how to reference the case study

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How to Cite a Case Study in APA, MLA, or Chicago

When citing a case study, the format in MLA and APA is similar to that of a report, and in Chicago style, it is similar to that of a book. For all three citation styles, you will need the name of the author(s), the title of the case study, the year it was published, the publishing organization/publisher, and URL (if applicable). The templates and examples below will demonstrate how to cite a case study in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.

Author Last Name, Author First Name.  Title of Case Study . Edition (if applicable), volume number (if applicable), Publisher, year of publication, URL without http:// or https:// (if applicable).

Hill, Linda A., et al. HCL Technologies (A). Rev. edition, Harvard Business School, 2008, www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=34784.

In-text Citation:

(Author Last Name(s) page #)

(Hill et al. 8)

Author Last Name, Author Initial. (Publication Year). Title of Case Study (Case # if applicable). Publishing Organization. URL

Hill, L., Khanna, T., & Stecker, E. (2008). HCL Technologies (A) (Case 408-004). Harvard Business School. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=34784

(Author Last Name, Publication Year)

(Hill et al., 2008)

Notes-bibliography style

Author Last Name, First Name.  Title of the Case Study . Publishing City: Publishing Organization, Publication Year. URL.

Hill, Linda A., Tarun Khanna, and Emily Stecker. HCL Technologies (A).  Boston: Harvard Business School, 2008. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=34784.

1. Author First Name Last Name, Title of the Case Study (Publishing City: Publishing Organization, Publication Year), URL.

1. Linda A. Hill, Tarun Khanna, and Emily Stecker, HCL Technologies (A) ( Boston: Harvard Business School, 2008), https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=34784.

Author-date style

Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. Title of the Case Study . Publishing City: Publishing Organization. URL.

Hill, Linda A., Tarun Khanna, and Emily Stecker. 2008. HCL Technologies (A).  Boston: Harvard Business School. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=34784.

In-text citation: 

(Author Last Name Publication Date)

(Holl, Khanna, and Stecker 2008)

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Citing a case study

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Published February 4, 2021. Updated August 9, 2021.

To create a reference or citation for a case study, you will need to know basic information including the name of the author, title of the case study, journal or book title, and publication year.

The templates and examples below will show you how to cite a case study in MLA style, APA style, Chicago style, and Harvard referencing style.

Easily cite a case study in the style of your choice using the  Chegg Writing citation generator .

Help protect your paper against accidental plagiarism with the Chegg Writing  plagiarism checker  and  citation generator .

Citing a case study in MLA style

In-text citation template and example:

(Author Surname Page number)

(Rapp and Caramazza 373)

Works cited entry template and example:

Surname, First M. “Title of the Case Study.”  Name of Publication , Volume number, Issue number, Publication Day Month Year, Page number. Case study.

Rapp, Brenda, and Alfonso Caramazza. “Selective Difficulties with Spoken Nouns and Written Verbs: A Single Case Study.”  Journal of Neurolinguistics , vol. 15, no. 3, 2002, pp. 373–402. Case Study.

Citing a case study in APA style

(Author Surname, Year)

(Rapp & Caramazza, 2002)

Reference list entry template and example:

Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the case study [Case study].  Name of Publication , Volume(Issue), Page number.

Rapp, B., & Caramazza, A. (2002). Selective difficulties with spoken nouns and written verbs: A single case study [Case study].  Journal of Neurolinguistics,  15(3), 373–402.

Citing a case study in Chicago style, notes-bibliography

Footnote template and example:

Author Full Name, “Title of the Case Study,”

Name of Publication

Volume number, Issue number (Publication Month Day, Year): Page number.

Brenda Rapp and Alfonso Caramazza, “Selective Difficulties with Spoken Nouns and Written Verbs: A Single Case Study,”

Journal of Neurolinguistics

15, no. 3 (2002): 373.

Shortened Note

Author Surname, “Shortened Title of the Case Study,” Page number.

Rapp and Caramazza, “Selective Difficulties,” 402.

Bibliography entry template and example:

Author Surname, First M. “Title of the Case Study.”  Name of Publication  Volume number, Issue number (Publication Month Day, Year): Page number.

Rapp, Brenda, and Alfonso Caramazza. “Selective Difficulties with Spoken Nouns and Written Verbs: A Single Case Study.”  Journal of Neurolinguistics  15, no. 3 (2002): 373–402.

Citing a case study in Chicago style, author-date

(Author Surname Publication year)

(Rapp and Caramazza 2002)

Author Surname, First M. Publication year. “Title of the Case Study.”  Name of Publication  Volume number, Issue number: Page number.

Rapp, Brenda, and Alfonso Caramazza. 2002. “Selective Difficulties with Spoken Nouns and Written Verbs: A Single Case Study.”  Journal of Neurolinguistics  15, no. 3: 373–402.

How to cite a case study in Harvard referencing style

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Rapp and Caramazza, 2002)

Author Surname, F.M. (Publication Year) ‘Title of case study’,  Name of Journal , Volume(Issue), pp. #-#.

Rapp, B. and Caramazza, A. (2002) ‘Selective difficulties with spoken nouns and written verbs: A single case study’,  Journal of Neurolinguistics , 15(3-5), pp. 373–402.

Writing a paper ? Don’t forget to include a  bibliography .

Citation Examples

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APA Citation and University Writing: Examples

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APA Style examples

These examples are references. The examples demonstrate the style and format required for a reference list.

Need help with in-text citation style? Click the tab Citations & Reference List . 

APA 7 Style Guide Examples

APA Style Notes

• Date of retrieval
• Missing Info

The examples on this page should only be used as a guide. The following links are official APA Style resources:

APA Style FAQ [APA Style]

Quick Answers - Reference

APA Tutorial: The Basics of APA Style

https://URL

URL where information was r etrieved  not required for library database citations.

Database where information was  retrieved not required in most instances except for special cases.

A citation for an article from a library database does not require the URL or name of the database.

ONLINE! URL

Do not include the words "Retrieved from" any longer before the URL

URL is important for items found freely available online. APA rules recommend using the homepage URL when an item can be easily located - such as URLs for news websites or online databases such as Hathi Trust and Internet Archive. Here is an example - only the homepage URL is used, not the full webpage URL.

Gallagher, D. (2018, Feb. 3 ) Is Google Losing to Amazon? Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com

Retrieved date is only included in a reference if the information cited is likely to change.

In general, do not include retrieved date within a citation, unless it is required by your instructor, or you are citing a blog, wiki, and a post from a personal website.

Example of information likely to change:

Neurology. (n.d.). In Wikipedia . Retrieved August 8, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurology

This is only in cases where this is no published date and the information is likely to change.

[Square Brackets] 

[Square Brackets] have several functions in APA Style. Regardless of the function, words within square brackets are your words .

