Writing Case Studies: A Simple Guide

Mariagni Ellina & Tamar Gabay, Action Against Hunger UK, July 2017

CONTENTS

1. CASE STUDY DEFINITIONS AND PURPOSE

2. TYPES OF CASE STUDIES

3. WRITING YOUR CASE STUDY: STEP BY STEP

4. CASE STUDY MAIN SECTIONS

5. INTERNAL PROCESSES

6. SOURCES

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1. Case Study Definition and Purpose
a) Definition
There is more than one definition for Case Studies, particularly as they have been used in various fields
and disciplines, including social science, psychology, anthropology and ecology. Case studies are being
increasingly used in the humanitarian and development sector for research, communication and
evaluation purposes. Some definitions from practitioners and online sources are listed below:

A case study is…

A research design that involves an intensive study of one or more cases rather than an extensive study of
many, and which involve multiple sources of evidence – often a combination of quantitative and qualitative
data.1

The collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular participant or small group,
frequently including data derived from the subjects themselves.

A detailed descriptive narrative of either individuals, communities, organisations, events, programmes or

time period.

A story about something unique, special, or interesting—stories can be about individuals, organizations,
processes, programmes, neighbourhoods, institutions, and even events.2

Case Studies should not be confused with other research or communication products, such as an
evaluation, a press release, a blog-post, a progress report.

b) Purpose
“The case study gives the story behind the result by capturing what happened to bring it about, and can be
a good opportunity to highlight a project’s success, or to bring attention to a particular challenge or difficulty
in a project.”3

Case studies can serve the following purposes:

 Investigate in detail a particular story, event or phenomenon
 Share knowledge with others
 Engage others
 Learn about a programme/project
 Call for change or action

2. Types of case studies4

There are different types of case studies and different terms are used to describe a variety of case
studies. You may want to consider which type is the most appropriate for your purpose.

Main categories of case studies:

1
http://www.betterevaluation.org/en/blog/better_use_of_case_studies_in_evaluation (last accessed 27/07/2017)
2
Yin, R.K., 2003, quoted by Palena Neale, Shyam Thapa, Carolyn Boyce. Preparing A Case Study: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a
Case Study for Evaluation Input. 2006.
3
Palena Neale, Shyam Thapa, Carolyn Boyce. Preparing A Case Study: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input.
2006
4
This section draws from the Better Evaluation: Sharing information to improve evaluations’ website on an article produced by Patricia
Rogers, 12 August 2014, available at: http://www.betterevaluation.org/en/blog/better_use_of_case_studies_in_evaluation (last accessed
27/07/2017)

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 1. Explanatory: This type of case study would be used when the question at the heart of the study
is trying to explain a link between cause and effect, but when an experimental or quasi-
experimental design are not appropriate (e.g. comparing between an intervention and a control
group). For example, the explanations would link programme implementation with programme
effects or explain relationships among programme components (Yin, 2003).
2. Descriptive/illustrative: It is used to describe an intervention or phenomenon and the real-life
context in which it occurred. It is descriptive in character and intended to add realism and in-
depth examples to other information about a programme or policy. Descriptive case studies
are often used to complement quantitative data by providing examples of the overall findings.
3. Exploratory: This is also descriptive but is aimed at generating hypotheses for later
investigation rather than simply providing illustration. This type of case study is done before
planning a component of the evaluation which will involve extensive data collection (such as a
survey). It is used to explore those situations in which the intervention being evaluated has no
clear, single set of outcomes (Yin, 2003).

Under these main categories, there are many different types of case studies. Typical case studies
include:

 Critical instance: This examines a single instance of unique interest, or serves as a critical test
of an assertion about a programme, problem or strategy.
 Programme implementation: This investigates operations, often at several sites, and often with
reference to a set of norms or standards about implementation processes.
 Programme effects: This examines the causal links between the programme and observed
effects (outputs, outcomes or impacts, depending on the timing of the evaluation) and usually
involves multisite, multimethod evaluations. It involves detailed and strategic data collection
to identify and test different theories about what has produced the observed impacts.
 Cumulative: This brings together findings from many case studies to answer evaluative
questions (i.e. meta-analysis).
 Comparative case studies: These are not only multiple case studies but ones which are designed
to use the comparisons between the cases to build and test hypotheses.

