How to write a case study for university?

Choosing a case and analytical question

A good case is representative, unusual, or particularly instructive. Justify your choice in relation to the problem, not just the availability of the material.

Formulate a question indicating what you want to explain: the causes of failure, the course of change, the effectiveness of the solution or the mechanism of the decision. This question organizes the selection of data.

Context, sources and facts

Provide only those background elements that are needed to understand the problem. Build a short chronology and indicate the actors, decisions and constraints.

Use several sources if possible. Documents, figures and statements may complement each other, but their credibility and origin must be clearly described.

Case analysis using theory

Select a model, concept, or set of criteria that matches the question. Don't add lots of tools just for the sake of complexity. Each should lead to a specific insight.

Separate the fact section from the interpretation section. The reader must know which information comes from sources and which is the result of your analysis.

Solution variants and recommendation

Present at least two viable options, assess costs, risks and feasibility, and then justify your choice. A recommendation without comparison looks like an intuitive opinion.

Conclude with limitations and applicability of the conclusions to other situations. If you need support in constructing the analysis or editing the material, send a case description to our website.

Define the case boundaries before collecting material

A case study requires a decision about exactly what constitutes the case: an entire organisation, one team, a particular process or a specific event. Without this boundary, it is easy to collect extensive background that contributes little to the analysis. In a teaching example concerning a university library, the case might be the introduction of a new reservation system during one semester. The history of the entire library would then be needed only insofar as it explains the conditions of the change. Record the unit of analysis, time frame and question. Then check whether the materials actually concern the same scope. A report covering the whole university does not necessarily describe the situation of the selected team. Boundaries may be refined during the work, but any change must be explained. Readers can then understand what the conclusions concern and which situations they should not automatically be applied to.

Mark the origin and status of each piece of information

In your notes, distinguish a documented fact, a participant's statement, the author's interpretation and an assumption adopted for analysis. These categories should not be mixed in one account. An organisation's promotional material may show its stated aims, but does not itself confirm that its activities are effective. An interview reveals the interviewee's perspective, which also needs to be placed in context. For every important claim, record the source, date and any limitation. When two documents give different values, check the period, indicator definition and range of units before concluding that the data conflict. In a teaching example, the number of reports and the number of people reporting a problem may differ without any error. Preserve these distinctions in the analysis. A credible case study shows how something is known rather than merely describing it in a confident tone.

Build a chronology around decision points

A timeline is useful when it identifies moments that change the course of the case. It does not need to include every available date. Select the decision, information available at the time, action taken and observed consequence. This structure limits the tendency to judge past choices solely through later events. In a teaching example, a team introducing a reservation form may not yet have known about a problem reported after launch. The analysis should account for this difference in knowledge. At every transition between stages, check whether the sources show a relationship or merely a sequence in time. Two events occurring one after the other does not prove that the first caused the second. If the cause remains uncertain, present competing explanations and identify additional data that could distinguish them. This turns an account of events into an analysis of a mechanism.

Assess alternatives against common criteria

A recommendation is more persuasive when every option undergoes the same assessment. Prepare criteria derived from the problem, such as the solution's availability, required resources, implementation time and the possibility of checking its effect. Do not choose criteria only after identifying your favourite option. In a teaching example, you might compare improved instructions, a revised form and additional consultations. Describe costs using data or explicit assumptions; do not invent seemingly precise amounts. If information is missing, show the uncertainty and the condition on which the choice depends. Also include retaining the current solution when that is a realistic alternative. Explain why the recommended option best meets the established criteria and identify its weaker side. A one-sided list of advantages is no substitute for analysis, even when a proposal seems intuitively reasonable.

Propose a way to evaluate the recommendation

The final part of a case study should show how the recommendation's application could be assessed. Identify the expected change, information source and review point. Proposing 'better communication' is insufficient if there is no way to recognise improvement. In a teaching example, you could monitor the number of questions arising from unclear instructions, but you must first define how to classify them. Do not present a predicted result as already achieved. Separate the description of the existing case from the plan for future action. In the limitations, identify data availability, the perspectives of participants not included and contextual features. Consider which mechanisms might be useful in other organisations and which depend on unique conditions. A good case study can provide a valuable lesson without claiming to represent an entire sector or all Polish universities.

Summary

A strong case study combines three layers: a reliable description of facts, a concept-based analysis and practical conclusions. The reader should be able to see what data the diagnosis was based on and why the proposed solution is better than the alternatives. The constraints of the case should be named rather than hidden.