1) [Square brackets] identify source types. APA Style recommends (not requires) providing identifying information when the title and other information in the citation does not identify the source. Add [square brackets] when needed to clarify what the item is. For example, [Case study], [Blog post], [Wiki], [Twitter post], [Facebook post] [Personal website], [PDF document], [Excel document], [Video], [Interview], [Data], [Data set].

Sasal, D. (2017, June 13)  Project Management simplified: Learn the fundamentals of PMI's framework  [Video]. Youtube.      https://youtu.be/ZKOL-rZ79gs

2)  Use square brackets If you’re referencing an unusual item.

APA Style Blog: Using Square Brackets

3) Use square brackets when there is missing information - for example, missing date and title.

APA Style Blog: Missing Pieces: How to Write an APA Style Reference Even Without All the Information

Do you have questions about authors?

• Click here. APA FAQ tab. Need help formatting AUTHOR names? No author, multiple authors, etc... In the AUTHOR box, click the tabs IN-TEXT or REFERENCE to learn how to handle 1-5 authors, and 6+ authors.

Authors for websites are often corporations, organizations or governments. If there is no person as the author consider using a corporate/group name.

Use a corporate/group name when an o rganization, rather than an individual, takes responsibility for the creation of a work. Ask yourself, whose website is it - what company, organization or government agency?

No author? Are you sure? Is it a Group/corporate Author?

APA Style Blog on group authors

If there is no author and no group/corporate author, begin the reference with the TITLE in the author-place. Use a shortened version of the title in when using in-text citations.

How to write an APA Style reference when information is missing

No date? Missing title? Missing source?

APA Style Blog on missing information

• Guidelines for missing information This PDF was created and made available by the APA Style Blog.
• Articles - Print
• Articles - Online
• Articles - Library database
• Articles - Library database with DOI

Working Papers

Article - print.

I ansiti , M., Lakhani, K. R., McBrien, K., & Moon, M. (2017). Managing our hub economy: Strategy, ethics, and network competition in the age of digital superpower. Harvard Business Review , 95 (5), 84-92.

Online Journal Article

Klein, G., & Aubry, M. (2017). Introducing the issue on megaprojects. Project Management Journal , 48 (6), 3-4. https://www.pmi.org/PMJ

Wang, J., Meric, G., Liu, Z., & Meric, I. (2010). A comparison of the determinants of stock returns in the 1987 and 2008 stock market meltdowns. Banking and Finance Review, 2 (1), 15-26. http://www.bankingandfinancereview.com/

Online Newspaper Article

Gallagher , D. (2018, February 3 ). Is Google losing to Amazon? The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com

Krauss, C. (2008, August 30). Surge in natural gas has Utah driving cheaply. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com

APA Style Blog on citing newspapers

Is this website a newspaper, magazine or journal?

"There’s no governing authority who decides what’s a newspaper versus a website versus an online magazine versus something else entirely. Best to look at how the site refers to itself and follow the convention associated with that. So if they call themselves a newspaper, italicize the name; otherwise, don’t." APA Style Blog

If the site does not refer to itself as a newspaper, magazine or journal cite the source as a webpage - scroll down to Online - Webpage.

Articles from library databases without doi .

Journal Article:

Arruda-Filho, E., Cabusas, J., & Dholakia, N. (2010). Social behavior and brand devotion among iPhone innovators.  International Journal of Information Management,   30 (6), 475-480.

Magazine Article:

Barkin, E. (2010, April). Jetting to greener pastures.  Customer Relationship Management,   14 (4), 30-33,36.

Newspaper Article:

Krauss, C. (2008, August 30). Surge in natural gas has Utah driving cheaply. The New York Times , 157 (54418), A1.  https://www.nytimes.com/

Articles from library databases with doi.

Gonzalez, J., Ragins, B., Ehrhardt, K., & Singh, R. (2018). Friends and family: The role of relationships in community and workplace attachment. Journal of Business & Psychology , 33 (1), 89-104. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s10869-016-9476-3

Holland, C. P. (1995). Cooperative supply chain management: The impact of interorganizational information systems. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 4 (2), 117-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/0963-8687(95)80020-Q

Deming, D., & Dynarski, S. (2008). The lengthening of childhood (National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 14124). http://www.nber.org/papers/w14124

White papers.

Department for Business Innovation & Skills. (2016).  Success as a knowledge economy: Teaching excellent, social mobility and student choice  [White paper]. Crown.  https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523396/bis-16-265-success-as-a-knowledge-economy.pdf

APA Style on White Papers

Author, A. A. (year). Title of work (Report No. 123). Publisher.

Author, A. A. (year). Title of work (Report No. 123). http:// www.URL.com

Source: American Psychological Association, 2010, p.206.

• Books in print

Book in print

Brader, t. (2006). campaigning for hearts and minds: how emotional appeals in political ads work . university of chicago press., laudon, k.c. & traver, c.g. (2016). e-commerce: business, technology, society (12 th ed.). pearson., lewis, r., & dart, m. (2010). the new rules of retail: competing in the world's toughest marketplace . palgrave macmillan., miller, t. e., bender, b. e., & schuh, j. h. (2005). promoting reasonable expectations: aligning student and institutional views of the college experience . jossey-bass..

Book with no author, but has an editor or editors:   add (Ed.) or (Eds.)

Duncan , G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.). (1997). Consequences of growing up poor . Russell Sage Foundation.

Ebooks (APA 7)

Ebook from a library database (ie. Ebook Central ProQuest)

Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management metrics, KPIS, and dashboards: A guide to measuring and monitoring project performance .  https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Ebook found online:

Barton, Clara. (1904). A story of the Red Cross: Glimpses of field work . D. Appleton and Company. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30230

Ebook accessed using a specific reader

Gladwell, M. (2011). Outliers: The story of success . Back Bay Books. https://www.amazon.com

Case Studies

Case study published by harvard business school publishing.

Thomas, D.A. (1999). Leaving. HBS No. 400033-PDF-ENG. Harvard Business School Publishing. 

Eisenmann, T., & Herman, K. (2010). Google, Inc. HBS No. 910036-PDF-ENG. Harvard Business School Publishing. 

Case Study published by Ivey Publishing

Bernhut, S. (2013). The Ivey Business Journal Interview: State Capitalism, with Aldo Musacchio . Ivey ID: 9B13TB08. Ivey Publishing. 

• General Guidelines
• Library Database
• Website (including photo)
• Reference examples

Figures: graphs, flow charts, maps, drawings, photos, etc.

Looking for tables > use formatting information in the box Tables.

Click through the tabs and find in-text citation and reference examples.

Using Statista? Scroll down to the Statista box.

Video tutorial: APA Style for Figures and Tables

Looking for tables > using formatting information in the box Tables.

A figure may be a chart, a graph, a photograph, a drawing, or any other illustration or nontextual depiction. Any type of illustration other than a table is referred to as a figure.

