case study/essay/report/assignment/paper代写-Case Study Research Paper Guidelines

case study/essay/report/assignment/paper代写

  • GE0455: Race, Urban Conflict and Change 

Case Study Research Paper Guidelines

The term case study refers to both a method of analysis and a specific research design for examining aproblem, both of which are used in most circumstances to generalize across populations.

A case study research paper examines a person, place, event, phenomenon, or other type of subject of analysisin order to extrapolate key themes and results that help predict future trends, illuminate previously hiddenissues that can be applied to practice, and/or provide a means for understanding an important researchproblem with greater clarity. A case study paper usually examines a single subject of analysis, but case studypapers can also be designed as a comparative investigation that shows relationships between two or amongmore than two subjects.

How to Approach Writing a Case Study Research Paper

  • A case study encompasses a problem contextualized around the application of in-depth analysis, interpretation, and

  • discussion, often resulting in specific recommendations for action or for improving existing conditions. In selecting a

  • case for your paper, considering the following:

  •  Does the case represent an unusual or atypical example of a research problem that requires more in-

depth analysis? Cases often represent a topic that rests on the fringes of prior investigations because the casemay provide new ways of understanding the research problem. For example, if the research problem is toidentify strategies to improve access to employment opportunities in predominantly African Americancommunities, you could consider using Phoenix as a case study rather than including all major metropolitanareas. Doing so may reveal important new insights into the impacts of urban sprawl on labor marketparticipation.

  •  Does the case provide important insight or illuminate a previously hidden problem? In-depth analysis

of a case can be based on the hypothesis that the case study will reveal trends or issues that have not beenexposed in prior research or will reveal new and important implications for practice. For example, anecdotalevidence may suggest drug use among homeless veterans is related to their patterns of travel throughout theday. Assuming prior studies have not looked at individual travel choices as a way to study access to illicitdrug use, a case study that observes a homeless veteran could reveal how issues of personal mobility choicesfacilitate regular access to illicit drugs. Note that it is important to conduct a thorough literature review toensure that your assumption about the need to reveal new insights or previously hidden problems is valid andevidence-based.

  •  Does the case challenge and offer a counter-point to prevailing assumptions? Over time, research on any

given topic can fall into a trap of developing assumptions based on outdated studies that are still applied tonew or changing conditions or the idea that something should simply be accepted as “common sense,” eventhough the issue has not been thoroughly tested in practice. A case may offer you an opportunity to gatherevidence that challenges prevailing assumptions about a research problem and provide a new set ofrecommendations applied to practice that have not been tested previously. For example, perhaps there hasbeen a long practice among scholars to apply a particular theory in explaining the relationship between twosubjects of analysis. Your case could challenge this assumption by applying an innovative theoreticalframework [perhaps borrowed from another discipline] to the study a case in order to explore whether thisapproach offers new ways of understanding the research problem. Taking a contrarian stance is one of themost important ways that new knowledge and understanding develops from existing literature.

  •  Does the case provide an opportunity to pursue action leading to the resolution of a problem? Another

way to think about choosing a case to study is to consider how the results from investigating a particular casemay result in findings that reveal ways in which to resolve an existing or emerging problem. For example,studying the case of an unforeseen incident, such as a fatal accident at a railroad crossing, can reveal hiddenissues that could be applied to preventative measures that contribute to reducing the chance of accidents in- Adapted from: USC Library Guide for Case Study Research (https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/casestudy) 

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  • GE0455: Race, Urban Conflict and Change 

the future. In this example, a case study investigating the accident could lead to a better understanding ofwhere to strategically locate additional signals at other railroad crossings in order to better warn drivers ofan approaching train, particularly when visibility is hindered by heavy rain, fog, or at night.

