12 academic publications;
8 media outlets covering the initiative;
5: Data-Powered Patents | |
Citation patterns in granted patents in the field of biology | |
The analysis of data citation patterns in the field of biology showed how over 8,000 patents were based on publicly available data. While this proves the usefulness of repositories as a whole, it also shows how the evaluation of researchers should consider data citations and alternative sources, too, as these are often key to uncover the broader industrial and societal value of academic research. | |
citations; patents; text mining | |
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed); Socio/Economic impact | |
Impact on economy and business | |
8,000 patents thanks to open data | |
Recent (<5 years) | |
2014 | |
6: Sharing Research Data and Infrastructure to Study Proteins | |
A research group's impact on the study of circular dichroism | |
The DICHROWEB and PCDDB platforms are widely used for the study of proteins. Since their release, hundreds of thousands of users accessed them, from both academia and the private sector. In academia, the platforms fuel research and teaching, while they led to several advances in industry, including the development of 11 patents. | |
protein; repository; infrastructure | |
MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact; Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Impact on health and wellbeing | |
375,000 analyses; 3,600 registered users; over 1,000 citations; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2001 | |
7: Using Flies to Understand The Human Brain | |
Harvesting published data to power neurobiology research | |
Studying the brain of fruit flies is helping researchers uncover how our brains work at the molecular level. Data repositories such as the Virtual Fly Brain help them curate, share, and re-use data in a structured way. | |
neurobiology; medicine; fly; brain; | |
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2012 | |
8: A Data-Based Approach to Preventing Curable Eye Diseases | |
Leveraging data to inform health policies | |
The Vision Loss Expert Group (VLEG) gathered and released data on vision loss all around the world. The data is localised, which means that every country can tackle local issues to reduce the burden of eye loss. The findings of the VLEG are far-reaching and were picked up by large organisations such as PwC, the World Bank, and the World Economic Forum, shaping policies, debates, and educations programmes worldwide. | |
ophthalmology; eye health; VLEG; GBD | |
MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact; Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Impact on health and wellbeing; Impact on public services; Impact on politics and governance | |
15,000 articles harvested; $2.2 per capita to eliminate avoidable blindness in developing countries by 2020; collaboration between 79 scientists; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1990 | |
9: Self Compacting Concrete | |
Advancements in engineering led by data aggregation | |
Data from over 250 academic sources was aggregated in the form of a database and used to inform future design of self-compacting concrete. This large-scale study allowed researchers to precisely describe the differences between self-compacting concrete and "traditional" vibrated concrete. | |
concrete; database; self-compacting | |
ENGINEERING | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
250 articles; 1500 concrete mixtures analysed; | |
Recent (<5 years) | |
2014 | |
10: Preventing Drug Interactions On Your Mobile | |
Novel tools for patients and healthcare professionals | |
The iChart apps developed by the University of Liverpool help clinicians and patients with HIV or hepatitis C better deal with drug interactions. The apps allow clear and ubiquitous access to research data that has been arranged for maximum effectiveness and dissemination, thus, improving patient response and reducing the side effects experienced. In addition, clinicians can save time, as all the information they need is now available directly on their smartphones. | |
hiv; hepatitis; drug interactions | |
MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact; Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Impact on health and wellbeing | |
128 countries; 17,000 downloads; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2010 | |
11: Meeting Sustainability Objectives | |
Reducing carbon emissions from agricultural production | |
Meeting sustainability objectives is becoming increasingly important to reduce the impact of global warming. The field of agriculture has been deemed responsible for a third of our greenhouse emissions, thus, resources such as the Cool Farm Tool are essential to help people in the sector understand how they can reduce their environmental impact. | |
agriculture; carbon footprint; | |
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES | |
Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed); Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact | |
Environmental impact | |
800 global datasets for N2O; 100 global datasets for soil carbon sequestrations; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2011 | |
12: Finding Offshore Hydrocarbons | |
Leveraging satellite data to improve the efficiency of exploration | |
Satellite data has been re-used to produced a more up-to-date and precise dataset helping with offshore exploration. The improved gravity data prepared by the researchers has shown a very high potential and is estimated to be 10% more accurate than previously-available work. The dataset has been used by major oil companies to drive decision-making and improve the safety of their exploration efforts. | |