When you use a figure that has been adapted or copied directly from another source, you need to reference that original source. This reference appears as a caption underneath the figure (image):

• don't include a title on top - the caption is your title
• concise explanation of the figure; i.e. a brief but descriptive phrase
• include copyright information
• format your caption - use italics and a capital F for Figure and sequential numbering (if you have more than one Figure)

Legend (if needed) :

A legend explains the symbols used in the figure. It should have the same kind and proportion of lettering that appear in the rest of the figure.

• capitalize major words in the legend
• place the legend within the figure (it may already be there if you have copied the graph from elsewhere)

General rules:

• Number all figures with Arabic numerals in the order in which they are first mentioned in text, regardless of whether a more detailed discussion of the figure occurs later in the paper. For example, Figure 1...Figure 2...etc.
• Refer to the figure in your writing - no italics, but with capital F, for example "In Figure 1..."
• Copyright permission for using figures and images in theses/dissertations/exegeses - obtain written copyright permission from the copyright holder if you reproduced or adapted a figure from a copyrighted source. If you are adapting material from multiple sources, and integrating them into a single figure, you might need to include multiple permission statements, one for each source.
• Figures must have a reference in your Reference List.

Multiple Sources:

See Simon Fraser University's instructions for citing multi-sources.

Created by Auckland University of Technology Library, and adapted with permission.

APA Style on citing Tables & Figures

Figure reproduced in your paper

Use this format for figures you COPY - reproduced exactly as they appear in another source. Use this format when you do not make any modifications or add data to the table.

Caption Format - caption under a figure

Figure 1. FinSec's communication networks. Reprinted from Employment Relations in New Zealand (2nd ed., p.355), by E. Rasmussen, 2009. Pearson. Copyright 2009 by Erling Rasmussen.

In-text citation:

Reference list entry:

Figure referred to and not reproduced in your paper

If you simply refer to a figure, format the in text-citation and the reference list entry in the usual way.

Figure 1. Factors influencing the formation of tourists' needs. Reprinted from "Factors that Obstruct Tourism Development in Bangladesh", by N. Jahan and S. Rahman, 2016, CLEAR International Journal of Research in Commerce & Management, 7 (9) , p.53. Copyright 2016 by Chinniah Lakshmiammal Educational Academy & Research (CLEAR) Foundation.

If you simply refer to a figure and do not include it in your text, format the in text citation and the reference list entry in the usual way.

Caption Format - caption under a figure

Example from ACNielsen Market Information Digest database

Figure 1 . The market location and dollar sales of meat pies in New Zealand. SMAP is the segment of market for the Auckland Province, SMLNI for the Lower North Island, SMSI for the South Island; MAP is the moving annual total. Nielsen Market Information Digest New Zealand database. Copyright 2011 by The Nielsen Company.

Example: from Passport (Euromonitor) database

Figure 2 .  Trade volume of ready to drink high strength premixes sold in New Zealand, measured in 000 litres. Passport database. Copyright 2010 by Euromonitor International.

If you refer to a figure, format the in-text citation and the reference list entry in the usual way:

Caption Format - caption under a figure

Figure 1 . Vermeer, J. (c. 1665). Girl with a pearl earring . From Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery, The Hague. http://www.mauritshuis.nl/index.aspx?Chapterid=2295. Reprinted with permission.

Figure 2 . America's Army screen dump showing soldiers and watch tower. From America's Army (Version 3). http://www.americasarmy.com. Copyright 2010 by America’s Army.

If you refer to a figure, format the in-text citation and the reference list entry in the usual way.

• Not every reference to an artwork needs a reference list entry, for example, if you refer to a famous painting, as above, it would not need a reference.

• clicking on or hovering your mouse over the image
• looking at the bottom of the image
• looking at the URL
• if there is no title, create a short descriptive one yourself and put it in square brackets e.g. [...]

Reference List

Examples of references for figures.

Retrieved from a library database

Euromonitor International. (2013). Youth unemployment rate vs. total unemployment rate: 2006-2011 [Graph]. Euromonitor Passport database .

Format: Figure

Author. (year created). Title of work [Type of work], Database name or URL.

No author? Use a corporate/agency/company (as known as group author name), or a screen name. If this is not an option, use the title in place of the author.

• Library Databases
• Multiple sources

Tables: numerical values or text displayed in clearly designated columns and rows

Looking for: graphs, flow charts, maps, drawings, photos, etc. > see box Figures.

Created by Auckland University of Technology Library , and adapted with permission.

Tables usually show numerical value or textual information and are almost always characterized by a row-column structure. Any type of illustration other than a table is a  figure .

General notes on tables:

• Tables are located at the end of your paper, after the reference list and before any appendixes. Each table is on a separate page.
• Tables may use single-spacing or one-and-a-half spacing (p. 229).
• Information necessary for understanding the table and definitions of abbreviations used within the table appear in a table note. ( APA Style Blog )
• All tables must be cited in-text and discussed within the body of your paper, and be included in your reference list.

Basic instructions for formatting tables

Number t ables sequentially (i.e.if you have more than one table in your writing) e.g. Table 1, Table  2 .....

• Each table must be referred to in the text, using a capital T,  for example: ...as shown in Table 1

Title is placed directly a bove the table itself and below the table number.

• Brief but clear and explanatory, in italics and with major words capitalized with no full stop.

Note is placed directly below the table, the word "Note" in italics with a full stop, for example:  Note.

• Explain abbreviations, symbols etc
• Acknowledge the source of the table
• Include a copyright statement at the end of the note. 

     ​  For specific and probability note (section 5.16, p 138).

Ruling (Lines)

• Limit the use of lines to those that are necessary
• Appropriately positioned white space can be an effective substitute.
• Tables  may be submitted either single or double spaced. Consider readability (section 5.17, p 141).

Sales of  Take Home Ice Cream in New Zealand

Note . MAT= moving annual total, From ACNielsen Market Information Digest New Zealand .Copyright 2010 by The Nielsen Company.

Table reproduced in your paper

Use this format for tables you COPY - reproduced exactly as they appear in another source. Use this format when you do not make any modifications or add data to the table.

Note format - note under a table

Note. Reprinted from Employment relations in New Zealand (p 98), by E. Rasmussen, 2009. Pearson. Copyright (2009) by Erling Rasmussen. 

Use the reference style for books - see go to box Books

Table referred to and not reproduced in your paper

If you simply refer to a table, format the in-text citation and the reference list entry in the usual way.

Note format - note under a table

   In-text citation:

Use the reference style for articles - see box Articles .

Table referred to but not reproduced in your paper

Note Format : note below a table

Percentage of Men and Women Who Have Bought Fruit and Vegetable Products in the Last Four Weeks

Note.  wc = weighted count, shown in thousands; v% =vertical percentage, showing which % of the column group also belongs to the row group; h% = horizontal percentage showing which percentage of the row group also belongs to the column group. Roy Morgan Single Source New Zealand database. Copyright 2015 by Roy Morgan New Zealand Ltd. 

Reference  List entry:

Note format - note below a table

Percentage of New Zealand Population Who Have Never Worked by Age Group. By age group June 2016 quarter

Note . Adapted from  http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/income-and-work/employment_and_unemployment/people-never-worked.aspx . Copyright (2016) by Statistics New Zealand. 