  •  Does the case offer a new direction in future research? A case study can be used as a tool for exploratory

research that points to a need for further examination of the research problem. A case can be used when thereare few studies that help predict an outcome or that establish a clear understanding about how best to proceedin addressing a problem. For example, after conducting a thorough literature review [very important!], youdiscover that little research exists showing the ways in which women contribute to promoting waterconservation in rural communities of Uganda. A case study of how women contribute to saving water in aparticular village can lay the foundation for understanding the need for more thorough research thatdocuments how women in their roles as cooks and family caregivers think about water as a valuable resourcewithin their community throughout rural regions of east Africa. The case could also point to the need forscholars to apply feminist theories of work and family to the issue of water conservation.

Structure and Writing Style

  • The purpose of a paper 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., urban planning, geography], case

  • studies may also be used to reveal best practices, highlight key programs, or investigate interesting aspects of

  • professional work. In general, the structure of a case study research paper is not all that different from a standard

  • college-level research paper. However, there are subtle differences you should be aware of. Here are the key elements

  • to organizing and writing a case study research paper.

I. Introduction

  • As with any research paper, your introduction should serve as a roadmap for your readers to ascertain the scope and

  • purpose of your study. The introduction to a case study research paper, however, should not only describe the research

  • problem and its significance, but you should also succinctly describe why the case is being used and how it relates to

  • addressing the problem. The two elements should be linked. With this in mind, a good introduction answers these four

  • questions:

    1. What was I studying? Describe the research problem and describe the subject of analysis you have chosen

to address the problem. Explain how they are linked and what elements of the case will help to expandknowledge and understanding about the problem.

    1. Why was this topic important to investigate? Describe the significance of the research problem and state

why a case study design and the subject of analysis that the paper is designed around is appropriate inaddressing the problem.

    1. What did we know about this topic before I did this study? Provide background that helps lead the reader

into the more in-depth literature review to follow. If applicable, summarize prior case study research appliedto the research problem and why it fails to adequately address the research problem. Describe why your casewill be useful. If no prior case studies have been used to address the research problem, explain why you haveselected this subject of analysis.

    1. How will this study advance new knowledge or new ways of understanding? Explain why your case

study will be suitable in helping to expand knowledge and understanding about the research problem.- Each of these questions should be addressed in no more than a few paragraphs. Exceptions to this can be when you

  • are addressing a complex research problem or subject of analysis that requires more in-depth background information.

  • Adapted from: USC Library Guide for Case Study Research (https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/casestudy) 

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  • GE0455: Race, Urban Conflict and Change 

II. Literature Review

  • The literature review for a case study research paper is generally structured the same as it is for any college-level

  • research paper. The difference, however, is that the literature review is focused on providing background information

  • and enabling historical interpretation of the subject of analysis in relation to the research problem the case is intended

  • to address. This includes synthesizing studies that help to:

  •  Place relevant works in the context of their contribution to understanding the case study being

investigated. This would include summarizing studies that have used a similar subject of analysis toinvestigate the research problem. If there is literature using the same or a very similar case to study, you needto explain why duplicating past research is important [e.g., conditions have changed; prior studies wereconducted long ago, etc.].

  •  Describe the relationship each work has to the others under consideration that informs the reader why

this case is applicable. Your literature review should include a description of any works that support usingthe case to study the research problem and the underlying research questions.

Identify new ways to interpret prior research using the case study. If applicable, review any research thathas examined the research problem using a different research design. Explain how your case study designmay reveal new knowledge or a new perspective or that can redirect research in an important new direction.-  Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies. This refers to synthesizing any

literature that points to unresolved issues of concern about the research problem and describing how thesubject of analysis that forms the case study can help resolve these existing contradictions.

  •  Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research. Your review should examine any literature that

lays a foundation for understanding why your case study design and the subject of analysis around which youhave designed your study may reveal a new way of approaching the research problem or offer a perspectivethat points to the need for additional research.

  •  Expose any gaps that exist in the literature that the case study could help to fill. Summarize any literature

that not only shows how your subject of analysis contributes to understanding the research problem, but howyour case contributes to a new way of understanding the problem that prior research has failed to do.-  Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very important!]. Collectively, your

literature review should always place your case study within the larger domain of prior research about theproblem. The overarching purpose of reviewing pertinent literature in a case study paper is to demonstratethat you have thoroughly identified and synthesized prior studies in the context of explaining the relevanceof the case in addressing the research problem.

