There are different types of case studies and the motivations for writing one range from academic to business. There are four main case studies: illustrative (describing events), investigative, cumulative (comparing information gathered) and critical (examining a particular theme in terms of cause and effect). After understanding the type of text to be written, you must follow the instructions to draft it clearly.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Get started
Step 1. Determine what kind of case study, design, or style best suits your audience
Firms could choose illustrative ones to demonstrate what has been done for a client; schools and students could select cumulative or critical ones; legal teams could use investigative teams to provide evidence.
Whichever type you use, your aim is to thoroughly analyze a situation (or case) that can reveal otherwise ignored or unknown factors and information. Case studies can be about a company, a country or an individual or more abstract topics, such as programs or practices
Step 2. Determine the topic of your case study
Will it deal with a topic discussed in class? Did you come up with a question while you were reading a book?
Start your research in the library and / or on the internet to start finding a specific problem. Once you've narrowed down your search, get everything you can from different sources: books, journals, DVDs, websites, magazines, newspapers, etc. Take notes as you read so you don't have to find lost information
Step 3. Search carefully for published case studies on the same (or similar) topic
Talk to your professors, go to the library, surf the internet.
- Read the most important articles about your case study. By doing this, you may find that there is a problem to solve, so you can have an interesting idea to use in your essay.
- Review sample case studies that are similar in style and purpose to get an idea of composition and format as well.
Method 2 of 4: Prepare Interviews
Step 1. Select the participants you will interview for the article:
experts in a particular field of study or clients who have implemented a tool or service related to the topic you are going to talk about.
- Interview the right people; you can also find them on the internet if there aren't any in your area.
- Decide whether to interview one person or a group of people, perhaps gathered at the same time. If the study focuses on a personal or medical issue, conduct individual interviews.
- Collect all the information possible to develop interviews and activities that are actually useful for your study.
Step 2. Make a list of questions and decide how you will conduct your study
You can organize meetings and group activities or personal, telephone or email interviews.
When interviewing people, ask questions that allow them to communicate what they think. Examples: "How do you feel about this situation?", "Can you explain to me how it developed?", "What do you think should be different?". You can also ask original questions, finding answers to questions that have not been addressed so far
Step 3. Schedule interviews with experts (account manager of a company, customers who have used the tools and services, etc.)
).
Make sure all informants are aware of what you are doing. In some cases they will have to sign releases. Your questions must be appropriate, not controversial
Method 3 of 4: Get the Information
Step 1. Conduct the interviews
Ask everyone involved the same questions to make sure you have different points of view on the same issues.
- Avoid dry-answered questions: you will have to try to get interviewees to talk as much as possible, even if you don't always know what to expect. Keep the questions open.
- Request information and illustrative materials from the people who have them, so you'll add credibility to your findings and future case study presentations. Clients can provide statistics on the use of a product and, in general, participants can give photos and evidence to support the case.
Step 2. Collect and analyze all relevant information, including documents, archives, observations and artifacts
Organize them all in the same space for easy access as you write your text.
You cannot enter everything, so you have to remove the excesses and make the situation of the case understandable to the readers. First of all, you will need to keep the information in a visible place and analyze what happens
Step 3. Formulate the problem in one or two sentences, creating a statement to present your thesis
What brought the theme to light?
This will give you the opportunity to focus on the most important materials
Method 4 of 4: Write Your Piece
Step 1. Develop and write the case study using the information gathered through the research, interview and analysis processes
Include at least four sections: an introduction, the context for explaining why this study was created, the presentation of your findings, and the conclusion you arrived at.
- The introduction should clearly state what will be addressed in the text. In a thriller, the crime happens at the beginning and the detective must gather all the information to solve the case. Returning to our text, you can start by raising a question or mentioning a person you interviewed.
- Make sure you include context, explaining why your interviewees are a good sample and what makes your problem so important. Include photos and videos if you want your work to look persuasive and personalized.
- After the reader understands the problem, present evidence, such as quotes and customer data (percentages, ratings, and surveys). This will help you make the essay seem more credible. Describe to your audience what you learned during the interviews, how the process developed and what solutions you proposed or even tried, including the feelings and thoughts of both yourself and others involved. You may need to do some more research to support this.
- At the end of the analysis, you should offer possible solutions, but don't worry about resolving the case. You can provide clues to the reader through the interviewees' words, explain how to resolve the situation or leave him with a question: if the case is well written, he will have enough information to think about an answer or discuss it with others.
Step 2. Add sources and appendices (if any), just like you would with an essay
Having points of reference is necessary for your credibility. And if you have any information related to the study but that would have disrupted the flow of the text, include it now.
You may have terms that are difficult for other cultures to understand. In this case, include an appendix or notes
Step 3. Make additions and delete unnecessary parts
As the job forms, you will notice that you need it - you may find that information that seemed relevant to you now is no longer relevant. And viceversa.
Review the work section by section and in its entirety. Each point must fit in its specific area but also in the rest of the text. If you don't find an appropriate place for an item, enter it in the appendix
Step 4. Correct your work:
grammar, spelling, punctuation and fluency. Is everything in the right place and are the words used efficient?
Have another person correct it as well. Your mind may be ignoring the mistakes seen 100 times. Another pair of eyes will notice the undefined or fuzzy parts
Advice
- Ask attendees for permission to use their names and information, and protect their anonymity if they don't want you to.
- If you are developing many case studies for the same purpose using the same general themes, use a uniform template and / or design.
- Ask attendees for permission to contact them as you write your essay if you find you need more information in the course of your data analysis.
- Ask interviewees open questions to spark discussion.