 When is a Case Study appropriate?

According to Neale & al., “case studies are appropriate when there is a unique or interesting
story to be told. Case studies are often used to provide context to other data (such as outcome
data), offering a more complete picture of what happened in the program[me] and why.” 5
Case studies have advantages over other methods, for example they can provide more detailed
information over surveys, and present more opportunities to engage different audiences.
However, there are also limitations, such as the fact they can be lengthy, can lack rigor and
allow biases, and that they usually do not produce generalizable evidence.

3. Writing a Case Study: step by step6

As in other types of research or evaluation, the process of writing a case study includes four main
steps: planning, collecting data, analysing data, and disseminating final output.

5
Palena Neale, Shyam Thapa, Carolyn Boyce. Preparing A Case Study: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input.
2006.
6
This section draws from the authors experience and the following resources:

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Planning
1. What and why?

Be clear about:

 What the case under investigation is –A person, a site, a project, an event, a procedure, a country,
or something else?
 What is it a case of - Successful implementation, a case that illustrates the barriers to successful
implementation? A typical day? A small project, as compared to a large project?
 Why are you doing a case study
 Who is your audience

2. Linking with the wider MEAL system

Case studies should be linked to other elements of monitoring and evaluation system or the evaluation
process.

Consider when the case studies should be done and how they can be linked. For example:

 Exploratory case studies can be useful to do before a survey

 Explanatory case studies are likely to be useful after a survey

Case studies are also often used for learning & accountability and to generate further evidence, or for
communications & fundraising. In this case it would be useful to plan for Case Studies and account for
them in a project’s MEAL timeframe and budget (or allow for flexibility in time and resources).

3. Methodology

Your sampling, data collection, analysis and reporting should match the type of case study you have
selected.

3.1 Sampling

Case studies usually use purposive sampling (random sampling is normally inappropriate), which means
that as the author of the case study, you select the key informants to interview, project sites to visit,
number of people to talk to etc.

This should be done with care to ensure that appropriate inference or interpretation of findings can
be made. For example, it would not be appropriate to sample extreme cases (such as a very successful
site) and then draw conclusions on the project as a whole, as if the sample was a typical case.

When the type of case study and why you are doing it are clear, the sample that is needed will also
become clear. For example:

 If you want to show how the programme does on average, your sample will be a typical
programme site
 If you want to show how the programme looks like in an extremely good or bad situation, your
sample will be an outlier programme site

 Better Evaluation: Sharing information to improve evaluations’ website on an article produced by Patricia Rogers, 12 August
2014, available at: http://www.betterevaluation.org/en/blog/better_use_of_case_studies_in_evaluation (last accessed
27/07/2017).
 Palena Neale, Shyam Thapa, Carolyn Boyce. Preparing A Case Study: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for
Evaluation Input. 2006.

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  If you want to show a range of examples (i.e. how the programme looks like in different
situations), your sample will be a mix of the above.

When writing a programme related case study, ask yourself –

Do I want to showcase examples from various programme implementation sites? Is the case study
supposed to represent the whole programme or just an aspect of it? Is the case study focused on a
typical programme scenario, or a unique scenario (e.g. very accessible/remote implementation
area)?

This will help you to decide on your sampling methodology.

3.2 Developing tools for data collection7

Normally includes developing interview guides and protocols. Protocols and guides help ensuring
consistency across interviews/surveys and help increasing the reliability of the findings. In other words,
you should aim to be asking the same or similar questions when conducting interviews.

Interview/survey protocols – include the instructions that should be followed during and following
interviews and surveys. Instructions could include:
 What to say to interviewees when setting up the interview/survey;
 What to say to interviewees when beginning the interview/survey, including ensuring informed
consent of the respondent;
 What to say to respondents when concluding the interview;
 What to do during the interview (e.g. take notes, record, both);
 What to do following the interview (e.g. review and add to notes, summarise key information
from the interview)

Interview/survey guides – list the questions and the order in which they should be asked
 Develop an interview guide/survey that lists the questions or issues to be explored and
includes an informed consent form. It is likely that different guides should be developed for
each group of stakeholders.
 Where necessary, translate guides into local languages.
 If possible, test the guides once before using them.