III. Method

  • In this section, you explain why you selected a particular subject of analysis to study and the strategy you used to

  • identify and ultimately decide that your case was appropriate in addressing the research problem. The way you

  • describe the methods used varies depending on the type of subject of analysis that frames your case study.

  • If your subject of analysis is an incident or event. In the social and behavioral sciences, the event or incident that

  • represents the case to be studied is usually bounded by time and place, with a clear beginning and end and with an

  • identifiable location or position relative to its surroundings. The subject of analysis can be a rare or critical event or it

  • can focus on a typical or regular event. The purpose of studying a rare event is to illuminate new ways of thinking

  • about the broader research problem or to test a hypothesis. Critical incident case studies must describe the method by

  • which you identified the event and explain the process by which you determined the validity of this case to inform

  • broader perspectives about the research problem or to reveal new findings. However, the event does not have to be a

  • rare or uniquely significant to support new thinking about the research problem or to challenge an existing hypothesis.

  • For example, Walo, Bull, and Breen conducted a case study to identify and evaluate the direct and indirect economic

  • benefits and costs of a local sports event in the City of Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. The purpose of their

  • study was to provide new insights from measuring the impact of a typical local sports event that prior studies could

  • not measure well because they focused on large “mega-events.” Whether the event is rare or not, the methods section

  • should include an explanation of the following characteristics of the event: a) when did it take place; b) what were the

  • underlying circumstances leading to the event; c) what were the consequences of the event.

  • Adapted from: USC Library Guide for Case Study Research (https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/casestudy) 

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  • GE0455: Race, Urban Conflict and Change 

  • If your subject of analysis is a person. Explain why you selected this particular individual to be studied and describe

  • what experience he or she has had that provides an opportunity to advance new understandings about the research

  • problem. Mention any background about this person which might help the reader understand the significance of his/her

  • experiences that make them worthy of study. This includes describing the relationships this person has had with other

  • people, institutions, and/or events that support using him or her as the subject for a case study research paper. It is

  • particularly important to differentiate the person as the subject of analysis from others and to succinctly explain how

  • the person relates to examining the research problem.

  • If your subject of analysis is a place. In general, a case study that investigates a place suggests a subject of analysis

  • that is unique or special in some way and that this uniqueness can be used to build new understanding or knowledge

  • about the research problem. A case study of a place must not only describe its various attributes relevant to the research

  • problem [e.g., physical, social, cultural, economic, political, etc.], but you must state the method by which you

  • determined that this place will illuminate new understandings about the research problem. It is also important to

  • articulate why a particular place as the case for study is being used if similar places also exist [i.e., if you are studying

  • patterns of homeless encampments of veterans in open spaces, why study Echo Park in Los Angeles rather than Griffith

  • Park?]. If applicable, describe what type of human activity involving this place makes it a good choice to study [e.g.,

  • prior research reveals Echo Park has more homeless veterans].

  • If your subject of analysis is a phenomenon. A phenomenon refers to a fact, occurrence, or circumstance that can

  • be studied or observed but with the cause or explanation to be in question. In this sense, a phenomenon that forms

  • your subject of analysis can encompass anything that can be observed or presumed to exist but is not fully understood.

  • In the social and behavioral sciences, the case usually focuses on human interaction within a complex physical, social,

  • economic, cultural, or political system. For example, the phenomenon could be the observation that many vehicles

  • used by ISIS fighters are small trucks with English language advertisements on them. The research problem could be

  • that ISIS fighters are difficult to combat because they are highly mobile. The research questions could be how and by

  • what means are these vehicles used by ISIS being supplied to the militants and how might supply lines to these vehicles

  • be cut? How might knowing the suppliers of these trucks from overseas reveal larger networks of collaborators and

  • financial support? A case study of a phenomenon most often encompasses an in-depth analysis of a cause and effect

  • that is grounded in an interactive relationship between people and their environment in some way.

