Explain what the case is
A case might be a project, organisation, event or process, depending on the research question and method. State the unit you are examining rather than using case study as a label for any interesting example. Identify the period, setting and activity included. Confirm the approach with the supervisor and relevant methodological guidance. This article supplies planning questions, not a complete research design or a claim that one boundary suits every discipline.
Choose the question the case can address
An attractive story may not contain evidence for the question you want to answer. Explain why this case is relevant and what it allows you to examine. Separate interest from justification. If access is limited to promotional material, acknowledge what that means for the analysis rather than treating the material as a complete account. A clear question helps determine which documents, observations or accounts are needed and which details merely make the story more colourful.
Keep different kinds of evidence distinct
A policy document, a participant’s account and an observed action can contribute differently to an explanation. Record their provenance and limits. Do not smooth over disagreement simply to produce a coherent narrative. Ask whether different sources describe the same period or use the same definitions. Follow the project’s permissions and confidentiality arrangements. More material does not automatically produce a stronger case if the reader cannot understand how it relates to the question.
Avoid making the case stand for everything
State how far the argument travels beyond the material examined. One case may illuminate a process without establishing its frequency elsewhere. Avoid turning a useful example into a claim about all institutions or all students. Explain the basis of any wider inference and what further evidence would be needed. A bounded conclusion is not a failed project; it may be the most accurate result the available design can support.
Make the narrative accountable
Write the explanation so a reader can trace important statements to their supporting material. Separate chronology from interpretation: an event occurring after another does not by itself explain why it happened. Include relevant contradictory evidence and explain its role. Do not identify a participant or organisation when the approved arrangements require protection. The report should be readable without becoming so smooth that uncertainty, missing access and alternative explanations disappear.
Draft a case boundary statement
Write a paragraph naming the case, period, question, intended evidence and exclusions. Add a second paragraph explaining why the case is useful and one conclusion it cannot support. Ask an authorised reader to identify the difference between your research question and the case description. If they seem identical, sharpen the question. Before collecting anything, confirm the proposed design and access arrangements through the project’s process. The exercise should leave you with an explicit boundary and a defensible reason for studying within it, not merely a compelling story title.