Use the reference style for websites - see box Online , tab Websites.

If you refer to a table but don’t provide a copy of it in your assessment, simply give an in-text citation in the usual way

​ Reference list entry:

Table - compiled from a variety of sources

Multi source data

If you create your own table by compiling data from multiple sources, you will still need to cite where you got your information from. You do not need to give the full bibliographic citation in the note, an author and date is sufficient. 

Note format - note under table:

In-text citation: 

Multiple kinds of data

If you have multiple kinds of data (population figures, employment information... etc.) in one table you would describe each set of data)

Note format - note under Table:

 For more information see:

APA Style for figures & tables

Examples of references for tables.

Retrieved from a book

New Strategist. (2008). Women's time use by age, 2007 [Table]. In New Strategist Editors, American women: Who they are and how they live (4th ed.) . New Strategist Publications, Inc.

Retrieved from a online source

US Census Bureau. (2002). Industries in Which California Ranks First in Terms of Sales or Receipts Per Capita [Table]. 2002 Economic Census . http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/tops/TOPSTCA.HTM

National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). [Chart showing racial makeup of San Francisco Unified School District students under age 18]. Common Core of Data . http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/

If the table you find does not have a title, then describe the content in [square brackets].

Format: Table

Author. (Publication Date). Title of  table [Table]. In author or editor of work Title of work . Publisher.

Author. (Publication Date). Title of table [Table]. Title of website. URL

Author. (Publication Date). [Title of table] [Table]. Title of website. URL

Interviews, Emails, Personal Communications

• Interview, Email & Personal Communications

Personal interviews that you conduct do not have references. Personal interviews are considered personal communication. Include any relevant and important information about the interview in the body of your paper. APA Style states, "An interview is not considered recoverable data, so no reference to this is provided in the reference list. You may, however, cite the interview within the text as a personal communication." APA Style

Interviews - research participants .  APA Style

An interview you read has a citation and reference. Where did you find the interview? Is it from a magazine article, website, blog, etc.? Use the appropriate APA Style format to create the reference.

Email & Personal Communications

Email & personal communications do not have references at the end of your paper, but you will create a citation within the body of your paper.

Why do personal communications not have references? References are created to direct your reader to the sources of information you used in your paper. With personal communications you cannot direct the reader to the source - to the phone conversation you had, to your email inbox, to the day of the interview - the reader of your paper cannot access these sources.

Include any relevant and important information about the email and personal communication in the body of your paper.

Here is an example for the APA Style :

• Blogs & Wikipedia
• YouTube & Video

Social Media

• Help! More info for web sources...

Website (entire website, not a webpage)

No citation is needed for an entire website. Include the website within the body of a paper.

"In my paper, I mention a website. I refer to the website as a whole, and I am not discussing a specific webpage or an article within a website. Do I need to create an in-text citation and a reference list citation?"

NO . All you need to do is include the URL within the body of your paper, and you do not need to include the website and URL in your reference list at the end of the paper. In APA Style there is no specific formatting recommendations.

Two examples - full websites mentioned within a paper.

1) The Department of Health has just released a new website to help people identify and compare health care programs available in their area. The website is called HealthCare.gov at http://www.healthcare.gov/ This resource is easy to use and the interface is intuitive, but the website will not support members of the population not using the internet.

2) Kidspsych ( http://www.kidspsych.org ) is a wonderful interactive website for children. This resource is appropriate for children ages 3 to 10.

APA Style Blog: Websites & Webpages

Webpage (not an online journal, magazine or newspaper > use article format) (APA 7)

Webpage with author:

Doyle, A. (2017, July 1). Best questions to ask at a job interview: What to ask the employer during a job interview. The balance careers. The Balance. https://www.thebalance.com/questions-to-ask-in-a-job-interview-2061205

Webpage without a person as the author - there are options! (APA 7)

Authors for websites are often corporations, organizations or governments. If there is no person listed as the author consider using a corporate/group name . Use a corporate/group name when an o rganization, rather than an individual, takes responsibility for the creation of a work. Ask yourself, whose website is it - what company, organization or government agency?

Webpage with no person as author. Use a corporate/group author.  (APA 7)

United States government agency

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2018, February 14). Traumatic brain injury: FDA actions and research. http://usgov.info/2018/02/14/traumatic-brain-injury-fda-actions-and-research/

U.S. Small Business Association. (n.d.). Build your business plan. https://www.sba.gov/tools/business-plan/1?interiorpage2015

Ben & Jerry's. (n.d.). Our history. https://www.benjerry.com/about-us

Samsung. (2018). Vision 2020. https://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/vision/vision2020/

Kaiser Permanente. (2013, November). Measuring quality and patient safety. https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org

Webpage with no author

Effective business plans: Strategies for managers. (2018, March 4). Business Pros. http:// www.businesspros.com

Format:      Title of webpage. (Year, Month Day web page was last updated). Webpage. URL

In-text citation for no author:   ("First Few Words of Title," YEAR).    ("Effective Business Plans," 2018).

If the site refers to itself as a newspaper, magazine or journal cite the source using an article format. Scroll up to Articles - Online.

"There’s no governing authority who decides what’s a newspaper versus a website versus an online magazine versus something else entirely. Best to look at how the site refers to itself and follow the convention associated with that. So if they call themselves a newspaper, italicize the name; otherwise, don’t." 

Blogs, wikis, and posts on personal websites

Stephanie (2018, february 5). what to do if your obamacare 1095-a column b is zero. poorer than you . http://poorerthanyou.com/category/taxes/.

APA Style on citing Blogs

When citing Wikipedia, cite an archived version of a Wikipedia page so that readers can retrieve the version you used.

*Access the archived version on Wikipedia by selecting “View history” and then the time and date of the version you used.

*If a wiki does not provide permanent links to archived versions of the page, include the URL for the entry and a retrieval date.

Business performance management. ( 2018,  January 25 ). In Wikipedia . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_performance_ management

Neurology. (n.d.). In Wikipedia . Retrieved December 15, 2017 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurology

APA Style Blog on citing Wikipedia

Entire blog, wiki, or personal website

"In my paper, I mention a blog. I refer to the blog as a whole, and I am not discussing a specific blog post. Do I need to create an in-text citation and a reference list citation?"

No. All you need to do is include the URL within the body of your paper, and you do not need to include the website and URL in your reference list at the end of the paper. In APA Style there is no specific formatting recommendations.

Two examples for mentioning the entire blog, wiki or personal website.  In the body of the paper:

1) At age 22, blogger Stephanee (Stephanie), started her the blog Poorer Than You (http://poorerthanyou.com). The posts are aimed at millennials and provide financial advice on a variety of topics.

2) I have learned a lot by reading the Psych Learning Curve blog (http://psychlearningcurve.org). This blog is an excellent resource for teachers.

