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Writing A Case Study

Case Study Format

Simple Case Study Format for Students to Follow

How to Format a Case

When it comes to writing a case study , understanding how to write a case study format is key to presenting your research effectively.

If you are wondering how to make a case study format, here are the elements to include in your case study paper format.

Case Study Formatting Guidelines

Effective case study formatting is essential to convey your insights clearly and engage your audience. Here are the key points to ensure your case study is well-organized and impactful:

Opt for easily readable fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
Maintain a consistent font size, typically 12 points for the body text.
Set line spacing to double-spaced for the entire document.
Use bullet points for a concise and scannable information presentation.
Employ numbered lists for sequences of steps or chronological order of events.
Bold or italicize key phrases to draw attention to critical points; use underline sparingly.
Choose left, center, or justified alignment based on your overall design.
Make your headings clear and organized so readers know what's important.

If you need further assistance, check our case study format for students pdf here:

How To Write A Case Study Pdf

Case Study Format Template

Case studies can be used for different purposes. In social sciences, it can help you understand the problems of other people.

In businesses, it can help you earn the trust of potential customers. But do you even know what are the different types of case study and how to write one?

Refer to this case study format pdf before you start writing your own document. This student case study format sample contains all the information you might need when gathering information for your case study.

Case Study Format Examples

Case study examples are the best way to learn the basic techniques for writing a great case study on your own.

For your help, we have also compiled real-life case study examples along with a format that you can refer to while writing your own.

Explore these short case study sample PDFs to gain insights into presenting your research cohesively.

APA Case Study Format

If you are asked to write a case study in APA format, keep in mind there are some specific requirements that you need to adhere to.

Here is a case study APA format example for you to learn how to format a case study.

APA 7 Case Study Format

Business Case Study Format

Business case studies can help businesses sell products or services to prospects. Here is a perfect example for you to learn how to write an impressive business case study.

Case Study Format For MBA Students

MBA Case Study Format

Case Study Format Nursing

Writing a great nursing case study can be tough. That’s why we have provided a case study format for nursing students to use as a guide in creating their work.

Refer to this family case study format example if you are writing a nursing case study for the first time.

Nursing Case Study Format

Harvard Business School Case Study Format

Looking for HBS style business case study? Here is one for you to read and take hints and ideas to prepare this type of case study like a professional.

Medical Case Study Format

Writing medical case studies is helpful in medical practices as it gives a lot of information about different diseases. Look at this example and learn how to write a detailed medical case study.

Case Study Format Psychology

To study how the human mind works, you need a clear and organized method. Follow this easy psychology case study format to explore the details of psychological research:

Report Case Study Format

A well-structured report case study provides a detailed analysis of a specific situation, helping businesses and researchers make informed decisions.

Use the following format as a guide for creating an insightful and professional report case study.

Report Case Study Format PDF

To sum it up,

Writing high-quality case studies means combining a clear structure, good storytelling, and smart presentation. If you follow the tips I've shared in this blog, you're on your way to making interesting stories that grab people's attention.

If your case study is causing problems, consider getting professional help. Our essay service is designed to help you secure top grades by meeting the criteria set by professors.

Our skilled writers are here to assist with any type of assignment you may have. Explore our case study writing service to relieve your stress and excel academically.

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Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.

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Other assessments: Case studies

Scientific writing style
Case studies
Journal critique
Research proposals
Dissertations
Literature reviews
Assessed discussion
Video assignments

What is a case study?

A case study is an assignment where you analyse a specific case (organisation, group, person, event, issue) and explain how the elements and complexities of that case relate to theory . You will sometimes have to come up with solutions to problems or recommendations for future action.

You may be asked to write a case study as an essay, as part of a longer assignment or as a report.

Examples of cases

An organisation. For example a company, a business, a school, a sports club, a health body.

A group. For example a class of pupils, an individual team within an organisation, a project group, a sports club.

An individual. For example a patient, a client, a specific student/pupil, a manager/leader.

An event. For example a sporting occasion, a cultural event, a news story, an historical event.

An issue. For example a dilemma, problem, critical event, change of practice.

Analysing a case

What are you being asked to do.

It is important be sure about the purpose of analysing the case before you begin. Refer back to your assignment brief and make sure you are clear about this. It could be:

To answer a specific question using examples from the case to support your argument
To explore what happened and why (no recommendations needed)
To make recommendations or identify solutions
To write a plan that takes the issues into consideration

Examining the case

In order to be thoroughly familiar with the case you are going to need to read through* the case several times during the analysis process. Start by simply reading it without asking too many questions in your mind. Get a feel for it as a whole. After that, you will need to read through it several times to identify the following:

What are the facts? List information you are sure about.
What happened/is happening? List definite actions that occurred/are occurring.
Who was/is involved? List people by job role and what their involvement was/is.

