Everything You Need To Know About Case Study Writing Process

Do you get scared each time when you hear the word combination ‘case study’? We guess you’re a first-year college student who hasn’t yet gotten used to a college workload. When you graduate from high school and then enter college, you must realize that it’s an entirely different level. When we apply to college, we expect it to give us various new experiences. And the ability to do complicated assignments is one of the experiences we get.

It can seem that the best way to write some papers is to use the best writing service. And it’s partly true: what’s the point in torturing yourself when you don’t know how to do the assignment and are limited in time? Hiring someone experienced is a fair and reasonable way to solve your problems. However, it doesn’t mean that relying entirely on outside help is good for your academic success. You need to know at least the essentials of paper writing. And that’s why you’re here.

Freshmen will hardly be loaded with too complicated assignments since their first term, but who knows how our education system will change? Case studies are still sometimes considered part of business, not educational settings. However, it’s a big misconception we need to destroy. Now even college students need to submit case studies from time to time even if they don’t major in Business Studies.

Today we’ll review the case study in its academic paradigm, although you’ll notice a few mentions of this paper from another point of view. This post will be interesting for freshmen and graduate students. No matter whether you’ve written a case study or not, continue reading and spend the next 10 minutes to good use. You won’t regret the time spent.

Case Study Essentials: What Is It And Why It’s Necessary?

Let us start with a broad description of a case study and then move to a more narrow discussion of this paper. You may consider this information a bit difficult at first, but don’t get disappointed too early. We’ll do our best to make you proficient in case study writing.

A case study is an invaluable tool to have in any industry. It is a comprehensive analysis of a person, group, industry, or business situation to uncover trends and explanations that can then be used to suggest strategies for decision-making and problem-solving purposes. Case studies are particularly useful when attempting to understand a complex situation or concept. They can provide interpretations, essential details, and points of view that may otherwise remain unknown or unexamined.

Often, case studies can guide how similar situations may be approached and what actions may lead to desired outcomes. Ultimately, case studies are invaluable for their potential to inform decisions, making them an essential resource for businesses looking for better ways to navigate their current challenges.

Case Study In Academic Settings

We don’t discuss case studies as a research method but as a college assignment. In academic settings, a case study is a paper written y students to investigate a problem, review the available solutions, develop their own, or just help the readers to come up with alternative solutions to similar issues. By the way, many people use case studies as a source of inspiration.

Sometimes students can’t draw a line between a research paper and a case study. These two assignments are similar in some aspects but still are different:

Research papers involve selecting a topic, examining relevant literature on said topic, forming an opinion or hypothesis, and then providing an argument to support that opinion or hypothesis. This paper just turns people’s attention to a certain problem.
Case studies generally take a different approach: instead of forming and exploring a personal opinion or hypothesis, case studies involve thoroughly investigating and examining a case—placing questions about how specific elements of the case interact before presenting a full analysis. A case study also requires data gathering from multiple fields to become comprehensive.

There are several case study types classifications: some focus on how the results are presented, but we want to discuss the one used in academic settings. According to it, several types of case studies are distinguished:

Descriptive or illustrative. Such papers present events or one/several details of an event to show the consequences and lessons learned. The primary purpose of this type is to explain the situation.
Historical. These assignments primarily focus on analyzing something or someone from the past. The goal is to connect to the present and find solutions to a similar issue.
Critical case study. Here the researcher chooses a specific case to study in detail to analyze a myth or contradiction. In the critical case study, the reasons and consequences are examined.
Problem-focused. The name suggests that this type of case study writing aims to review and solve a problem.
Cumulative. This type of case study is similar to research paper writing. Here students need to gather information from different sources and then make a conclusion on an issue, problem, or phenomenon.

The type you choose depends on the aim or the professor’s preferences. Don’t be afraid to propose something or make suggestions if you feel that the required type isn’t a good fit.

How To Write A Good Case Study?

Now we’re getting to the point. If you want to submit a top-grade assignment, you must prepare that it’s boring. Research paper writing is much more interesting, especially since you like making experiments and observations. Case study writing can be a daunting process for you, but it’s worth it. Of course, much depends on the subject you study: if it’s a statistical case study, it’ll be replete with numbers, graphs, diagrams, and other information.

To produce a good paper, one needs to understand what ‘good’ means in terms of case study writing. Here are the features of a good case study:

It’s coherent, concise, and easy to read. Your goal is to make this paper as short as possible. Avoid unnecessary information, present data coherently, and know what you’re stating. An excellent way to make your case study easy and interesting is to use templates if you submit it electronically.
It’s detailed. You may seem that it’s challenging enough to make a paper that is thorough but concise at the same time. Yeah, that’s case study writing as it is. Explain the event/person/situation in detail to let your readers understand the point. If there are some visual aids you can use, don’t ignore this opportunity.
It shows your knowledge. Representing the already known facts in a case study is okay, but it’s not enough to consider your paper deserves an A grade. Instead, show what you’ve learned, and give your readers some information proving that you have expertise in this field.

Step-By-Step Case Study Writing Process

Now you know what to focus on when working on your case study. Great, isn’t it? So let’s move on and try to answer the following question: “How to write a case study?” Everything you need to start writing is to set yourself up properly. Then, when you feel you’re ready, just follow the steps below:

Get acquainted with the rubric. The amount of information on case study writing on the Internet is huge, but you must rely on your professor’s requirements. The title usually contains the evaluation criteria and helps you understand what is required of you.
Identify the format. This step is a part of the previous one because formatting and structuring requirements often are included in the rubric. Here is a list of obligatory elements of the case study, although it may vary:
Executive summary (an overview of what will be discussed).
Context (a few sentences that present the background information).
Analysis (evaluation of some elements of the case).
Possible solutions (propose ways to solve the issue or improve something).
Conclusion (explain what you’ve learned, why your solutions are the best, etc.).
Action plan (how to implement the solutions and strategies you offered).
Reference list (a place to mention all sources you used).
Choose your goal or objective. It will have no result until you don’t understand why you write a case study. Neither your academic performance nor understanding of the field of study will improve. Define what you will be your subject and why.
Ensure that you comply with the rules. For example, is a chosen person agree with being a subject of your case study? If you plan to mention or quote some people, get permission. If not, skip this point.
Give a context. Start writing by presenting the background information that proves the problem exists. It’s a perfect place to add some statistical data, numbers, figures, quotes, etc.
Provide solutions. This section discusses the solution and how it was reached. It guides the reader through the information that led to the final decision. This section may contain opinions and speculations from the author.
Present your methodology. How did you come to the solutions presented? What research methods have you used? Where did you get the information? Be detailed, but avoid making your case study watery.
Draw a conclusion. Here you need to present the lessons you’ve learned, the outcomes you came to, and present the strategies for implementing your solutions. Again, adding a call-to-action here would be good practice.

Use sources of information, both textual and visual, to show the relevance of your case study. Cite them properly according to the required format, and everything will be okay. Write the first draft, read and revise it. Maybe you’ll need to place information in other sections, or something will turn out completely irrelevant. Don’t skip the editing stage, especially when writing a case study.

The Bottom Line

You’ve done a great job – you wrote your first case study. We hope that this experience was positive due to our help. If you feel that something is still unclear, use Google to study the aspect deeply. Be attentive when writing, and then carefully revise your paper before submitting it. Make an effort on yourself, and your project will be assessed highly.