Glass, I. (Producer). (2013, September 6). How I got into college [Audio podcast]. In  This American Life . http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/504/how-i-got-into-college

Purdue OWL  APA Style: How to Cite a Podcast

LastName, A. A. (Producer). (Year, Month Day {of podcast}). Title of podcast [Audio podcast]. In  Title of Podcast Series . Publisher. URL

Podcast without a series - stand alone

LastName, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Day {of podcast}). Title of podcast [Audio podcast episode]. Publisher. URL

Gallagher , D. (2018, February 3 ). Is Google losing to Amazon? The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com

Krauss, C. (2008, August 30). Surge in natural gas has Utah driving cheaply. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com

CNN. (2015, February 15). Boston sets new snow record [Video]. https://www.cnn.com/videos/weather/2015/02/15/newday-alesci-ripley-boston-sets-new-snow-record.cnn/video/playlists/top-news-videos/

Online Newspaper format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article: Capital letter to start subtitle. Title of Newspaper . https://www.someaddress.com

Online Magazine format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article: Capital letter to start subtitle. Title of Magazine, volume number (issue number if available). https://www.someaddress.com

Online News broadcast video:

Producer Name. (Year, Month Day). Video title [Video]. Website host. https://www.someaddress.com

Youtube video

Forbes. (2018, January 19).  Facebook announces algorithm changes; Apple brings money back to U.S. [Video]. Youtube. https://youtube/39gFZawmKfM

Sasal, D. (2017, June 13) Project Management simplified: Learn the fundamentals of PMI's framework [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/ZKOL-rZ79gs

APA Style: How to Create a Reference for a YouTube Video

TikTok  video

Cook, P. [@chemteacherphil]. (2019, November 19). Alkali salts get lit. #chemistry #chemteacherphil #scienceexperiments #foryou #jobforme #trend #featurethis #science #vibecheck [Video]. TikTok. https://vm.tiktok.com/xP1r1m

Washington Post [@washingtonpost]. (2019, December 3). News is all around us #frozen #newsroom #newspaper [Video]. TikTok. https://vm.tiktok.com/x2sKUu

TikTok  Profile

Witherspoon, R. [@officialreesetiktok]. (n.d.). vsco mom [TikTok profile]. TikTok. Retrieved January 12, 2020, from https://vm.tiktok.com/xS3B86

APA 7 TikTok Citation Guide

TED Talk video

If you viewed the video on the TED website:

Palmer, A. (2013, February). Amanda Palmer: The art of asking [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking

If you viewed the video on YouTube, the same TED Talk would be referenced as follows:

TED. (2013, March 1). Amanda Palmer: The art of asking [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMj_P_6H69g

APA Style Blog: How to Cite a TED Talk in APA Style

Film, Video, or DVD

Selick, H. (Director). (1993). The nightmare before Christmas [Film]. Touchstone.

Smithee, A. F. (Director). (2001). Really big disaster movie [ Film ]. Paramount Pictures.

APA Style Film and TV

NY Review of Books. (2013, September 6). The total weight of jellyfish in the Black Sea is 10x greater than that of all fish caught around the world in a year. [Tweet; thumbnail link to article]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/nybooks/status/376055502880665600

Obama, M. (2013, February 28). “ We can give all our children the bright, healthy futures they so richly deserve .” —the First Lady on why healthier food options are good for American businesses   [Image attached] [Status update] .  Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php? fbid =10152608245040578& set=a.10150238318835578.467644.22092775577&type=1

Gaiman, N. (2012, February 29). Please celebrate Leap Year Day in the traditional manner by taking a writer out for dinner.  [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/neilgaiman/posts/10150574185041016

Reuters Top News [Reuters]. (2016, November 1). Inside David Bowie's art collection [Twitter moment]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/i/moments/793575609028915200

APA Style: How to Cite a Twitter Moment

APA Style: How to Cite Facebook

APA Style: How to Cite Instagram

In APA Style there are no specific formatting rules for citing PDFs.

Why? PDF is just a file format. To cite this type of document, ask yourself: What is this?

You must determine what the nature of the PDF, and then use the corresponding format.

There are two common types of documents that appear as PDFs:

- Articles (magazines, newspapers, journals, newsletters, etc.)

- Reports (government report, company profile, company annual report, etc.)

Need help? Ask us by emailing [email protected]

For Webinar citations in APA 7, Please check out Purdue University APA 7 citation guide on Other Non-Print Sources available here:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_other_non_print_sources.html

Rules for citing information found on the web:

No author? Start with the title and then the date. A screen-name can be used as the author. An organization/company can be the author.

Date? If a date is not specifically included with the item you are citing, look for the last updated date. No date type (n.d.)

Titles? Keep it simple - do not italicize website titles. This can get confusing:  If a webpage is part of a larger website, do not italicize the title of the page. If the webpage is an independent document on the website, do italicize the title of the page. This is also a judgment call that you will have to make. If you are not sure, do not italicize.

URL? Yes, include it. www.theURL.com

Retrieved on date? In general, do not include the retrieved date for most web sources. If a webpage is likely to change over time, such as a wiki or personal website, include the date that you looked at the page.

Author and website name? If the name of the website is the same as the name of the author, you do not need to include it a second time.

[Square Brackets]?  APA Style recommends providing identifying information - when needed for clarification. If the information in the citation and URL do not clearly identify what it is you are citing, add [square brackets]. For example, [Blog post], [Wiki], [Twitter post], [Facebook post] [Personal website], [PDF document], [Video], [Interview], [Data].

Presentations

Instructors frequently require students to use APA Style within presentations. APA Style does not provide specific guidelines for PowerPoint presentations and visuals. You will be adapting APA Style guidelines. Check with your instructor about the format. You will likely need to have in-text citations on the slides throughout your presentation for images, data, quotes and paraphrased statements, AND a slide at the end for a reference list.

• Statistics & Data Sets
• Dictionary / Definitions

Barr, J. G. (2018). Artificial intelligence . Faulkner Advisory for IT Studies database.  MarketLine . (2013, April 29). NIKE, Inc.: Company profile . 

Annual Report

American Psychological Association. (2013). 2012 annual report of the American  Psychological Association . http://www.apa.org/pubs/info/reports/2012-report.pdf

Unilever. (2015). Annual report and accounts 2015 strategic report.  https://www.unilever.com/Images/annual_report_and_accounts_ar15_tcm244-478426_en.pdf

APA Style on citing annual reports

Microsoft. (2005, September 25). Form 10-Q.  Arrow International, Inc. (2009). 10-K Annual Report 2009 .