oil; exploration; gravity | |
EARTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact; Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Impact on economy and business; Environmental impact | |
$2.5 million per project £1.2 million received 10% improvement compared to previous data | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1998 | |
13: Geological Data Made Easy | |
The British Geological Survey and the OpenGeoscience portal | |
Geological data was released by the British Geological Survey to align their resources to the principles of open science. Their efforts took the form of the OpenGeoscience portal, where data is shared through an Open Government License. Users of OpenGeoscience resources are encouraged to reshape the data to develop new products, called mash-ups, and more than 20 of these are available on the BGS website. | |
geology; survey; NERC | |
EARTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact | |
Impact on economy and business; Environmental impact | |
Over 20 mash-ups (projects derived from OpenGeoscience data) | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2010 | |
14: Protecting The Oceans By Coordinating Data Sharing Efforts | |
UNESCO’s efforts to preserve marine environments | |
UNESCO's efforts to protect marine environments materialised with the creation of IODE in 1961. The programme aims to improve data management in the field and to guide and coordinate the data gathering work by a large number of countries. Such a high-level initiative allows data to be shared very effectively, as no country could possibly gather so much information on its own. In addition, | |
marine; ocean; coordination; unesco | |
EARTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact; Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Environmental impact; Impact on politics and governance; Impact on economy and business | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1990 | |
15: Corruption in Public Sector Procurement | |
Digital whistleblowing to quantify the cost of corruption | |
The DIGIWHIST project gathered and elaborated information on public procurement and accountability of public officials within the EU and in neighbouring countries. This was picked up by the European Commission, which released a study showing how corruption may cost Europe up to €990 billion per year. | |
corruption; european commission; transparency; public sector | |
STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY | |
Socio/Economic impact; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
Impact on politics and governance; Impact on public services; Impact on economy and business | |
up to €990 billion lost to corruption yearly | |
Recent (<5 years) | |
2015 | |
16: Drones for Research | |
Using unmanned aerial vehicles to power new approaches to scientific investigations | |
Drones are becoming a constant presence in technology news and media, thus, it is not surprising that they also caught the attention of the research community. Drones allow researchers to capture aerial images easily and at a low cost, however, the data they gather needs to be properly curated to allow any applications. In the field of agriculture, drone-captured datasets are being used to spot plant diseases and help farmers better protect their yields. In addition, drone time-stamped drone image sets have been used to study how to best protect crops and land from floods. | |
agriculture; drones | |
AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact; Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Impact on economy and business; Economic; Environmental | |
Recent (<5 years) | |
2016 | |
17: Data-Enhanced Archaeology | |
Using modern tools to study ancient times | |
In the field of archaeology, data is scarce and difficult to find. This is simply because it usually comes from excavations or physical operations on artefacts, which are normally expensive and can be performed only in certain conditions. The Archaeology Data Service (ADS) aims to fill the gap by freely providing more than 1.3 million metadata records on archaeological data and by driving developments in research data management in the field. The service enables increased efficiency thanks to data reuse and this is valued at at least £13 million per annum. | |
archaeological data; repository | |
HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
£13 million per annum savings due to increased efficiency; 2-fold to 8-fold return on investment; 44% of interviewed stakeholders could not have carried out their work without the ADS; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1996 | |
18: Supporting Science and Industry by Sharing Computer Code | |
Sharing software as a form of research data | |
Sharing software is not as common as sharing other types of research data, however, it is sometimes very impactful. The Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) software in the field of neuroimaging is an example of how sharing computer code can lead to far-reaching effects. In this case, making the code public allowed the creation of a new field of study and led the software to become the leader in the sector. In addition, thanks to the licensing chosen, some companies were able to exploit the code to create derivative products, which are generating substantial income, while major pharmaceutical companies are using it in the field of drug research. | |
software; code; algorithms | |
MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES | |
Socio/Economic impact; Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Economic; Technological; Health | |
64% of users in the field use the software; €5,000 for each license (software derived from sharing); | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1991 | |
19: Citizen Science at Zooniverse | |
Sharing data and efforts via an online platform | |
It is not always easy to deal with large amounts of data. At times, algorithms can help researchers make sense of their large datasets, however, sometimes the human mind cannot be replaced. In these cases, platforms like Zooniverse come to the researchers' help, allowing them to have citizen volunteers analyse scientific data and enable new scientific discoveries. More than 130 articles were published thanks to citizen science, showing how wise research data management can allow the crowd-sourcing of scientific research. | |
crowd-sourced research; citizen science | |
INFORMATION AND COMPUTING SCIENCES | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
More than 130 articles published; Over 1.5 million registered volunteers; At least 58 web-based citizen science projects; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2009 | |
20: History and Data | |
The link between disciplines that seem diametrically opposed | |
Access to ancient books, manuscripts, and artefacts is often limited due to their fragility and importance. In addition, they are spread between several locations, which makes the work of historians difficult. The digitisation of heritage data by the British History Online digital library bridges the gap by making material available to researchers from all over the world. The application of research data management in this field led to changes in the researchers' workflow and earned the library a large number of citations in the academic literature and mentions in the news. | |
British history; digitisation; library | |
HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
330,000 unique visitors a month; 1,410 Google Scholar results; 9 mentions in news; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2003 | |
21: Saving the Earth from Mankind | |
How can we preserve Earth and develop sustainably? | |
Our planet needs to be protected, as human development tends to ignore sustainability and the effect business has on the environment and on biodiversity. Luckily, things are slowly changing, and better decisions and policies supported by research data can now be made. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) plays a critical role in enabling sustainable development by hosting evidence on more than 1.6 million species and its data is featured in more than 1,400 research papers. GBIF data is used by scientists, policymakers, and journalists alike. | |
biodiversity; environment; sustainable development | |
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact; Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Political; Economic; Environmental | |
Evidence on more than 1.6 million species; 1,400 peer-reviewed articles citing GBIF data; 81 countries; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1999 | |
22: Understanding Mobile Users and Evaluating Vulnerabilities | |
User data as an investigation tool | |
The Device Analyzer project gathers data on smartphone usage and curates it for re-use by companies, universities, and research institutes. The project's data led to the development of important statistics on the vulnerability of smartphones using the Android operating system. The researchers found that this is related to the slow pace of system updates and only manufacturers have the tools to address the problem. | |
Android; smartphone; mobile phones | |
INFORMATION AND COMPUTING SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
30,978 contributors; 87.7% of Android devices are exposed to at least one of 11 known critical vulnerabilities | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2012 | |
23: Understanding War | |
Data-powered insights into the motives and consequences of war | |
In the world, there are currently 58 ongoing conflicts. These cause tens of thousands of fatalities each year and are related to reasons that are obscure, complex, and often difficult to understand. Researchers and political scientists have been trying to uncover the reasons for war for a long time. Today, they can leverage data to explain conflicts, and geotagged datasets can be organised to build visualisations that greatly facilitate the understanding of contexts and actors in a war. The use of research data management is instrumental in helping us fully grasp the reasons for conflicts and, hopefully, preventing future ones. | |
War; conflicts | |
STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact | |
Political; Societal | |
4,000 citations: Correlates of War project 3,800 citations: Uppsala Conflict Data Program | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2012 | |
24: Surfing Gravitational Waves | |
Understanding gravity and Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity | |
Since 2002, the LIGO experiment has been running and collecting data in the domain of astrophysics. This very large facility created over 1 petabyte of information, which required management for several years. This effort has allowed researchers to confirm the existence of gravitational waves, ripples in space time hypothesised by Einstein. In addition, data from the experiment is being used to produce peer-reviewed publications and additional information on past detections, such as visuals, audio, and other media. | |