  • NOTE: The choice of the case or set of cases to study cannot appear random. Evidence that supports the method by

  • which you identified and chose your subject of analysis should be linked to the findings from the literature review. Be

  • sure to cite any prior studies that helped you determine that the case you chose was appropriate for investigating the

  • research problem.

IV. Discussion

  • The main elements of your discussion section are generally the same as any research paper, but centered around

  • interpreting and drawing conclusions about the key findings from your case study. Note that a general social sciences

  • research paper may contain a separate section to report findings. However, in a paper designed around a case study, it

  • is more common to combine a description of the findings with the discussion about their implications. The objectives

  • of your discussion section should include the following:

  • Reiterate the Research Problem/State the Major Findings

  • Briefly reiterate the research problem you are investigating and explain why the subject of analysis around which

  • you designed the case study were used. You should then describe the findings revealed from your study of the case

  • using direct, declarative, and succinct proclamation of the study results. Highlight any findings that were

  • unexpected or especially profound.

  • Explain the Meaning of the Findings and Why They are Important

  • Systematically explain the meaning of your case study findings and why you believe they are important. Begin this

  • part of the section by repeating what you consider to be your most important or surprising finding first, then

  • systematically review each finding. Be sure to thoroughly extrapolate what your analysis of the case can tell the

  • reader about situations or conditions beyond the actual case that was studied while, at the same time, being careful

  • not to misconstrue or conflate a finding that undermines the external validity of your conclusions.

  • Adapted from: USC Library Guide for Case Study Research (https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/casestudy) 

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  • GE0455: Race, Urban Conflict and Change 

  • Relate the Findings to Similar Studies

  • No study in the social sciences is so novel or possesses such a restricted focus that it has absolutely no relation to

  • previously published research. The discussion section should relate your case study results to those found in other

  • studies, particularly if questions raised from prior studies served as the motivation for choosing your subject of

  • analysis. This is important because comparing and contrasting the findings of other studies helps to support the

  • overall importance of your results and it highlights how and in what ways your case study design and the subject of

  • analysis differs from prior research about the topic.

  • Consider Alternative Explanations of the Findings

  • It is important to remember that the purpose of social science research is to discover and not to prove. When writing

  • the discussion section, you should carefully consider all possible explanations for the case study results, rather than

  • just those that fit your hypothesis or prior assumptions and biases. Be alert to what the in-depth analysis of the case

  • may reveal about the research problem, including offering a contrarian perspective to what scholars have stated in

  • prior research.

  • Acknowledge the Study’s Limitations

  • You can state the study’s limitations in the conclusion section of your paper but describing the limitations of your

  • subject of analysis in the discussion section provides an opportunity to identify the limitations and explain why they

  • are not significant. This part of the discussion section should also note any unanswered questions or issues your case

  • study could not address. More detailed information about how to document any limitations to your research can be

  • found here.

  • Suggest Areas for Further Research

  • Although your case study may offer important insights about the research problem, there are likely additional

  • questions related to the problem that remain unanswered or findings that unexpectedly revealed themselves as a

  • result of your in-depth analysis of the case. Be sure that the recommendations for further research are linked to the

  • research problem and that you explain why your recommendations are valid in other contexts and based on the

  • original assumptions of your study.

V. Conclusion

  • As with any research paper, you should summarize your conclusion in clear, simple language; emphasize how the

  • findings from your case study differs from or supports prior research and why. Do not simply reiterate the discussion

  • section. Provide a synthesis of key findings presented in the paper to show how these converge to address the research

  • problem. If you haven’t already done so in the discussion section, be sure to document the limitations of your case

  • study and needs for further research.

