How to Write a Case Study Paper
This article is going to offer you some essential basics to understand about case study and how to write it.
What is a case study – Definition
Before you get to writing a case study it is good to know how to define case study because it is impossible to write on something that you do not know about. When we see the Case study definition, it is a particular instance that is analyzed so as to illustrate a certain thesis. In simple terms, a case study is the relation of a particular thesis practically with a certain principle or theory.
A case study is all about analysis as you are expected to read through a particular context then relate it to what you have been taught earlier. In most cases, examiners usually give out the case study to test the ability of the student to relate the concepts learned in class with what is happening in the real world. Most of the context given for the case study is usually something that relates directly with the learners’ environment since you cannot relate with what you do not have an understanding about, it would be quite difficult.
Some hints concerning writing a case study
Knowing the definition of the case study is not enough, you need to understand its outline and know how to write it so that it can be beneficial to you. Case study template will always guide you on how to plan your paper. There are several tips that can help you come up with a great case study to satisfy your examiner.
- Write on something that you can relate well with your points – you are likely to fail when you approach a context that you have so little information about, you need to select a context that favors your concepts. The main idea in case studies is about a relation of concepts with practical application so the moment you choose in a context that you do not understand then you are likely not to produce a good result. Always ensure you choose a context that you are comfortable with and you can easily expound on without difficulty.
- In writing of your case study, ensure that you narrate the context clearly, so that your reader can be able to understand when you start linking the situation with your points. A narration of the context in a clear manner will help the reader relate it easily when you start explaining the concepts. When the reader fails to understand your context, then automatically it would be hard for them to link it up with the principle under discussion.
- Be real in your explanations – ensure that you do not leave the reader hanging in the midst of your explanations. For example, in a case study sample where you are talking about certain figures, go on and state the exact numbers so that the reader can easily understand what you are telling them.
- Use a specific method of approach – there are many ways in which you can write your case study, you can decide to state a concept and give it illustration immediately or you can decide to narrate the whole context then bring the relation later. This contributes towards the organization of your work. Once you are organized, then definitely the reader is going to understand your work and you will be able to score high marks in the paper.
Case study format – Step by step outline
There are different approaches that you can use in encryption of your case study. The first simple format is by dividing your paper into four sections: the Introduction, the Background, Findings, and the Conclusion.
- The introduction – the introduction is the first part and it should be vague to the reader as it creates the first impression of your work. You can start your introduction by raising the reader’s curiosity through questions that have no answers so that they can read the body in search of it.
- Background – in the background you have to state the reason behind conduction of the case study, make the objective of the study clear in this section.
- Findings – after the examiner has gotten the reason behind the study, proceed and give your findings with an explanation on how it relates to the principal idea. Explain all the problems that you came across in the research. You can also give the proposed solutions for the research and how the situation can be improved.
- Conclusion – the conclusion is the last part that should wrap up everything in your paper. You can choose to mention the problems and solutions in brief and also give the reader an allowance to think further about sorting the problem.
Useful information: How should a research paper look?
The second format that you can use is the application of interview method. In this method, you will have to come up with questions meant to address the case study from background, findings and all the way to the conclusion. This is a unique format that should be utilized as most people use stories format while addressing case studies, making them monotonous.
How to cite a case study – a simplified guide
A citation is one important element that has to be in cooperated in writing because it validates your findings in the research. You can easily cite a case study using the journal style. All case studies do not have a specific way of citation, instead, journal style is used. The journal style contains:
The author’s last name, first initial, second initial. (Year). Title of the article. Journal title, volume number (issue number), page numbers.
Case study examples and how they are useful
It is good to go through various case study samples because it develops your skills in writing a perfect paper. When you go through the samples, you can be able to know different formats to be used in writing of case studies and at the same time you can be able to identify the mistakes that another writer did and correct them when it comes to your own. Most of the topics offered for case studies are related to the real-world application. Once you go through samples on various topics then you are going to improve your writing and score highly.
