people from a broader pool who satisfy your research criteria.
Make your research methods and time frame extremely clear to the potential participants.
Unclear communication could be a breach of ethics, or could cause a participant to walk out partway through the study, wasting a great deal of time.
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.
About the Author
Ann Palmer
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