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Understanding Case Study Research
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Understanding Case Study Research
Small-scale Research with Meaning

First Edition


January 2017 | 224 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

Written in an accessible and jargon-free style, this book provides a comprehensive, student-friendly guide to the nature and use of case study research.

Whether as part of a more substantial study or as the foundation for a self-contained smaller project, case studies provide viable and valuable alternatives to conducting large-scale research. Grounded in both theory and practice, this book sets out not only the key debates and ethical issues surrounding case study research, but also focuses specifically on the work of others and how you can understand, use, and write about secondary data as the basis for your own research project. With tips, examples, and extensive discussion of real-world case studies  from a variety of social science and other disciplines, Tight illustrates the kinds of research to which case studies can be applied. Topics include:

  • Types of case studies
  • Advantages and disadvantages to using case studies
  • The meaning and value of case study research 
  • The use of case studies in different disciplines and research designs

Whether you want to know how to access and use the case studies of others or understand the methods behind conducting your own case study research, this book will take you through every step of the process!

 
Part A: What is a Case Study?
 
Chapter 1: Introduction
 
Chapter 2: Origins and Applications of Case Study
 
Chapter 3: Key Debates in Case Study Research
 
Part B: Using Case Study
 
Chapter 4: The Value of Case Study
 
Chapter 5: The Use of Case Study in Different Disciplines
 
Chapter 6: Case Studies in Mixed/Combined Research Designs
 
Chapter 7: Learning from Case Study
 
Part C: Carrying Out a Case Study
 
Chapter 8: Selection, Context & Theory in Case Study
 
Chapter 9: Method, Analysis & Reporting in Case Study
 
Chapter 10: Conclusion

This very readable book impressively demonstrates, through its wealth of examples and the uses of case studies from a wide range of disciplines, the value of a case study research design.  It deals with the core issues and considerations that research students will understand – in providing for case study as a small-scale research with meaning. 

Gareth Addidle
Plymouth Law School, Plymouth University

This comprehensive textbook goes beyond introduction without losing the reader. It is of great value for all early-career students and scholars who search for a reliable source on case study knowledge.

Yvonne Franz
Institute for Urban and Regional Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences

This is a very comprehensive and easy to read text that will be useful to the novice researcher. One of its main strengths lies in the inclusion of examples of case studies that effectively assists in placing the theory into context.

Professor Jayne Elizabeth Marshall
Health, University of Leicester
August 15, 2017

An in depth but easy to read text that will support undergraduates and postgraduates in their research studies to understand the extent of case studies.

Mrs Ruth Gill
Faculty of Business Law and Education, Staffordshire University
March 5, 2017

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