Many fields need their own form of case study, but they are used most in academic and business contexts.An academic case study focuses on an individual or a small group and produces a detailed but non-generalized report based on months of research.There are marketing case studies in the business world.
Step 1: Define what the study is about.
A case study focuses on a single individual, a small group of people or an event.Qualitative research will find details and descriptions of how your subject is affected.A medical case study might look at how a single patient is affected by an injury.A psychology case study might look at a small group of people.Case studies aren't designed for large group studies.
Step 2: Decide between prospective and retrospective research.
New studies involving individuals or small groups are performed by prospective case studies.Retrospective case studies do not require new involvement with the subject of the past cases.Both types of research may or may not be included in a case study.
Step 3: Take your research goal into account.
You can either develop it on your own or be given it in advance by a professor or employer.Illustrative case studies help people understand an unfamiliar situation by describing it.A case study of a person with depression is designed to help communicate the subjective experience of depression to therapist training.Exploratory case studies can help guide a bigger project.They want to identify research questions and possible research approaches.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 do not have a generalized purpose.A descriptive study of a patient with a rare condition is an example.
Step 4: If you want ethical approval, apply.
Most case studies need to get ethical approval before they can begin.Request a case study from the people in charge of ethics oversight.You may be asked to prove that the case study does not harm participants.If you are conducting a retrospective case study, follow this step.A new interpretation can cause harm to the original study participants.
Step 5: Plan for a long-term study.
Most academic case studies last at least 3 months.You should allow a few weeks to conduct the study if you are limited by your research funding or degree program.
Step 6: You should design your research strategy in detail.
An outline is needed for you to answer 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 in the study.Consider the different perspectives on the question.You should choose at least two of these data sources: report collection, internet research, library research and interviewing research subjects.In-depth answers and continued conversations related to your research goals are what the interview questions will lead to.
Step 7: If needed, recruit participants.
You may have a specific individual in mind, or you may need to recruit people from a broader pool.Make your research methods clear to the potential participants.It is possible that an unethical communication could cause a participant to walk out of the study.You don't need to recruit a diverse cross-section of society since you are not conducting a statistical analysis.You should be aware of any biases in your small sample, but they do not invalidate your research.
Step 8: Background research should be done.
If studying people, it's a good idea to research their past, including medical history, family history or history of an organization.If you are writing a critical interest case study, a good background knowledge of the research topic and similar case studies could help guide your own research.Basic academic research strategies will benefit any case study that has a retrospective component.
Step 9: How to conduct obtrusive observation.
ethical guidelines don't usually allow you to "spy" on human participants in a case study.When the participants are aware of your presence, you must practice obtrusive observation.You can talk with the participants, make them feel comfortable, and include yourself in the activities.You should be aware that your presence will affect the behavior of the participants regardless of your relationship with them.Less inhibited behavior can be achieved by establishing trust.People can be observed in their home, workplace, or other "natural" environments more effectively than in a laboratory or office.It's a common example of obtrusive research to have subjects fill out a questionnaire.The only way to get certain information is by studying subjects, who know they are being studied, so their behavior will change.
Step 10: Take your notes.
Your final report will need extensive notes during observation.In some case studies, the participant may be asked to record their experiences in a diary.
Step 11: Interviews can be conducted.
Depending on the length of your case study, you can have an interview weekly, once every month or two, or just once or twice a year.Begin with the interview questions you prepared in the planning phase, then dig deeper into the topic by asking the participant what it's like to go through the experience you're studying, or be a part of the system.Ask the participant what the experience means to them and what life lessons they take from it.Ask them what mental and emotional associations they have with the subject of your study, whether it's a medical condition, an event, or another topic.Prepare questions that fill gaps in your knowledge, or that are relevant to the development of your research questions and theories over the course of the study.
Step 12: Stay focused.
A case study may feel less data-driven than a medical trial or scientific experiment, but attention to rigor and valid methodology remains vital.If you're drawn to studying a participant on one extreme end of the spectrum, set aside time to observe a more typical participant as well.When reviewing your notes, ask your chain of logic questions and discard conclusions that don't have detailed observation behind them.It's important to check any sources you cite for reliability.
Step 13: Take all of your data and analyze it.
You may find that the data reacts in a surprising way after reading and referring back to your original bullet points.If your research was done in intervals across months or years, you need to pull your information together before you write a case study.If you are working with more than one person, you will want to assign sections for completion together.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.
Step 14: Your final case study report needs to be written.
Based on the research questions you designed and the type of case study you conducted, this may be a descriptive report, an analytic argument grounded in a specific case, or a suggested direction for further research or projects.Attach additional data, such as full interviews, as an appendix for readers to refer to in the case study.If you are writing a case study for a non-academic audience, you should use a narrative form to describe the events in chronological order.Don't use jargon.
Step 15: Ask for permission from a client.
A marketing case study describes a successful relationship between a business and a client.The client should be excited about contributing a positive message after recently interacting with your business.If possible, choose a client that is close to your audience.For the best results, request high-level involvement from the client's side.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.
Step 16: It's a good idea to outline the story.
A marketing case study begins with a description of the client's problems.Your company was able to fix the problems to a high standard by strategically approaching them.Explain how you can apply similar solutions across the industry.The case study should be divided into sections.You should include the points that left the most impact and biggest impression because of the collaboration with the client.If your target audience wouldn't immediately identify with your client's problem, start with a general description of the problem in the industry.
Step 17: The study should be readable and powerful.
The case study should be divided into easy to read sections.The beginning of each section should include short, action sentences and strong verbs.
Step 18: You should include actual numbers.
numeric examples show how effective your solutions wereIf you want to make this clear, use actual numbers instead of percentages.An HR department could show impressive retention numbers following a process change, while a marketing team could demonstrate past sales boost from its service.Charts and graphs can be great visual tools, but they should be labeled with large letters that make the positive meaning obvious to people who aren't used to reading raw data.
Step 19: You canlicit quotes or write them yourself.
Positive recommendations from your client are very important to you.The person writing these won't have a marketing background.The client will sign off on the statements before publication, so ask if you can write them for them.These are short quotes that describe your service in a positive way.
Step 20: Add pictures.
You should include photos and other images in your case study.Asking for photographs from the client can be a good tactic.The smiling client team can be photographed with an amateur digital photograph.
Step 21: Get the word out.
You can make your marketing case study widely available.Try using something like Microsoft's Business Hub or Amazon Web Services.Send copies of the study to the client you collaborated with, along with a certificate of thanks.