gravitational waves; relativity | |
PHYSICAL SCIENCES | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
111,000 news mentions; Over 1 petabyte of data | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1994 | |
25: Art From The Comfort Of Your Chair | |
Aggregating arts metadata to power a digital museum | |
Educational institutions, museums, and other organisations hold a wealth of information on paintings, sculpture, and artefacts. This has historically been kept private or indexed locally, however, the Europeana project aims to aggregate metadata in the field of arts and make it publicly accessible. Over 3,000 organisation contribute to the portal, which hosts more than 54 million records from across Europe. The Europeana project has been using its material to promote creative thinking in a number of disciplines and led to the creation of a web exhibition platform for institutions holding art. In addition, Europeana tracks research arising from its data through the Europeana Treasures blogpost series. | |
cultural heritage; digitisation | |
LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact | |
Technological; Cultural | |
Collaboration of 3,000 institutions; 54,364,816 artworks, artefacts, books, videos and sounds from across Europe; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2008 | |
1: A Performance Artwork Based on Datasets and Partnerships | |
music; sound; software | |
EARTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
>430GB of data created | |
Recent (<5 years) | |
2014 | |
Top of Short-form Case Studies
2: Open Science Underpins Collaboration: The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) | |
protein structure | |
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact | |
Economic | |
over 1,500 protein structures and 75 kinase structures shared; Protein Data Bank is worth $12 billion; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2003 | |
3: Testing Doubts About the Reliability of Science: The Reproducibility Project | |
reproducibility; open science | |
PSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES | |
Reproducibility | |
Only 40% of findings could be replicated | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2011 | |
4: Large Volumes of Data Engage Large Communities: Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)) | |
space; citizen science | |
EARTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Classification of nearly 900,000 galaxies | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1998 | |
5: Scholarly Communication is About Combining Effort: Polymath Project | |
collaboration; problem solving | |
MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
3 out of 12 mathematical problems solved; 6 published articles; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2009 | |
6: Is Citizen Generated Data Suitable for Academic Purposes? Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) | |
maps; volunteered data | |
EARTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Only 12% of photographs considered unusable | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2004 | |
7: A Specialist Research Data Archive: Crawdad | |
wireless; networks | |
INFORMATION AND COMPUTING SCIENCES | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
2378 papers using CRAWDAD datasets or mentioning CRAWDAD; 1217 downloads for the most popular datasets and 566 citations; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2004 | |
8: A Large-Scale Research Data Service: The European Bioinformatics Institute | |
genome information | |
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES | |
Reproducibility; Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact | |
Economic | |
Efficiency gains worth £1 billion per annum; Future research impact worth £335 million annually or £2.5 billion over 30 years | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1992 | |
9: Combining Data & Influencing Government Sustainability Policies | |
travelling; sustainability | |
MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact | |
Political; Societal | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2008 | |
10: Objective Measures & Self-Reported Data Underpin Policy On Obesity: Health Survey for England (HSE) | |
health survey; obesity | |
MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1991 | |
11: Archival Acceptance as an "Indicator of Quality": Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) Testimonial Data | |
crisis; diaries | |
MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact | |
Societal | |
3,200 weekly diaries leading to the understanding of how people react to abnormal events | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2001 | |
12: Improving Policy by Providing Data: Live Music Exchange (LMX) | |
live music | |
LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE | |
Socio/Economic impact | |
Political | |
Recent (<5 years) | |
2015 | |
13: From Hard Copy Primary Sources to An Open Online Resource: Reading Experience Database, (RED) | |
reading | |
LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Methodological impact (e.g., new approaches developed) | |
contributions of >120 volunteers, who created over 6000 entries; >1800 users per month from >135 countries; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
1995 | |
14: Qualitative Data in Many Formats, Archived Online: Tate Encounters | |
qualitative data; museum | |
STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY | |
Socio/Economic impact | |
Societal; Cultural | |
