General Instructions

This set of guidelines provides both instructions and a template for the writing of case reports for publication. You might want to skip forward and take a quick look at the template now, as we will be using it as the basis for your own case study later on. While the guidelines and template contain much detail, your finished case study should be only 10 – 15 pages in length. Therefore, you will need to write efficiently and avoid unnecessarily flowery language.

Another important general rule for writing case studies is to stick to the facts. A case study should be a fairly modest description of what actually happened. Speculation about underlying mechanisms should be restrained. 

Title page

The title page will contain the full title of your paper. Your name and the name of your instructor in APA format. See sample

Abstract

Abstracts generally follow one of two styles, narrative or structured.

A narrative abstract consists of a short version of the whole paper. There are no headings within the narrative abstract. The author simply tries to summarize the paper into a story which flows logically.

Abstracts are easier to write once you have finished the rest of the article. Abstract should be a brief but complete description of the entire research (introduction, method, results, and discussions).

Introduction

This consists of three basic components: and introduction to the problem; review of relevant/recent research and the purpose and rationale for the study. You need to have a clear idea of what is particularly interesting about the case we want to describe.  It is useful to begin by placing the study in a historical or social context. If similar cases have been reported previously, we describe them briefly. Each time we refer to a previous study, we cite the reference (usually at the end of the sentence) and remember to include on reference page. Our introduction doesn’t need to be more than a few paragraphs long, and our objective is to have the reader understand clearly, but in a general sense, why it is useful for them to be reading about this case.

Literature Review

Research articles, journals and dissertations etc. that are APA approved Research studies on your topic to ensure you have a grasp of all the research that has been conducted on your topic. The information you find will help organize your thoughts and understand the issue/s concerning your topic. You will annotate in this section what you found about your topic only. Your opinion is not used in this section. You must remain objective. You should have 5-10 in-text cites from various articles that are relevant to your topic. 

Method

Describe exactly how the study was conducted. This area will be used to inform the reader of how you located your literature for review i.e. websites, books used etc.

Results

The results section is where you will summarize the information you collected in the literature review. This section should include the results only not an explanation or opinion of the data. Any tables or graphs can be put in this area.

Discussion

In this section the results are evaluated and interpreted. In this section you restate the prediction to include a discussion of the relationship between the results and past research and theories. Lastly, criticisms of the study and implications for future research are presented in this section.

Reference page

Provide a list of applicable references; generally include only citations to materials that was used in your research (in-text cites). You should have 5 – 10 in-text cites therefore, you should have 5 – 10 references (a reference for every in-text cite).

Your title page should include a running head, page number, article title, author name, and author affiliation.

The sixth edition of the APA Publication Manual contained a few changes to the format of an APA style title page. Your      title page should contain a running head that is flush left at the top of      the page and a page number that is flush right at the top of the page. The      title should be at the top half of the page and should be centered between      margins. Use      both upper-case and lower-case letters. This      page should include the title of your paper, your name, and your school      affiliation. The APA suggests that your title is no more than 12 words in      length. Avoid using titles or degree info (such as Dr. or Ph.D.) before      and after your name. Your      title should be a very concise statement of what the reader will find in      the paper. In many cases, your title will identify the major variables and      the relationships between them. For example, “Effect of Sleep      Deprivation on Math Performance” is an example of a succinct title      that clearly describes what the paper is about. The      APA style guide also advises writers to avoid phrases such as “An      Experimental Investigation on…” or “A Study of…”. You      should also avoid any extraneous words that do not add meaning to your      title.