A case study is an in-depth research project where the writer takes one situation or problem and attempts to discuss or solve the topic with one specific example, or case. The writer can discuss, for instance, issues in politics by researching one town's government, provide a solution for rising high school dropout rates by interviewing one student, or even test pet training methods on one dog. The purpose of the case study is to provide a solution to an existing issue, and this requires extensive hands-on research and a thoroughly written article.
Choose the topic for your case study. A case study is an in-depth project that will require you to go above and beyond merely finding the results of other people's work and discussing these points. You will have to conduct your own research and share your findings in your paper. As such, be sure to pick a topic that you are interested in and that you can reasonably research. In other words, if you decide to focus on one person, be sure to have access to this person for interviews and observation.
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Research your case. Like any other research paper, many sources are required in order to strengthen your case study. In addition to the typical books, articles and websites, however, you need to include interviews and/or hands-on research. This information will be the backbone of your study.
Analyze and organize your information. Before you can begin the writing process, you should have a good idea of what direction your paper will take based on your findings. Part of the organization process should include listing your sources for the reference page.
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Prepare the title page. This should include the title, running head, author, byline, institutional affiliation, and author note. Also, as APA style requires you to number each page, include this as page one.
Write the abstract. This should be located on page two of your case study, and will contain the four or five most important points that will be discussed in the following pages. For the purposes of the case study, this means the individual or organization under study, the problem addressed, and the questions raised. Keep the abstract to about 150-200 words in one block paragraph format.
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Write the body of your case study. A thorough discussion of your research and findings should be written in an engaging way. Remember that a case study is supposed to provide a solution to an existing problem, so your paper should tell a story using formal language, allowing the reader to reach your conclusion along with you. Format your paper with 1 inch margins, a running header, 12-point font, double-spacing and section headers.
Organize the reference page. You are required to include a reference page with all your sources when writing in APA style. This should be written in alphabetical order by author and include pertinent information such as article name, publication name, website and year, among other things, depending on the type of source. Format this page with a hanging indent, where the first line is flush left and all subsequent lines are indented one half-inch from the margin.
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