You will now need to read additional material to help you analyse. In business, for example, you will perhaps want to read the financial statements for the company you are investigating; in nursing, the background of the treatment for the disorder from which “your” patient is suffering.

* Sometimes cases are presented to you as videos to watch. In which case you are going to have to watch it many times!

Theoretical approaches

You may have to ask yourself which theoretical approaches that you have covered in your course are relevant to the particular case you have before you. In some instances this may be obvious but in others it may be less so. A theoretical approach is useful as it can give you specific questions to answer ; specific things to look for. For example, in business, this may take the form of a SWOT analysis - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) or you may look at the Porter's Five Forces model. There are similar models in other disciplines which you may have been introduced to already - or the brief may tell you which to use.

No obvious theoretical approach?

If you have not been provided with a theoretical approach don't worry. You can still ask questions. For example:

What is this case study about in general? What is the big picture - the main issue that this case study is an example of?

What specific issues are associated with it? What makes this case interesting?

What do I already know about these issues?

How do they link with the theories we have studied? (See below.)

What alternative approaches to dealing with the issues would be appropriate?

If an alternative approach were used, what impact might it have?

Linking to theory

The most crucial element about a case study is your ability to link the real world example to theory. This gives you more insight into both because

The real life example will mean you can see how theory works in practice .
Theory can help you see why things happened as they did and help you come up with alternative approaches and find solutions/make recommendations.

Real life is complex and messy. Do not expect it to nicely fit into theories which are by their very nature best guesses (albeit well researched) and generalisations. However, you will have been given the case specifically because it does relate to some theories you have learned or need to be aware of.

So you need to:

Look back through your lecture notes and reading lists to see if anything seems to fit with the case.
Search for research that relates to the issues you identified during your analysis. Note these will not necessarily be labelled as 'theories'. Claims made in research papers can all be described as theories.

Now consider some or all of the questions below:

Do the facts and issues raised in the case support any theories?
Do the fact and issues raised in the case invalidate or undermine any theories?
Can any of the theories explain why issues arose?
Can any of the theories back up the actions taken?
Can any of the theories suggest alternative courses of action?
Do you think any of these alternatives would work best in your case? Why?

Armed with the answers to many of these questions, you are ready to start writing up your case study.

Writing up your case study

The most common ways to write up a case study are as essays or reports . The main differences between the two will be how you structure your work.

Structuring a case study essay

Case study essays usually have to answer a specific question using examples from your case study. They are written in continuous prose (a series of paragraphs with no subheadings). They should be structured much like any other essay with an introduction, main body and conclusion.

Introduction

This needs to have three things:

An introduction to your case (you don't need to rewrite it, just summarise it giving the important parts for your essay).
A position statement (your answer to the overall question).
An indication of how the rest of the essay is structured.

These do not have to be in that particular order but they do all need to be included.

Generally you will organise this thematically . Each paragraph needs to make a point and then use information from your case to illustrate and back up that point . You will also bring in theory (other reading) to strengthen your argument. It is acceptable to start with the example from your case and then show how this links to theory and the conclusion this leads you to; however, it is best if you first let your reader know the point you are making, as then they are not having to second guess this until the end of the paragraph.

Each point in your main body should be leading back to the position statement you made in the introduction.

What are the main lessons you learned from the case study? How well did the theory fit with the real world example? Have you been asked to provide solutions or recommendations? If so, give them here.

Reference list

Include all the sources you have cited in your essay.

Structuring a case study report

These can vary between disciplines so check your assignment guidance. A typical case study would include:

See our MS Word pages or our MS Office Software SkillsGuide for instructions on how to create these automatically.

Executive summary - optional, check if required

Give an overview of your whole report including main approaches, findings and recommendations. This is a bit like the abstract of a journal article.

Context (Background)
Purpose - what is the case study trying to achieve?
Approach - are you using any particular theoretical tools or research approaches?

Discussion/Analysis

Identification of issues and problems
Links to theories that help you explain the case
Explanation of causes or implications of the issues identified
Possible solutions (if required, check your instructions)

These depends on what you were asked to do but could include:

Main lessons learned
Best solutions and reasons why
Recommendations (may have their own section)
Action plan (may have its own section)
Include all the sources you have cited in the report.

Appendices if required

Recommended books and ebooks from our collection, related books and ebooks from our collection.

Recommended external resources

Writing a case study From Monash University
Writing a case study analysis From The University of Arizona
Case studies From the University of South Australia - includes useful sample case studies
Writing a case study PDF to download from the University of Bedfordshire
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