Planning: key steps

 Brainstorm a case study topic, considering types of cases and why they are unique or
of interest.
 Identify stakeholders who will be involved.
 Identify what information is needed and from whom.
 Identify any documents needed for review.
 List stakeholders to be interviewed or surveyed and determine sample if necessary.
 Ensure research will follow international and national ethical research standards and ethics.

Collecting data
• Gather all relevant documents.

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 • Set up interviews/surveys with stakeholders (be sure to explain the purpose, why the
stakeholder has been chosen, and the expected duration).
• Seek informed consent from all respondents (written or documented oral).
• Explain again the purpose of interview, why the stakeholder has been chosen, expected
duration, whether and how the information will be kept confidential, and the reasons for taking
notes or recording what is being said.
• If the respondent has consented, conduct the interview/survey.

Analysing data
This requires systematically reviewing all relevant documents (desk review) and analysing all
interview/survey data. Depending on the amount of information collected, an appropriate software
for qualitative or quantitative analysis can be considered.8

Disseminate Findings
After writing the Case Study report (see below ‘Case Study main sections’), the draft should be shared
with relevant stakeholders to solicit feedback and validation. Following all necessary revisions and
design, the report should be disseminated as stated in the planning phase.

4. Case study main sections

A case study can follow different outlines depending on the content, type or findings. However, the
following general outline can be considered.

1. Introduction: What should the reader expect? Inc. main sections

2. Background: Your protagonist and the situation you explored

3. Rationale: Why this case study? (purpose and audience). This section can also precede No 2.

4. Your findings (organised by theme)

5. Discussion: What does it mean in relation to your question(s)?

6. Lessons Learnt: What worked well? What could be improved?

7. Recommendations

8. Conclusions (if applicable, sometimes can be folded in the recommendations section)

For NGOs, case studies often describe a programme or intervention put in place to address a particular
problem (Neale, Thapa and Boyce, 2006). In which case, a suggested outline is as follows9:

1. The Problem
Identify the problem
Explain why the problem is important
How was the problem identified?
Was the process for identifying the problem effective?

2. Steps taken to address the problem

8
NVivo (qualitative) / SPSS, STATA (quantitative).
9
Adapted from: Preparing A Case Study: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input.
Palena Neale, Shyam Thapa, Carolyn Boyce. 2006.

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3. Results

4. Challenges and mitigations

5. Looking forward: Are the results mentioned above sustainable? Why or why not?

6. Lessons Learned: What worked well? What could have been improved?

7. Recommendations (based on lessons)

5. Internal processes
Within organisations, internal processes and communication lines may have an important role to play
when producing a case study. In this sense, it might be useful to think of the following questions:

 Who commissions the Case Study and who is it delivered to?

You may need to develop clear Terms of Reference, agree on timeframe and deadlines as well
as a ‘validation’ process

 Who within your organisation or consortia is responsible to develop case studies (if on a regular basis
or if for specific number of products)? How can they be supported?

 Is the case study developed by a single actor/project team or does it require further coordination
with other actors?

 How will the Case Study be disseminated?

6. Sources (for further reference)

 Bent Flyvbjerg. Five Misunderstandings about Case Study Research. First Published April 2006.
Available At: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1304/1304.1186.pdf
 Palena Neale, Shyam Thapa, Carolyn Boyce. Preparing A Case Study: A Guide for Designing and
Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input. 2006. Available at:
http://www2.pathfinder.org/site/DocServer/m_e_tool_series_case_study.pdf
 Rogers, Patricia, 2014. Week 32: Better use of case studies in evaluation. Available at:
http://www.betterevaluation.org/en/blog/better_use_of_case_studies_in_evaluation
 US General Accounting Office, 1990. Case Study Evaluations. Available
at: http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/10_1_9.pdf
 University of Southern California, Research Guides:
http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/casestudy
 A general overview:
http://nsuworks.nova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1573&context=tqr