300 student questionnaires; 200 student essays on Tate Modern and Tate Britain; 12 student workshops; 12 in depth student research projects; 5 extended participant family edited ethnographic films; 38 Tate staff interviews and interviews with 72 participants through the Research in Process events at Tate Britain; | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2010 | |
15: Data Combination and Self Re-Use: Understanding Pauper Lives in Georgian London | |
pauper lives; London | |
HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
Over 300,000 records about over 50,000 poor individuals in the West End of London | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2004 | |
16: Ireland-Bristol Trade in the Sixteenth Century | |
trade; Ireland; England | |
HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2006 | |
17: Film and an Ethnographic Approach: Buddhist Cosmology in Food | |
buddhism; food | |
LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
6 videos created as a project output | |
Recent (<5 years) | |
2014 | |
18: Data About Data Archiving: ICPSR’s Data Sharing in the Social Sciences | |
meta-analysis | |
STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
Long-standing (5+ years) | |
2010 | |
19: Research Data Supports Restoration: Mackintosh Architecture | |
restoration; building | |
BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort); Socio/Economic impact | |
Societal; Cultural | |
350 architectural projects shared | |
Recent (<5 years | |
2014 | |
20: Evidencing Value of Artistic, Cultural or Sporting Activities: UK Subjective Well-Being Data (SWB) | |
understanding society; sport; culture | |
STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY | |
Efficiency in research and data re-use (e.g., reduce duplication of effort) | |
Recent (<5 years) | |
2016 | |
Updated about 7 years ago
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Published on 5 May 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 30 January 2023.
A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organisation, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research.
A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods , but quantitative methods are sometimes also used. Case studies are good for describing , comparing, evaluating, and understanding different aspects of a research problem .
When to do a case study, step 1: select a case, step 2: build a theoretical framework, step 3: collect your data, step 4: describe and analyse the case.
A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. It allows you to explore the key characteristics, meanings, and implications of the case.
Case studies are often a good choice in a thesis or dissertation . They keep your project focused and manageable when you don’t have the time or resources to do large-scale research.
You might use just one complex case study where you explore a single subject in depth, or conduct multiple case studies to compare and illuminate different aspects of your research problem.
Research question | Case study |
---|---|
What are the ecological effects of wolf reintroduction? | Case study of wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park in the US |
How do populist politicians use narratives about history to gain support? | Case studies of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán and US president Donald Trump |
How can teachers implement active learning strategies in mixed-level classrooms? | Case study of a local school that promotes active learning |
What are the main advantages and disadvantages of wind farms for rural communities? | Case studies of three rural wind farm development projects in different parts of the country |
How are viral marketing strategies changing the relationship between companies and consumers? | Case study of the iPhone X marketing campaign |
How do experiences of work in the gig economy differ by gender, race, and age? | Case studies of Deliveroo and Uber drivers in London |
Once you have developed your problem statement and research questions , you should be ready to choose the specific case that you want to focus on. A good case study should have the potential to:
Unlike quantitative or experimental research, a strong case study does not require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed new light on the research problem.
If you find yourself aiming to simultaneously investigate and solve an issue, consider conducting action research . As its name suggests, action research conducts research and takes action at the same time, and is highly iterative and flexible.
However, you can also choose a more common or representative case to exemplify a particular category, experience, or phenomenon.
While case studies focus more on concrete details than general theories, they should usually have some connection with theory in the field. This way the case study is not just an isolated description, but is integrated into existing knowledge about the topic. It might aim to:
To ensure that your analysis of the case has a solid academic grounding, you should conduct a literature review of sources related to the topic and develop a theoretical framework . This means identifying key concepts and theories to guide your analysis and interpretation.
There are many different research methods you can use to collect data on your subject. Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as interviews, observations, and analysis of primary and secondary sources (e.g., newspaper articles, photographs, official records). Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data .
