how to cite a case study

how to cite a case study

How to Cite a Case Study

1. Introduction

Each source you cite in the essay must appear in your bibliography, and likewise, each entry in the bibliography must be cited in your essay. A bibliography should appear at the end of your essay. It should be divided into two parts. The first part is a list of all the case study references. The second part lists other study references on the topic of case studies. All references should be: surnames and initials with no comma in between; year of publication in brackets; title of article; title of series in italics and volume number in bold. Location, publisher, and the page range are to be provided only for chapter references. The most important thing to understand about the differing ‘ways’ and ‘means’ of citing case studies is that it is mandatory for every single source cited in your essay to be included in the bibliography. This may sound confusing at first, however, after reading the rest of this guide, it should not be a problem!

2. Understanding Case Study Citations

First off, what is a case study? A case study is a report of an event, problem or activity. A case study format usually contains a hypothetical or real situation. Case studies are intended to provide a solution to a problem or an alternative perspective. The main area of confusion when it comes to citing case studies is the fact that they are often found in many different places. It might be a published book or a book chapter, a journal article, a web page or other online item, an audio or video broadcast, an unpublished work, or personal communication. Each of these has three common characteristics: the case itself, the source where the case was found, and the method of retrieval. These characteristics are used as the main part of the reference. When citing a published book the format changes slightly. Mack, N. (2008), Making the Transition from LPN to RN. Delmar Cengage Learning, Clifton Park, NY. pp 189-203. The reference should contain all the information the reader needs to locate the case. The reference list should contain the author, the title, the book it was found in, the publisher, and the page range, and if possible, the URL. The in-text citation should contain the author and date the case was written in. A page range might also be included. The in-text citation is placed at the end of the quote or paraphrase, and the source of the information/quote is right next to the info in the text. This way, the page or chapter a case is found at is apparent and it streamlines the process of going back and finding the source to locate additional information or to provide evidence of the information gotten.

3. Proper Format for Citing a Case Study

This will help users locate a particular case study and be able to research the article or information should they choose to pursue more research on your topic or even do the same case study. Case studies are usually used to know how to cite a case study, which is an essential part of the study and its result, so it is vital for reference and understanding how to format the citation. First, start by always referencing the citation in the APA format: the surname of the author and the year of publication for the reference in the body of work. This would be the most effective way to do it, not only in your essay, but also within the references located at the end of the paper. So if the case study is written by one author, the citation would be the surname of the author and the year of publication. If the case study was found online, the URL where the case study was found should be included. APA format does not include guidelines for citing a case study, thus they should be treated like an article. There are other ways and methods on how to obtain reference the case study. It is also possible to cite the case study both in the reference and in-text citation using nouns taken from the case study. This is particularly useful if one can reference certain people, countries, or intent within the case study. In the instance of wanting to compare a certain people or culture’s way of life with another. APA in-text citation usually takes the form of the author’s surname and the year of publication in brackets, although this can change depending on what form of referencing is being used. This is what they are always striving to achieve. APA reference should be a line or series of lines that describe said item retrieval date, etc. Even though you are told how to cite a case study, it still might be a little bit confusing at first.

4. Examples of Case Study Citations

Lee and Sternthal can also use a focus group session to discuss the effects of positive mood on adolescents’ memory in the North East, which would prove to be helpful research. Focus groups are a group of individuals discussing a specific topic in depth, which very much depends on the interactions of group members that can stimulate each member’s perception and also the interpretation of a defined situation. This type of research can be carried out at one of the schools where the chosen adolescents are likely to participate due to the comfortable setting.

For this developing case, the most suitable plan is to implement an interview because interviews are an effective way to get an overall impression and insight into a group/individual’s feeling and/or behavior, and adolescents are more comfortable in a setting where they find it easier to express feelings and emotions. The interview could cover the type of music that lifts their mood and also some real-life examples that led to a positive mood.

Memory has always been a central topic for cognitive research and researchers of consumer behaviour have long been interested in this important area. In terms of case study, the scholar can use it as the main determinant of research because memory consists of several stages such as Sensory Memory, Short-term Memory, and also Long-Term Memory. To measure this concept, Lee and Sternthal (1999) have executed experimental research on the effects of positive mood on memory. This research involves 296 adolescents from the North East of England during summer, which were selected from 12 schools and were not typical of adolescents in the North East.

Lee, A.Y. and Sternthal, B. (1999) The effects of positive mood on memory. Journal of Consumer Research, 26, 115-127.

5. Conclusion

Note some very important differences in citing the work. While the standard academic citation is illustrated at the top of the page, the complete citation is given as a footnote. The complete citation allows the reader to find an authority on lexis or Westlaw and learn its history. This translates to major time-saving ease for legal practitioners as they need not go Shepardizing and is therefore adding residual value to the client. While very close, it still provides added residual value by enabling the reader to know whether the case has been unpublished or otherwise escaped its utility as precedent.

For example, how one author generated their conclusion: “My main interest here is to demonstrate how this citation style will need a complete rethinking if the practitioners of the law actually read the cited authorities. This focus on the practical value of the cited case as “good law” is foreign to academic lawyers and therefore largely missing from the decisions. It is nothing more frustrating to the bench than to learn during oral argument that the authority which spawned the perfecting issue was subsequently reversed.”