First, you must determine what kind of audience you will be using the case studies for. If you are an education researcher, for instance, you will want to look at those case studies that research specific topics related to your area of study. For example, if you are an education researcher looking at historical case studies on specific topics, you will want to look at a number of different case studies that focus on specific topics from the past. Similarly, if you are looking at the records of someone as an educator, you might consider looking at case studies that pertain to the topics taught in your classes.
Second, you should also take into account whether the particular case studies are descriptive comparative, or experimental. Descriptive case studies tend to be quite general and cover a wide variety of different ways of looking at the world. Comparative case studies tend to be more descriptive and offer a specific example or lesson to illustrate how something has worked in the past. Finally, experimental case studies take on a more unique tone. Rather than a clear description of an example or an event, an experimental case study will often take a more playful approach, poking fun at a situation and its implications. The best case studies will allow the reader, the researcher, to draw their own conclusions.
Third, research the case studies carefully before you use them in your own work, reports, presentations, etc. Don’t just copy a case study word for word from another source without changing the meaning. Try to make sure that the case studies you use to help the reader understand the main point of the case study. This can go a long way towards helping the reader to understand the report that they are reading, especially if you are working on a paper or presentation.
Fourth, when doing case studies yourself, you may want to take into consideration in doing a case study survey. A survey can be done by using a survey software package that allows you to ask multiple questions pertaining to each case study in turn. You can then collect data such as demographics, types of participants, etc. to help with collecting further data in the future. Doing a survey can be a good way for both the researcher and the case study participant to get some feedback, so it is well worth doing.
Fifth, case studies often provide an in-depth look at how real people dealt with certain situations. This is valuable because it helps researchers better understand how real people might have handled similar situations. If the information is well-written and well-researched, case studies can help make people more aware of how they should deal with similar situations in the future. It also provides an in-depth look at a real problem and the ways in which people resolve it. The results can be useful and enlightening, if the researcher writes on a topic that is of interest to many people.
Sixth, when doing case studies, the researcher wants to make sure that they accurately describe the phenomenon. For example, a real marketing case study may describe how a new product was promoted using television commercials, in an attempt to attract new customers. In this case, the researcher wants to ensure that there is sufficient detail that describes the way in which the product was promoted. The researcher should also make sure that their description of the marketing phenomenon is complete; including all details that pertain to the specific product and how it was promoted.
Seventh, the research method used should be appropriate for the type of case study the researcher is working on. For example, a short case study focused on how a small amount of change can lead to significant changes in a person’s life is different than a long case study, which details how someone might change if they were successful. Case studies can be a great addition to a university’s curriculum or dissertation due to their rich level of detail and ability to help people learn new things. Case study research methods often serve a specific purpose; it is important to understand that before choosing a particular research method.
