Case Study in APA

How to Write a Case Study in APA

August 08, 2018

Case Study Writing

A case study is one of many research instruments or strategies that are widely used by students, who are studying a particular issue or situation. Case studies are usually assigned at sociology, psychology, education, and anthropology courses. If you are experiencing some difficulties with this task and do not know how to write a case study in APA, we advise you to learn the following guide that will help you understand this task better and become a skilled case study writer.

A case study is an assignment that aims to investigate a certain problem and offer a good solution. They may range from the academic studies to the corporate promotion tools that aim to sell the specific goods. Whereas the research paper focuses the reader`s attention on the specific idea, a case study goes far beyond. In particular, a case study requires the student to pay attention to the smallest details, as well as investigating the issue from different perspectives using various research methods. As every problem in human life can be treated from different aspects, each case study demands a unique approach.

Think About the Research

As well as in many other academic tasks, in writing cases studies, research goes first. Undoubtedly, being a student, you cannot be considered as an expert. Therefore, your statements without evidence do not have much value. Reading different sources with the different experts` opinions will help you come up with the most effective solutions for the analysis of your topic.

Follow These Steps for the Effective Start

• Surf the web for the credible and relevant sources;
• Make the list of sources found and categorize them according to the ideas discussed in them;
• Think about the key aspects of your topic that will be discussed in your case study. This process is called brainstorming and it requires writing down all the ideas that come to your mind.
• Choose several of the most substantial sub-topics and focus on them;
• Think about the key solutions. Do not hesitate to rely on the class discussions, your personal experiences, or class readings.
• Create a good case study outline and follow it point by point;
• When writing your key study, select the best solution and develop it;
• Use several methods for collecting and analyzing the data, and your professor will definitely add a few additional points for a good methodology chapter.

Write a Rough Draft

When the research is done and the key ideas are selected, writing a rough draft is not a problem. We advise you to check the grading rubric and prompt once again to make sure you move in the right direction. Knowing all the criteria and following the correct assignment structure, you will be able to create a truly great case study that will impress the most demanding professor. If you feel that you cannot do this task well, feel free to break it down into several pieces and write each of them separately.

Introduction

Introduce your topic to your target audience. A good introduction to the case study should contain enough background information on the results of the previous studies on your topic so that the audience could familiarize itself with the topic chosen. At the same time, do not overburden your introduction with the unnecessary details. The length of the introduction depends on the length of your case study.

Aims

The aim of your case study is suggested in your thesis statement. It should outline the scope of your research emphasizing the issues you want to tackle.

Methods

It is crucially important to inform your audience about what methods you used to collect your information. This section may include all interviews, academic journals, statistics, or observations.

Results

As the name suggests, this section is dedicated to the results of your research. Tell the audience what did you discover and if it has some theoretical or practical value.

Discussion

This section should give answers to the following questions: why did you pick this specific topic? What did you find about it? Are there some alternative approaches to its analysis?

Recommendations

Keep in mind that it is not a research paper, so your conclusion should not only restate the ideas discussed in the paper but also give the practical recommendations.

How to Write a Case Study in APA Format?

There are many APA manuals that explain in detail how to write an APA case study. According to them, your paper needs to be double-spaced. According to case study format APA, your case study should include an abstract, main body, and a reference list. Also, it should contain a running head on the top left corner on every page. Also, you have to use Arabic numerals for putting page numbers.

Title Page and Abstract

In APA, a title page is a separate page that contains only the name of the student, the name of the instructor, the educational institution, and the running head.

An abstract usually contains a few sentences and serves as the summary of the paper. According to the APA guide, an abstract should take 200-250 words. If you do not know how to cite a case study in APA, feel free to find the good samples available on the web or address your instructor for assistance.

In-text Citations

In a case study in APA format, when you quote or paraphrase some text, you need to mention the name of the author and the year of publication. Purdue Online Writing Lab suggests the following quotation:

According to Smith (2001), “Students often experience difficulties using APA style, especially when they are beginners (p. 311)." Refer to Purdue Owl Writing Lab for more information on APA formatting.

References

All sources used in your case study should appear in your reference list alphabetically. The information of these sources should follow the common order: the name of the article, the date of publication, the title, and the publisher.

A finished entry can look as follows:
Smith, J. (1998). Diversity: The multifaceted concept. London: Penguin.

Case Study Format APA Examples on EliteWritings.com

1. Mary Kay Cosmetics Analysis
2. Feasibility Analysis of the Project
3. Communication Strategies Analysis
4. Malaysian Airlines Business Turnaround Plan
5. Civil Law Case Analysis Example
6. WalMart Inc. Employees Health Analysis
7. Reasons of Illness and Injuries Analysis
8. Logistics and Supply Chain Management

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