What Is a Case Study?

A case study is a comprehensive study of a certain situation done mainly in the field of psychology, ecology, social studies, anthropology, etc. and focuses on a project, site or a particular person. It is used to scientifically prove theoretical claims and evaluate it against real-life situations. A case study is mostly used to create a hypothesis on a particular subject and uses data both qualitative and quantitative. A case study does not provide a conclusion to a particular question.

Types of Case Study:
Illustrative Case Study: These are studies which are mainly descriptive and use one or two samples of events to describe the situation. These studies are conducted to enlighten the reader about a specific topic and make it familiar.

Pilot Case Studies: These are brief studies or ‘pilot’ case studies done before starting an investigation in a large-scale. The main advantage of this type of case study is it can help to find the right measurement type and find the right questions before the start of the investigation. The downside is that there is a chance of concluding results prematurely based on initial results.

Cumulative Case Studies: This type of case study is a summation of past studies done after collecting information from various avenues and it helps in reducing the cost and time-taken as it avoids repetition.

Critical Instance Case Studies: This is a study of a unique case which can also act as an attestation of a strategy or program. It is used to answer cause and effect problems.

Effects of a Program: It finds the relationship between the observed results and the program. The evaluations are usually done in multiple methods and across multiple sites.

Program Implementation: The operations with reference to standards set for the process implementation is used to investigate across many sites.

Guidelines for Writing a Case Study:
Before you jump ahead and start writing a case study, there are a few things to know:

1. Understand the problem statement, do a thorough research of the case and learn about the facts involved in the case.
   2. Find answers to why the problems that are present exists, what is the root cause of the problem and what is the effect of the problem on the subject.
   3. Look for solutions by conducting a thorough research through discussion with experts or by reading existing documentation.
   4. The solution that you propose should be realistic and have solid evidence.
   5. The case study that you design should be based on excellent research and by following a systematic approach. It has to be clear and precise as there is no standard structure in place for writing a case study.It is surprising but true that a case study result is not based on statistics but on personal opinions. The analysis of results is done by the way of a narration after organizing the collected data. Few key points to remember while publishing results is that the findings should be worded in a language understandable to common people, make it interesting by way of adding examples but stay true to the objective of the case study.