  • The function of your paper’s conclusion is to: 1) restate the main argument supported by the findings from the analysis

  • of your case; 2) clearly state the context, background, and necessity of pursuing the research problem using a case

  • study design in relation to an issue, controversy, or a gap found from reviewing the literature; and, 3) provide a place

  • for you to persuasively and succinctly restate the significance of your research problem, given that the reader has now

  • been presented with in-depth information about the topic.

  • Consider the following points to help ensure your conclusion is appropriate:

  • 1.

  • 2.

If the argument or purpose of your paper is complex, you may need to summarize these points for your reader.If prior to your conclusion, you have not yet explained the significance of your findings or if you areproceeding inductively, use the conclusion of your paper to describe your main points and explain theirsignificance.

    1. Move from a detailed to a general level of consideration of the case study’s findings that returns the topic to

the context provided by the introduction or within a new context that emerges from your case study findings.- Note that the concluding paragraph may contain your final reflections on the evidence presented applied to practice

  • or on the essay’s central research problem.

  • Adapted from: USC Library Guide for Case Study Research (https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/casestudy) 

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  • GE0455: Race, Urban Conflict and Change 

Problems to Avoid

  • Overgeneralization

  • One of the goals of a case study is to lay a foundation for understanding broader trends and issues applied to similar

  • circumstances. However, be careful when drawing conclusions from your case study. They must be evidence-based

  • and grounded in the results of the study; otherwise, it is merely speculation. Looking at a prior example, it would be

  • incorrect to state that a factor in improving girls access to education in Azerbaijan and the policy implications this

  • may have for improving access in other Muslim nations is due to girls access to social media if there is no documentary

  • evidence from your case study to indicate this. There may be anecdotal evidence that retention rates were better for

  • girls who were on social media, but this observation would only point to the need for further research and would not

  • be a definitive finding if this was not a part of your original research agenda.

  • Failure to Document Limitations

  • No case is going to reveal all that needs to be understood about a research problem. Therefore, just as you have to

  • clearly state the limitations of a general research study, you must describe the specific limitations inherent in the

  • subject of analysis. For example, the case of studying how women conceptualize the need for water conservation in

  • a village in Uganda could have limited application in other cultural contexts or in areas where fresh water from

  • rivers or lakes is plentiful and, therefore, conservation is understood differently than preserving access to a scarce

  • resource.

  • Failure to Extrapolate All Possible Implications

  • Just as you don’t want to over-generalize from your case study findings, you also have to be thorough in the

  • consideration of all possible outcomes or recommendations derived from your findings. If you do not, your reader

  • may question the validity of your analysis, particularly if you failed to document an obvious outcome from your case

  • study research. For example, in the case of studying the accident at the railroad crossing to evaluate where and what

  • types of warning signals should be located, you failed to take into consideration speed limit signage as well as

  • warning signals. When designing your case study, be sure you have thoroughly addressed all aspects of the problem

  • and do not leave gaps in your analysis.

Additional Resources and Research Guides

  •  The University of California-Berkeley has a great research guide for locating books, journals and

bibliographies related to City and Regional Planning topics.

Check it out: https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/city-planning

  •  The “Journal of Planning Literature” is a good sources for reviews of recent published work on a range of

planning topics. It is available through the Miami University Library catalog.

  •  The Howe Writing Center has a style sheet for formatting with Chicago Manual (16th edition).

Keep in Mind…

  •  Your final paper should be on the order of 12-15 pages (not including bibliography)

  •  You must have full, complete Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition) citations in your bibliography

  •  Late work will be penalized according to the class policy (see the syllabus for specifics)

  •  Your literature review should be based on a minimum of ten sources. Note: Additional sources will also be

necessary to support the other sections of your paper.

  •  Please use the resources available at the Howe Writing Center to help you submit paper draft with a

minimal errors. Your final paper should be free of any spelling, grammatical, and formatting errors. Polish,polish, polish your prose.

  •  Consult Canvas for due dates.

  •  Feel free to meet with me during office hours—or at a time that we arrange—for additional feedback

outside of class on your research and writing progress.

  • Adapted from: USC Library Guide for Case Study Research (https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/casestudy) 

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