Government Report

San Francisco Department of Public Health. (2016). San Francisco community health needs assessment 2016 . https://www.sfdph.org/dph/hc/HCAgen/HCAgen2016/May%2017/2016CHNA-2.pdf

U.S. Department of Education. (2014). Profile of undergraduate students: 2011-12. Web tables (NCES 2015-167). https://nces.ed.gov/ pubs2015/2015167.pdf

National Cancer Institute. (2016). Taking part in cancer treatment research studies  (Publication No. 16-6249). https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/CRS.pdf

Office of the Inspector General U.S. Department of Justice. (2017, May). Review of the handling of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations by the department’s Civil Division . https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2017/e1703.pdf

APA Style: How to Cite Government Report

U.S. Constitution

APA Style Blog states, "All citations of the U.S. Constitution begin with U.S. Const. , followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant."   APA Style Blog: How to Cite the U.S. Constitution in APA Style

In-text                   (U.S. Const. amend. II)

Reference             U.S. Const. amend. II

Congressional Bill

Equitable Health Care for Severe Mental Illnesses Act of 1993, S. 671, 103d Cong., 1st Sess. (1993).

Federal Statutes

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C. §§ 2601–2654 (2006).

FORMAT: Name of the Statute, Tile number Source  § Section number(s) (Year).

APA Style: Writing References for Federal Statutes

Statistics & Data Sets

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016). Consumer price index - all urban consumers, 1956-2016 [Time series]. http://data.bls.gov

Pew Research Center. (2016). June 10-July 12, 2015 – Gaming, jobs and broadband [Data file and codebook]. http://www.pewresearch.org

World Bank, World Development Indicators. (2016). Firms using banks to finance working capital (% of firms) [Data file]. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IC.FRM.BKWC.ZS?view= chart

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2008). Indiana income limits [Data set]. http://www.huduser.org/Datasets/IL/IL08/in_fy2008.pdf

APA Style on citing data sets

U.S. Census

U.S. Census Bureau (2011). Selected housing characteristics, 2007-2011 American community survey 5-year estimates [Data file]. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_5YR_DP04

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2009). Cahaba River Natural Refuge. https://www.fws.gov/cahabariver/maps.html

International Monetary Fund. (2017, May 8). IMF lending at a glance. http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/map/lending/

WOU APA Style on citing maps

Google Maps

Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps directions for driving from Ingolstadt, Germany, to Geneva, Switzerland]. Retrieved August 4, 2015 from https://goo.gl/maps/ILt8O

APA Style on citing online map s

IAC. (n.d.).  Impact investing. In Investopedia . Retrieved May 15, 2016 from  https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/impact-investing.asp

Merriam Webster (n.d.). R eliability. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary (11th ed.). Retrieved January 11, 2020 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reliability

Dictionary references in APA 7

BizJournals (via American City Business Journals)

Dittmer, M. (2018, March 16). Busiest Bay Area airlines. San Francisco Business Times .

Britannica Academic & Encyclopaedia Britannica

Library database fisher, w. w. (2018). patent. encyclopaedia britannica ., online britannica, t. editors of encyclopaedia (2019, november 20). prohibition. encyclopedia britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/prohibition-united-states-history-1920-1933 note: encyclopedia britannica online  has a citation tool., business source complete.

Is it an article?  Use the format: Articles - library database

Is it a report? >> Use the format: Reports

The database Business Source Complete has a citation tool. Click CITE and select APA citation format. Review the citation and edit it.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed): DSM–5

American psychiatric association. (2013). diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).      https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596, (american psychiatric association, 2013), faulkner reports.

Reports from these databases: Faulkner Advisory for IT Studies (FAITS), and Faulkner Security Management Practices.

Barr, J. G. (2019). Artificial intelligence . Faulkner Advisory for IT Studies.

Keston, G. (2019). Network access control . Faulkner Security Management Practices.

Gale Ebooks

Agile software. In Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries (7th ed., pp. 5-10). Gale. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3664200008/GVRL?u=ggusf_main&sid=GVRL&xid=4c07cc09

Harvard Business Review

Is it an article? >> Use the article format .

Is it a case study? >> Use the case study format .

Mergent Online

Mergent Inc. (n.d.). Apple, Inc.: Business segments .

Mergent Inc. (2014, February 28). McDonald's Corp.: Ford Equity research report .

Apple Inc. (2013, October 30). Form 10-K . 

Microsoft. (2005, September 25). Form 10-Q.  

Morningstar Investment Research Center

Google , Inc. (2011, December 31). Form 10-K .

Morningstar . (n.d.). Google: Key ratios . Retrieved March 13, 2014, from Morningstar Investment Research.

Morningstar . (2014, February 28) Fidelity Blue Chip Growth: Rating and risk .  Morningstar Investment Research.

Reichart, K. R. (2014, March 6). Fidelity Blue Chip Growth: Fund analyst repor t. Morningstar Investment Research database.

Summer, R. (2014, February 25). Google, Inc.: Stock analyst report . Morningstar Investment Research database.

Pew Research Center

Lopez, G., Ruis, N.G. & Patten, E. (2017, September 8) Key facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/08/key-facts-about-asian-americans/

Shearer, E. & Gottfried, J. (2017, September 6). In 2017, two-thirds of U.S. adults get news from social media [Table]. In News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2017. http://www.journalism.org/2017/09/07/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2017/pi_17-08-23_socialmediaupdate_0-01/

Pew Research Center. (2016). June 10-July 12, 2015 – Gaming, Jobs and Broadband [Data file and code book]. http://www.pewresearch.org

Pew Research Center. (2018, January 2018). They’re waiting longer, but U.S. women today more likely to have children than a decade ago: More than half of never-married women in their early 40s have given birth [Report]. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/01/18/theyre-waiting-longer-but-u-s-women-today-more-likely-to-have-children-than-a-decade-ago/

S&P Global NetAdvantage

Industry survey.

Snyder, K. (2017, October). Health care equipment and supplies. CFRA Industry Surveys [PDF].

Library database - Statista - citing data and charts

When you are viewing data, look for the citation button. SELECT CITATION. From the drop-down menu, click APA. We recommend you edit the citation. Note, Statista uses many difference SOURCES - the source is in the place of the author.

Atlas Van Lines. (May 27, 2020). Internal factors that influenced employee relocations in the United States in 2020 [Chart]. In Statista - The Statistics Portal . Retrieved April 08, 2021 from https://www.statista.com/statistics/763368/internal-factors-on-employee-relocation-us/

Airnow. (February 17, 2021). Leading iPhone apps in the Apple App Store worldwide in January 2021, by revenue (in million U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In  Statista . Retrieved April 08, 2021, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/271103/top-iphone-apps-worldwide-by-revenue/

Library database - Statista - citing a full report

Collignon , H. & Sultan, N. (2014, November). Winning the business of sports 2014 . Retrieved from Statista database.

Janßen , B., Krützfeldt, W., Ramcke, K., & Staffa, V. (2014, August).  Industry report - Computer and electronic product manufacturing NAICS Code 334 . Retrieved from Statista database.

Statista. (2018). Coffee market in the U.S. [Report]. Retrieved from Statista database.

Online - using Statista's website - citing data and charts

When there is no author name, use the SOURCE name in place of the author. Statista uses many difference SOURCES. Look under the table or figure for the word SOURCE.