The aim is to gain as thorough an understanding as possible of the case and its context.
In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject.
How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are doing. Some case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper or thesis, with separate sections or chapters for the methods , results , and discussion .
Others are written in a more narrative style, aiming to explore the case from various angles and analyse its meanings and implications (for example, by using textual analysis or discourse analysis ).
In all cases, though, make sure to give contextual details about the case, connect it back to the literature and theory, and discuss how it fits into wider patterns or debates.
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
McCombes, S. (2023, January 30). Case Study | Definition, Examples & Methods. Scribbr. Retrieved 3 September 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/research-methods/case-studies/
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When conducting research, it is important to have a clear research title, identify and state the research problems, and formulate objectives and research questions. The research title should be concise and reflect the main focus of the study. It should provide a clear indication of what the research aims to investigate. The research problems ...
How to Make a Research Paper Title with Examples
The purpose of case study research is twofold: (1) to provide descriptive information and (2) to suggest theoretical relevance. Rich description enables an in-depth or sharpened understanding of the case. It is unique given one characteristic: case studies draw from more than one data source. Case studies are inherently multimodal or mixed ...
How to Use Case Studies in Research: Guide and Examples
80+ Exceptional Research Titles Examples in Different Areas
Revised on November 20, 2023. A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research. A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods, but quantitative methods are ...
Definition, Methods, and Examples. Case study methodology offers researchers an exciting opportunity to explore intricate phenomena within specific contexts using a wide range of data sources and collection methods. It is highly pertinent in health and social sciences, environmental studies, social work, education, and business studies.
A case study protocol outlines the procedures and general rules to be followed during the case study. This includes the data collection methods to be used, the sources of data, and the procedures for analysis. Having a detailed case study protocol ensures consistency and reliability in the study.
A case study is a research method commonly used in psychology to investigate a specific individual, group, or event in depth. It involves collecting detailed information through various sources, such as interviews, observations, and documents, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject being studied.
Case Study Method: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business ...
The purpose of a paper in the social sciences designed around a case study is to thoroughly investigate a subject of analysis in order to reveal a new understanding about the research problem and, in so doing, contributing new knowledge to what is already known from previous studies. In applied social sciences disciplines [e.g., education, social work, public administration, etc.], case ...
Introduction. This article deals with drafting a suitable "title" and an appropriate "abstract" for an original research paper. Because the "title" and the "abstract" are the "initial impressions" or the "face" of a research article, they need to be drafted correctly, accurately, carefully, meticulously, and consume time and energy.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10] Often, these ...
5 Simple steps to write a good research paper title - Editage
10 Research Question Examples to Guide your ...
How to Write a Great Title
According to the book Understanding Case Study Research, case studies are "small scale research with meaning" that generally involve the following: The study of a particular case, or a number of cases. That the case will be complex and bounded. That it will be studied in its context. That the analysis undertaken will seek to be holistic.
Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
Case study titles and abstracts - Research Data Network
Case study is a research methodology, typically seen in social and life sciences. There is no one definition of case study research.1 However, very simply... 'a case study can be defined as an intensive study about a person, a group of people or a unit, which is aimed to generalize over several units'.1 A case study has also been described ...
A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organisation, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research. A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods, but quantitative methods are sometimes also used.
Observational studies involve the direct observation of subjects, while surveys collect data through questionnaires or interviews. Explanation: Apart from a case study, two other examples of descriptive research methods include observational studies and surveys. An observational study involves directly observing subjects in their natural setting.
The proposed research title, based on the given case, is 'Investigation into Increasing Suspicions and Accountability Measures in Property Sector Regulators'. The key research problems would be to identify and state the issues causing suspicions, evaluate existing accountability measures, and understand the implications of these suspensions.
Descriptive research helps in making careful observations and detailed documentation of the phenomenon of interest, which in this case is the correlation between social media and its impact on mental health. Other examples of effective titles include: The Relationship Between Study Habits and Academic Performance in High School Students