Case Study Writing Guide, What is a Case Study?

What is a Case Study?

A case study is a very interesting type of assignment that can be used in various types of schools, as it can be applied to any field. In a short, case study is an in-depth study of a person, group, event, or situation. The main aim is to test the theory, make a plan or find a solution for real-life problems as well as create a discussion of possible solutions for other things.

While writing a case study everyone should remember that there are various types of it:

• Explanatory which focuses on an explanation for a question.
• Exploratory aims to show that there is a need for further investigation. Normally, it is the first step for a big research project.
• Multiple-case studies help to create the case for a new study based on the information from previous studies.
• Intrinsic type is centered on the subject of the study rather than on the study itself.
• Instrumental type is used to collect insights into the thesis.
• The Cumulative case study aims to combine information received from various sites.

Depending on the type while writing a case study paper pay attention to structure.

Case Study Writing Guide

Many people have a task to write a case study, but how to write it? What should they start with?

• First of all, it is important to remember that a case study is not an advertisement or press release; it’s storytelling about how to solve the problem.
• Before you start, make sure that the case is relevant and the solution is realistic.
• Present your ideas without trying to copy something that has been presented before.
• Use data, research or other findings to support your points, as even though it’s storytelling, it has to be supported with numbers and accurate information.
• Don’t try and make your case study too long and boring. Remember that the most important is the quality of the information, not quantity.

How to start a case study writing?

How to write a case study? What outline should I use?  Is there a particular structure? Of course, like any other paper, a case study has its structure, but depending on the field and business area it can be modified. However, no matter what is your case study about before the main part there is some pre-writing that should be done accordingly.

A prewriting phase includes:

• Examination of your case. Make sure you know all the details of the subject you are going to write about.
• Focusing on your analysis and particularly on the problems, the reasons for their existence and how do they influence the situation.
• Brainstorm the solutions
• Highlight the main solution supporting with strong evidence, as well as showing its advantages and disadvantages.

Case study essay structure 

When all pre-writing is done, now it’s time to look deeply into the structure. Every case study should consist of such important parts as:

• Introduction which shouldn’t be too long, normally 5-6 sentences, is the part where you state the problem of the case study and present a thesis statement (a goal of the study).
• Provide background information on the problem in the Background section.
• Evaluation is the part where you presenting different pieces of a case study by describing what is working and what is not working giving explanations about your ideas.
• Solution Proposal is the part where you explain your choice of the particular proposal or change that should be done by supporting it with various concepts, personal experience or outside research.
• How the problem can be solved is described in Recommendations. Propose your arguments regarding what can be done to solve the problem and who should do it. 
• and the last step is Finalizing where after writing up a case study you read to check if your statement is strong, the evidence is clear and if nothing is missing.

Tips for writing a case study

Some might ask “How do I write a case study?”. We prepared some case study writing tips that will be very useful for those who want to know how to do a case study write up.

1. Start with an outline. If you are not sure what exactly will be in your paper, try and give first broad headings, like Research. While conducting research you will get more ideas, so with time can broad it with some explanations (research on the role of cognition).
2. State the impact. Don’t forget that the main task of any case study is to investigate and answer the question stated at the beginning. Ask yourself what was the result of our research? If you can answer it than the paper is complete. If you are still struggling, it means that you still need to spend more time to check the question from all angles.
3. Prepare an outline or plan and follow it for the paper to be logical and the readers understand how you got your answer.
4. Headings are important. If your paper is long not many readers will spend time to read the whole paper, so the headings should illustrate the main point of each section. Compare “Research” vs. “Research: methods used to compile information”.