ITU. (2011, October). Number of active mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide from 2005 to 2011 (in millions) [Chart].  In Statista . Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/186337/number-of-mobile-broadband-subscriptions-worldwide-since-2005/

Value Line Publishing. (2010, November 26). Ford Motor. Value Line Investment Survey .

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How to Cite a Case Study

Last Updated: March 6, 2024

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Jennifer Mueller is a wikiHow Content Creator. She specializes in reviewing, fact-checking, and evaluating wikiHow's content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. Jennifer holds a JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 37,664 times.

Particularly in research for business studies or papers in the social sciences, you may want to cite a case study completed by a university or other organization. While case studies have titles and publication information like other articles, they often have a unique case study number that is typically included in your citation. While Chicago citation style is most frequently used in business schools, you may also use the American Psychological Association (APA) or Modern Language Association (MLA) style.

Sample Citations

• Example: Lee, Stan.
• If there is more than one author, list the additional authors' names in first-middle initial-last format. Separate author's names with commas, with the word "and" before the last author's name.

• Example: Lee, Stan. "DC Comics in 2016." HBS No. 999-111.

• Example: Lee, Stan. "DC Comics in 2016." HBS No. 999-111. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017.

• Example: Lee, Stan. "DC Comics in 2016." HBS No. 999-111. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017. http://hbsp.harvard.edu, accessed July 2018.

• Print example: Stan Lee, "DC Comics in 2016," HBS No. 999-111 (Boston, Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017), p. 14.
• Online example: Stan Lee, "DC Comics in 2016," HBS No. 999-111 (Boston, Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017), http://hbsp.harvard.edu, accessed July 2018.

• Example: Lee, S.
• Separate the names of multiple authors with commas, placing an ampersand before the last author's name.

• Example: Lee, S. (2017).
• If there is no year of publication listed, use the abbreviation "n.d." in the parentheses.

• Example: Lee, S. (2017). DC Comics in 2016 .

• Example: Lee, S. (2017). DC Comics in 2016 . HBS No. 999-111.

• Example: Lee, S. (2017). DC Comics in 2016 . HBS No. 999-111. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.

• Example: (Lee, 2017).

• If there are 2 authors, place the word "and" between their names. For 3 or more, use commas with the word "and" before the final author. After the first author, list subsequent authors with their first name followed by their last name. For example: Lee, Stan and Clark Kent.

• Example: Lee, Stan. DC Comics in 2016. Case Study.

• Example: Lee, Stan. DC Comics in 2016. Case Study. Boston. Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017.
• Note that unlike many other citation styles, the unique case study number is not necessarily included for MLA citations. Ask your instructor or supervisor if they want this information included in your citation.

• Print example: Lee, Stan. DC Comics in 2016. Case Study. Boston. Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017. Print.
• Web example: Lee, Stan. DC Comics in 2016. Case Study. Boston. Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017. Web. 17 July 2018.
• If you accessed the case study online, you may put the URL of the case study. However, this isn't required by MLA style. Ask your instructor or supervisor for their preference.

• Example: (Lee 27).

Community Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://guides.library.ualberta.ca/apa-citation-style/case-studies
• ↑ http://libanswers.snhu.edu/faq/128490
• ↑ http://libanswers.walsh.edu/faq/147917
• ↑ http://maag.guides.ysu.edu/businesscitations/mla

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• Case studies

General format

There is no specific way to reference a case study in APA style. Case studies are typically published as an article or report, or within a book. Format the reference list entry according to the type of publication. Following are some examples of case studies in business.

Business case study

Author(s). (Year).   Title of case study . Number of case study. URL

Harvard business school case study

Dey, A. (2022). Corporate governance: A three pillar framework. HBS No. 491-009.  https://hbsp.harvard.edu/cases/

Ivey business school case study

Dunbar, C., & Southam, C. (2005). London youth symphony. Ivey ID: 9B05009.  http://iveycases.com

Style notes

• If the case study is not numbered, leave it out of the reference entry.
• If the source is a book, format the reference according to the rules for books.
• If the source is a journal, format the reference according to the rules for journal articles.
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• Thesis or dissertation
• Webpage or website
• Writing style resources & sample papers

APA Citation Guide (APA 7th Edition): Case Studies

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Case Studies

• Class Notes, Class Recordings, Class Lectures and Presentations
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• Digital Assignments: Citing Your Sources This link opens in a new window
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Case Study from a Library Database

Case study from a website.

• Case Study from a Book

Case Study from a Print Book or eBook

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Harvard Style Guide: Case studies

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• Book with two or three authors
• Book with four or more authors
• Book with a corporate author
• Book with editor
• Chapter in an edited book
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• Print journal article, two or three authors
• Print journal article, four or more authors
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• Lectures/ presentations
• Film/ television
• YouTube Film or Talk
• Music/ audio
• Encyclopaedia and dictionaries
• Email communication
• Conferences
• Official publications
• Book reviews

Case studies

• Group or individual assignments
• Legal Cases (Law Reports)
• No date of publication
• Personal communications
• Repository item
• Citing same author, multiple works, same year

Back to Academic Integrity guide

Reference : Author/editor Last name, Initials. (Year) 'Title of case study' [Case Study], Journal Title, Volume (Issue), pp. page numbers. Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].

Ofek, E., Avery, J., Rudolph, S., Martins Gomes, V., Saadat, N., Tsui, A., & Shroff, Y. (2014) 'Case study second thoughts about a strategy shift' [Case Study], Harvard Business Review , 92(12), pp. 125-129. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=99621003&site=ehost-live [Accessed 10 December 2014].

In-Text-Citation :

• (Author last name, Year)
• Author last name (Year)...
• In their case study Ofek et al. (2014) describe how marketing to the young generation...

Still unsure what in-text citation and referencing mean? Check here . 

Still unsure why you need to reference all this information? Check here . 

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Answer Last Updated: Aug 23, 2023     Views: 20134

Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. "Title of Case Study." Case Study Number (if given), Publisher, Year of Publication.  Database Name . Case Study.

Havard, Cody T. " Basketball at the Most Magical Place on Earth: A Case Study of the NBA’s Season Conclusion at Walt Disney World Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic." SAGE, 2021.  SAGE Business Cases . Case Study.   

  According to APA, case studies do not have their own citation style or process, instead, cite as an article. 

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How to Cite a Case Study in APA: A Comprehensive Guide

If you’re writing an academic paper, you may need to cite a case study. But how do you do that? This guide will explain everything you need to know about citing a case study in APA format.

Table of Contents

What is APA?

APA stands for American Psychological Association. It is a style guide used by many academic disciplines, including psychology, sociology, and business. The purpose of the APA style is to provide a consistent format for academic writing, making it easier for readers to understand and follow the author’s argument.

Why is it important to cite a case study?

Citing a case study is important for several reasons. First, it gives credit to the original author for their work. Second, it allows readers to find the source if they want to learn more. Finally, it adds credibility to your work by demonstrating that you have researched and referenced other relevant studies.

