Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Getting Started
• Method 2 of 4: Preparing the interview
• Method 3 of 4: Getting Information
• Method 4 of 4: Writing a Study
• Tips

There are many types of case studies, or case studies. Also, there are many reasons for writing a case study, from academic research to validation of company policy. There are four main types of case studies: illustrative (describing events), exploratory (investigating an issue), cumulative (collective analysis of information through comparison), and critical (investigating a specific case in terms of causes and consequences). Once you become familiar with the different types and styles of case studies and find out which ones are suitable for your goals, you just need to follow the instructions to properly conduct a case study that will help confirm your point of view or illustrate achievements.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Getting Started

1. 1 Determine what type, method, or style of case study is most appropriate for your target audience. For corporations, in order to demonstrate the work done to clients, illustrative case studies are suitable. Schools, faculty and students are better off choosing the cumulative or critical method, and the legal department may use the exploratory method to provide factual evidence.
   • Regardless of what type of case study you use, your goal is to comprehensively analyze the situation (or "case"), which will help to reveal factors or information that is usually not taken into account or simply not known. Cases can be written for companies, entire countries and individuals. Moreover, they can be about abstract things like programs or practices. In fact, if you can imagine something, you can write a case study about it.
2. 2 Decide on the topic of your research. Once the starting point has been chosen, you need to understand what the research will be about and where it will be conducted (case site). What did you talk about in class? Did you have any questions while reading?
   • Start your research in the library and / or on the Internet to dive into a specific problem. Once your search is narrowed down, find as much information as possible on the topic in various sources. Look for what you need in books, magazines, DVDs, the Internet, newspapers, etc. As you browse through each source, make notes so you can find information later!
3. 3 Check out previously published case studies on your topic or similar. Talk to your teachers, go to the library, browse the Internet until you are sure you have found all the information available. You don't want to waste time on research that someone else has done before, do you?
   • Find out what has already been written on your topic, and carefully read the important articles about the site of your case. By doing this, you can learn about existing problems that need to be solved, or understand whether your idea will work or not in this environment of your case.
   • Review case studies similar in style or range of topics to understand what the content and format should be.

Method 2 of 4: Preparing the interview

1. 1 Select the people you will interview for your case. It is best if they are experts in a particular industry or customers / buyers who use the product or service - the subject of research.
   • Find competent people to interview. They do not necessarily have to work for the company under study, but should be directly related to its current or past field of activity.
   • Decide if you will interview each person individually or the entire group at once. It may be more convenient for survey participants to get together and answer your questions collectively. If the research is about personal questions or medical problems, then it is better to focus on an individual interview.
   • Collect as much data as possible from interviewees in order to steer the interview in the right direction and get the information you need for your research.
2. 2 Draw up a list of interview questions and decide how you will conduct your research. You can conduct interviews and assign various tasks to participants - both as individuals and in groups - in person, by phone or even by email.
   • When interviewing, ask people questions that will help you get their opinion. For example: “How do you feel about this situation? What can you tell us about the development of the enterprise (or situation)? What, in your opinion, should be different? " In addition, you should ask questions that will allow you to find out what is not in the printed sources - make your work different and useful.
3. 3 Schedule interviews with experts on your topic of interest (account managers, clients and customers who use the appropriate tools and services, etc.)etc.).
   • Make sure everyone interviewed understands what you are doing. They should be fully informed (and sign a waiver agreement, if necessary) and your questions should be appropriate and not inconsistent.

Method 3 of 4: Getting Information

1. 1 Conduct an interview. Ask the same or similar questions to all participants to get different perspectives on the same item or service.
   • When you ask an open-ended question, rather than one that can be answered yes or no, you get more information. You need to try to find out what the person knows or thinks, even if you don't know what exactly you want to hear.
   • Request information and materials from participants to validate your research findings and for upcoming presentations of your case. Clients can provide statistics on the use of a new tool or product, and members can provide photographs and links to support your research findings.
2. 2 Collect and analyze all relevant information, including documents, archival records, observations and artifacts. Collect all your data in one place so that you can easily find information while writing a case.
   • You can't include everything in the case. Therefore, think about how to sort everything, remove unnecessary things and organize everything so that the case is understandable to readers. To do this, you need to put all the information together, see the big picture, and analyze the situation.
3. 3 State the problem in one or two sentences. As you go through the data, try to break everything down into theses. What patterns did your research reveal?
   • This will allow you to concentrate on the most important materials. Information obtained from research participants should only be reflected in the periphery.

Method 4 of 4: Writing a Study

1. 1 Develop and write your case using data collected through research, interviews and analysis. Include at least four sections in your case: an introduction, background information that explains the reason for writing the study, presentation of the results, and a concluding part that clearly states conclusions and references.
   • The introduction should clearly describe the scene.In detective stories, the crime occurs at the very beginning and the detective needs to piece together all the information in order to look for a clue in it throughout the story. You can start by asking a question or by quoting someone you interviewed.
   • Be sure to include background information about the location of the research, the reasons and parameters for choosing the interviewees, and what is the relevance of the subject of your research. Of course, all of the above must be done after stating the very essence of the case. Use photos and videos to make your work more convincing and personal.
   • After the reader has received all the information necessary to understand the problem, present your materials. If possible, include quotes and information from clients (percentages, awards and discoveries) to make the case more personalized and trustworthy. Tell the reader what you learned from the interview about the problems of the case, how they develop, previous attempts to solve them (if any), thoughts and feelings of those who work or are in the given environment. You may need to do additional calculations and research to confirm all your findings.
   • After analyzing, you should offer solutions, and not solve the case itself. You can refer to the statements of the interviewees. Leave the reader fully aware of the magnitude of the problem and the desire to solve it. Let the reader be left with an open question that will stimulate them to think for themselves. If you have written a good case study, they will have enough information to understand the situation and have a lively discussion about it.
2. 2 Add links and attachments (if any), as well as footnotes and sources - as in any other document. Sources must be reliable. If there is any information that is relevant to the research, but would violate the integrity of the presentation of the material, please add it as an appendix.
   • Some of the terms you use may not be understood by people from other cultures. In this case, they should be entered in the Instructor Cheat Sheet.
3. 3 Add and remove. As your case grows, you can see that it takes on unexpected shapes. If this happens, make the necessary additions and remove the information that becomes redundant. The information that previously seemed relevant to you may become unnecessary, and vice versa.
   • Go through the research section by section, and then evaluate the document as a whole. Any information should be in its place and organically fit into the overall concept of work. If you cannot find in which section to include the data, add them to the applications.
4. 4 Check and edit your work. Now that the work is completed, review it again for minor flaws. Correct grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors, and make sure the flow is correct. Is everything in place?
   • Ask someone else to proofread the finished material. You may not notice mistakes, and a fresh eye will immediately notice if a question is not fully disclosed or the content is confusing.

Tips

• If you are developing several case studies for the same purpose, or on the same question, then it is wise to use a standard template and / or layout.
• During the interview, ask open-ended questions to stimulate discussion.
• Ask research participants for permission to use their names and the information they provide as sources, and do not disclose their details if they wish to remain anonymous.
• Ask participants for permission to contact them while working on the study if you need more information or clarification.