You would like to apply the case study research methodology to you next academic paper or thesis?
Then you should stop everything else right away, because in this article you will get a super fast and effective beginner’s tutorial on how to conduct a case study.
In only 6 easy-to-follow steps you will learn the basics of case study research and how to apply them.
What is the case study research methodology?
Case study research is often used in social sciences. It investigates a current phenomenon that can be observed in our world (as opposed to, for example, historical events or natural laws).
This phenomenon is always anchored in a specific context, which must be taken into account throughout the entire case study. A possible context can be an organization, a country, or even a single person.
The case needs to provide the context in which the phenomenon under investigation can be observed.
In a case study, the researcher has no influence on the events (as opposed to, for example, an experiment in a laboratory). Rather, data is collected in the field or from third parties about that case to analyze the phenomenon and to arrive at theoretical and/or practical conclusions.
Both qualitative approaches (such as interviews and grounded theory) and quantitative methods (such as surveys and statistical tests) can be used in data collection and analysis. The special feature is that the research focuses only on one specific “case”.
Comparative or multiple case studies are special forms of case study research that relate and contrast several cases to each other.
A case study always answers a specific research question, which is best started with “how” or in rare cases also with “why”.
Who should use a case study research methodology?
As mentioned earlier, a case study is a methodology that is popular in the social sciences. Those include economics, psychology, political science, and so on.
Natural sciences and humanities do not fall under this category. However, as interdisciplinary research and teaching are almost everywhere nowadays, it is not impossible that case studies can also be used here. Case studies are therefore a quite common and widely used research methodology.
Critics of this method claim that case studies are too “soft”. This means that they have little explanatory power due to their descriptive research design. This can be countered by collecting unique data and analyzing it empirically, resulting in a “harder” case study.
Moreover, critics would claim that a lack of generalizability is a limitation of case studies. This is true, but only for statistical generalization. Other forms of generalization are possible with case studies but are often not considered.
Differences exist here both between different disciplines and cultural backgrounds. For example, case studies in European management literature must be quite “hard”. In the United States, on the other hand, case studies are often written quite “soft” and rely on the storytelling and interpretative abilities of the authors.
Especially for a dissertation, a case study is a great option. Depending on your data collection possibilities and methodological training, a dissertation can move freely on the spectrum from “soft” to “hard”.
Conducting a Case Study in 6 Steps
Now that you have all the background information, let’s move on to the 6 steps you can follow to write a case study.
I mainly rely on the work of Robert K. Yin and the 2014 version of his book “Case Study Research: Design and Methods”.
You can find the book linked below the video and in any well-organized university library.
Whenever you want to use the case study research methodology in academia, you should refer to at least one source in your methods chapter that has established generally accepted rules for the process. In Yin’s book, you will also find an overview of the most important sources for each research discipline.
Planning your case study #1
First and foremost, you need to decide that you want to conduct a case study. But that’s not enough. You should carefully consider why a case study is preferable to other methods.
- Why is a literature review, a survey, or an experiment unsuitable?
- What are the advantages of a case study in your situation?
- Is a case study even possible with your resources?
You should have an answer to these questions and discuss them with your supervisor. Planning also includes formulating a research question.
To conduct a case study you need a relevant research question. Start with the question word “how” and proceed slowly. There are two possibilities:
- Case-specific research question (e.g., “How does Volkswagen respond to hate speech on Twitter in the wake of the Dieselgate scandal?”)
- Generic research question (e.g., “How do large companies respond to hate speech on social media?”)
Both approaches are possible and have their advantages and disadvantages. The research question should always be discussed with your supervisor.
Setting up the research design #2
Now it’s time to set up your research design. The crucial questions here are:
Which method(s) can be used to answer my research question?
And:
What data do I need for that?
In my example, I could proceed as follows: I construct my case study backwards. I could answer my research question by identifying various strategies in the Twitter replies of the VW Group.
I could do this by collecting a dataset of relevant tweets (e.g., using the hashtag “Dieselgate”) and applying qualitative content analysis.
Can I answer the question differently?
Sure. In theory, I could also interview VW employees and have them answer the question.
Which approach you choose also depends on the possibilities you have to obtain data.
Preparing for data collection #3
Now it’s time to prepare. Just follow these three steps:
Create a literature review
Before you do any research, you have to read. Conduct a thorough literature review that reflects the current state of research.
(And if you are a bit more advanced:)
Is there a theory that can explain your case study?
In this case, establish a theoretical background. You do this by focusing on a theory that helps you understand the phenomenon under investigation. You then discuss your results in relation to this theory.
Identify data sources
Where do I get my data from?
Which interview partners do you need, which social media platforms, which company data? Which archive reports?
Contact the right people
Now all you have to do is get access to the data. Write to interview partners, call archive owners, and so on. Create a table with all your data sources for better overview and keep a diary of your progress.
- Whom have you already contacted?
- Who responded positively?
- Were there any rejections?
This way you can meet your desired timeline and optimize your project management.
Data collection #4
The fourth step according to Yin is actual data collection. Again, this can look completely different depending on your research design.
If you conduct interviews, I just apply the method as you would normally do. Remember that a case study is a methodology and not a method.
This means that you are flexible in the methods you choose.
At this point, the literature review should be completed and already written up.
Data analysis #5
The most work when conducting a case study awaits you in the analysis. In “hard” case studies, of course, a little more than in “soft” ones. When analyzing your data, follow a few guiding questions.
- How can your data be described?
- Do the data have special characteristics?
- What patterns can be identified here?
Collect your results digitally and make enough backups. Nothing is more annoying than losing days of work. Use software wherever possible, because you are not the first person to conduct such an analysis. Smart software solutions make pretty much every research method easier.
Interpreting the results #6
Finally, you filter the important results from the unimportant ones and present them “from general to specific” in the results section of your manuscript.
These 3 elements are essential for an outstanding case study:
- Figures (e.g., flowcharts, bar charts, or pie charts)
- Tables (e.g., with absolute or relative values of your analysis; results of statistical calculations such as frequencies or correlations)
- Explanatory text between the visual elements that shows the reader which of the results are particularly noteworthy
In another chapter, you discuss the results in relation to:
- Your specific case
- General conclusions or implications (to theory)
Note that the results of a case study are not generalizable in a statistical sense. However, other generalizations are possible if your reader is willing to make some judgement calls.
For examples, this means that you should not draw conclusions about all other car manufacturers from VW. However, you can advise the reader to transfer the findings onto a another case if they are willing to accept that this case is similar enough to VW.
Moreover, case studies are great if researchers want to develop new theory. This is why case study research methodology is often combined with techniques from grounded theory.