Case study analysis example in apa format

With a case study, you provide an in-depth observation into an event, process or person. A well-written case study requires planning and thought to properly analyze the situation and offer possible solutions. When your professor requests that you write your paper in American Psychological Association style, he is looking for a particular format and structure.

Format Guidelines

The sixth edition of the “Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association” provides general instructions on how to format your case study. Your paper should be double-spaced and have a 1-inch margin on all sides. The APA recommends you use 12-point Times New Roman font. When you indent the first line of a paragraph, use one-half inch indentations. APA style recommends that your case study feature a title page, abstract (if required), main body and references. Your running head lies at the top of each page in your header. This should feature your title on the flush left hand side and your page numbers on the flush right hand side. Your title is limited to 50 characters in the running head. If you need to condense it, select only the keywords. Type your title in all capital letters and use Arabic numerals for your page numbers.

Title Page and Abstract

In APA style, your title page and abstract are separate pages. For your title page, your running head is slightly different. Before your title, include the words “Running head” and a colon. For the rest of this page, list your case study’s title, your first and last name and your university’s name. This information should be centered in the upper half of the page.

For your abstract, write a paragraph that serves as a summary of your paper. For a case study, this should include what you investigated, the characteristics of your participants, the experimental method you used and any findings or conclusions you reached. In APA style, this paragraph should be 200 to 250 words in length.

In-Text Citations

With APA format, when you quote, paraphrase or summarize someone else’s work, you must list the author’s name and the year of publication. If it is a direct quotation or summary, you must include the page number.

To enhance readability, try to incorporate the author’s name into your sentence and then write the year and the page number in parentheses. As an example on the Purdue Online Writing Lab states, “According to Jones (1998), 'Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time' (p. 199)."

If it is impossible to include the author’s name in your text, place your in-text citation as close as possible to the material you cited. The Pearson Education chapter entitled "APA Documetation with Case Study" uses the following example:

“People from the Mediterranean prefer an elbow-to-shoulder distance from each other" (Morris, 1977).

References

Following your text, you must supply a complete bibliographical list for your readers. In APA style, alphabetize the entries by the author’s last name. Most citations include four main parts: author’s name, date, title of the article and publication information.

A general guideline for APA format is the author’s last name, a comma, first initial and a period. Next, place the year of publication within parentheses; place a period outside the final parenthesis. Type the title in italics and sentence case followed by a period. Finally, write the city of publication, a colon, the publisher’s name and end with a period. A finished entry might look like this:

General format for citing case studies:
Author(s). (Year). Title of case study. Number of case study. URL.

Examples:
Harvard Business School Case Study
Smith, S. (2003). Leadership. HBS No. 7-806-122. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/cases/
Ivey Business School Case Study
Heisz, M., & Leech, L. (2005). Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: Understanding the requirements and the Canadian response. Ivey ID: 9B05B009. https://www.iveycases.com/

(Examples courtesy of APA Style Guidelines & Examples - NAIT Library.)

Textbook Case Study
Author(s) or editor(s) of the chapter or entry or case study. (Year of book). Title of chapter or entry or case study. In First initial. Last name, & First initial. Last name (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.
Example:
Pederson, S. (2008). The XYZ Group. In J. Ness, Cases in digital processing (pp.11-20). CDMA Publishing.

Preparing the Case

Before you begin writing, follow these guidelines to help you prepare and understand the case study:

1. Read and Examine the Case Thoroughly

   • Take notes, highlight relevant facts, underline key problems.

2. Focus Your Analysis

   • Identify two to five key problems.
   • Why do they exist?
   • How do they impact the organization?
   • Who is responsible for them?

3. Uncover Possible Solutions/Changes Needed

   • Review course readings, discussions, outside research, your experience.

4. Select the Best Solution

   • Consider strong supporting evidence, pros, and cons. Is this solution realistic?

Drafting the Case

Once you have gathered the necessary information, a draft of your analysis should include these general sections, but these may differ depending on your assignment directions or your specific case study:

1. Introduction

   • Identify the key problems and issues in the case study.
   • Formulate and include a thesis statement, summarizing the outcome of your analysis in 1–2 sentences.

2. Background

   • Set the scene: background information, relevant facts, and the most important issues.
   • Demonstrate that you have researched the problems in this case study.

3. Evaluation of the Case

   • Outline the various pieces of the case study that you are focusing on.
   • Evaluate these pieces by discussing what is working and what is not working.
   • State why these parts of the case study are or are not working well.

4. Proposed Solution/Changes

   • Provide specific and realistic solution(s) or changes needed.
   • Explain why this solution was chosen.
   • Support this solution with solid evidence, such as:
     • Concepts from class (text readings, discussions, lectures)
     • Outside research
     • Personal experience (anecdotes)

5. Recommendations

   • Determine and discuss specific strategies for accomplishing the proposed solution.
   • If applicable, recommend further action to resolve some of the issues.
   • What should be done and who should do it?

Finalizing the Case

After you have composed the first draft of your case study analysis, read through it to check for any gaps or inconsistencies in content or structure:

• Is your thesis statement clear and direct?
• Have you provided solid evidence?
• Is any component from the analysis missing?

When you make the necessary revisions, proofread and edit your analysis before submitting the final draft.

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