case study

Meaning

A case study is an in-depth, detailed investigation of a single individual, group, event, or organization. It is commonly used in social sciences, clinical medicine, business, and education to explore complex issues in a real-life context. Case studies provide rich qualitative data but cannot easily be generalized to larger populations.

Examples

• The professor presented a fascinating case study on a company that went bankrupt.

  The professor presented a fascinating case study on a company that went bankrupt.

• We conducted a case study to understand how the new policy affected local schools.

  We conducted a case study to understand how the new policy affected local schools.

• This textbook includes several clinical case studies of rare psychological disorders.

  This textbook includes several clinical case studies of rare psychological disorders.

• A single case study cannot prove a theory, but it can provide valuable insights.

  A single case study cannot prove a theory, but it can provide valuable insights.

• The researchers published a detailed case study of the successful urban renewal project.

  The researchers published a detailed case study of the successful urban renewal project.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We need to do a cases study on this issue.

  ✓ We need to do a case study on this issue.

  The modifier 'case' must be singular when functioning as an adjective before 'study.'

• ✗ The paper is a case study about a patient.

  ✓ The paper is a case study of a patient.

  In formal academic English, 'case study of' is the standard prepositional collocation, rather than 'case study about.'

Related Expressions

Practice

• The business school uses the ___ method to teach decision-making.

  💡 An in-depth investigation of a single real-world example.

  Show answer

  case study

• Our team is conducting a ___ of a successful local startup.

  💡 A detailed analysis of one specific entity or event.

  Show answer

  case study