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FAQs

How many participants are needed for a case study? ›

In case study research, the case number is often less than 12 and may even be a single case. 4 The eight participants of my study were female clinical laboratory scientists who held the position of a higher education administrator and resided in the Midwest region of the United States.

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.

A case study is a methodological research approach used to generate an in-depth understanding of a contemporary issue or phenomenon in a bounded system. A case study is one of the most widely used and accepted means of qualitative research methods in the social sciences.

Some famous examples of case studies are John Martin Marlow's case study on Phineas Gage (the man who had a railway spike through his head) and Sigmund Freud's case studies, Little Hans and The Rat Man. Case studies are widely used in psychology to provide insight into unusual conditions.

The standard in qualitative research is that it takes 12-13 responses to reach saturation -- meaning whether you survey 13 or 130 people, the number of insights/themes you get is the same. There are folks who debate the exact number of participants, but most in the scientific community agree it's below 20.

While 30 is a good starting point for sample size, it is important to note that the optimal sample size will vary depending on the specific statistical test being used, the desired level of confidence, and the amount of variability in the population.

Generally, a case study is either formatted as an essay or a report. If it is the latter, your assignment is often divided into sections with headings and subheadings to ensure easy access to key points of interest.

There are several types of case studies, including explanatory, exploratory, intrinsic, collective, and instrumental case studies. Each type serves a different purpose and focuses on different aspects of the research question.

Can a case study be a thesis? Yes, in fact a case study is a very good option in your dissertation. There are multiple ways to implement a case study in your thesis.

Case study writing is all about making impressive claims about how a product helped someone achieve a certain result. However, it also needs to explain how it happened. Good case studies include key details that show how the customer got from A to B using the product—something you don't get with customer reviews.

What is the difference between a case study and a research paper? ›

What is the difference between a research paper and a case study? A research paper is an essay that explains the issues examined, objectives, methodology and findings of a research. A case study is a research method where you pick an individual entity or phenomenon and study it exhaustively (in depth).

A good maximum sample size is usually around 10% of the population, as long as this does not exceed 1000. For example, in a population of 5000, 10% would be 500. In a population of 200,000, 10% would be 20,000.

Sessions work best when the group size is between 5-20 people so that everyone has an opportunity to participate. You may choose to have one large whole-class discussion or break into sub-groups and have smaller discussions.

Most resources tell you that a case study should be 500-1500 words. We also encourage you to have a prominent snapshot section of 100 words or less. The results and benefits section should take the bulk of the word count.

Case studies can use one participant, or a small group of participants. However, it is important that the participant pool remain relatively small. The participants can represent a diverse cross section of society, but this isn't necessary.