How to cite a case study in APA format

Here are the steps you need to follow to cite a case study in APA format:

Step 1: Start with the author’s last name and first initial.

The first step in citing a case study is to list the author’s last name and first initial. For example Smith, J.

Step 2: Include the year of publication in parentheses.

Next, you need to include the year of publication in parentheses. For example: (2018).

Step 3: Provide the title of the case study in italics.

After the year of publication, you need to provide the title of the case study in italics. For example The impact of social media on adolescent mental health.

Step 4: Add the name of the publisher.

The next step is to add the name of the publisher. For example Harvard Business Review Press.

Step 5: Include the DOI or URL.

Finally, you need to include the DOI or URL where the case study can be found. For example https://doi.org/10.1145/1234567.1234567

Here’s what the final citation should look like:

Smith, J. (2018). The impact of social media on adolescent mental health. Harvard Business Review Press. https://doi.org/10.1145/1234567.1234567

What to do if there is no DOI or URL

If you cannot find a DOI or URL for the case study, you can omit it from the citation. In that case, you should include the name of the database where you found the case study instead. For example:

Smith, J. (2018). The impact of social media on adolescent mental health. Harvard Business Review Press. Academic Search Complete.

Tips for citing a case study in APA format

• Always check the specific requirements of your instructor or publisher to ensure that you are following their guidelines correctly.
• Double-check your citations to make sure that you have included all the necessary information.
• If you are citing multiple case studies from the same author or publisher, you can use a shortened version of the citation after the first one. For example Smith (2018, p. 25).

Citing a case study in APA format may seem daunting at first, but it is quite simple once you know the steps. By following the guidelines in this article, you can ensure that your citations are accurate and complete and that you are giving credit to the original authors for their work.

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FAQ: How do I cite a Harvard Business Review case study in APA Style?

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Last Updated: Jul 16, 2024 Views: 75364

The APA Manual does not include instructions on how to cite a Harvard Business Review case study. When citing case studies in APA style you will want to include the typical citation elements and apply general formatting guidelines. The following are examples of how case studies could be cited in APA style, but be sure to check with your professor about how they would like you to cite case studies in your work.

In-Text Citations

Kotter (1990) explains the steps British Airways took to reverse a horrible customer service atmosphere and financial crisis.

… as the case study concluded (Bisell & Tram, 2007).

Groysberg and Connolly (2015) concluded in their case study that….

Reference List

General format.

Author(s). (Year). Title of case study . HBS No. number of case study. Publisher.

Example, one author

Kotter, J. (1990). Changing the culture at British Airways . HBS No. 491-009. Harvard Business School Publishing.

Example, two authors

Groysberg, B., & Connolly, K. (2015). BlackRock: Diversity as a driver for success . HBS No. 415-047. Harvard Business School Publishing.

More Information

• APA Guide  (Shapiro Library)
• APA Style Blog This link opens in a new window (APA)
• APA Style This link opens in a new window (APA)

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.

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• What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods

Published on May 8, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on November 20, 2023.

A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research.

A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods , but quantitative methods are sometimes also used. Case studies are good for describing , comparing, evaluating and understanding different aspects of a research problem .

Table of contents

When to do a case study, step 1: select a case, step 2: build a theoretical framework, step 3: collect your data, step 4: describe and analyze the case, other interesting articles.

A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. It allows you to explore the key characteristics, meanings, and implications of the case.

Case studies are often a good choice in a thesis or dissertation . They keep your project focused and manageable when you don’t have the time or resources to do large-scale research.

You might use just one complex case study where you explore a single subject in depth, or conduct multiple case studies to compare and illuminate different aspects of your research problem.

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Once you have developed your problem statement and research questions , you should be ready to choose the specific case that you want to focus on. A good case study should have the potential to:

• Provide new or unexpected insights into the subject
• Challenge or complicate existing assumptions and theories
• Propose practical courses of action to resolve a problem
• Open up new directions for future research

TipIf your research is more practical in nature and aims to simultaneously investigate an issue as you solve it, consider conducting action research instead.

Unlike quantitative or experimental research , a strong case study does not require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed new light on the research problem.

Example of an outlying case studyIn the 1960s the town of Roseto, Pennsylvania was discovered to have extremely low rates of heart disease compared to the US average. It became an important case study for understanding previously neglected causes of heart disease.

However, you can also choose a more common or representative case to exemplify a particular category, experience or phenomenon.

Example of a representative case studyIn the 1920s, two sociologists used Muncie, Indiana as a case study of a typical American city that supposedly exemplified the changing culture of the US at the time.

While case studies focus more on concrete details than general theories, they should usually have some connection with theory in the field. This way the case study is not just an isolated description, but is integrated into existing knowledge about the topic. It might aim to:

• Exemplify a theory by showing how it explains the case under investigation
• Expand on a theory by uncovering new concepts and ideas that need to be incorporated
• Challenge a theory by exploring an outlier case that doesn’t fit with established assumptions

To ensure that your analysis of the case has a solid academic grounding, you should conduct a literature review of sources related to the topic and develop a theoretical framework . This means identifying key concepts and theories to guide your analysis and interpretation.

There are many different research methods you can use to collect data on your subject. Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as interviews , observations , and analysis of primary and secondary sources (e.g., newspaper articles, photographs, official records). Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data.

Example of a mixed methods case studyFor a case study of a wind farm development in a rural area, you could collect quantitative data on employment rates and business revenue, collect qualitative data on local people’s perceptions and experiences, and analyze local and national media coverage of the development.

The aim is to gain as thorough an understanding as possible of the case and its context.

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In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject.

How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are doing. Some case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper or thesis , with separate sections or chapters for the methods , results and discussion .

Others are written in a more narrative style, aiming to explore the case from various angles and analyze its meanings and implications (for example, by using textual analysis or discourse analysis ).

In all cases, though, make sure to give contextual details about the case, connect it back to the literature and theory, and discuss how it fits into wider patterns or debates.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Normal distribution
• Degrees of freedom
• Null hypothesis
• Discourse analysis
• Control groups
• Mixed methods research
• Non-probability sampling
• Quantitative research
• Ecological validity

Research bias

• Rosenthal effect
• Implicit bias
• Cognitive bias
• Selection bias
• Negativity bias
• Status quo bias

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If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, November 20). What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods. Scribbr. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/case-study/

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How to Cite a Case Study in APA Format

Researchers in the behavioral and social sciences often use case studies to analyze new phenomena. The sixth edition of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" offers style and format guidelines for these writers. However, a case study does not have its own citation style. Instead, reference the book or journal that published the study.

In-Text Citation

After discussing a case study in text, include a reference citation within parentheses. Insert the author's last name, a comma and the date, such as (Doe, 1998). If you mention the author in text, omit the name.

Book Reference

Include in-text citations of case studies on the References page. For a book, begin with the author's last name, a comma, initials and a period. Put the publication date inside parentheses. Add a period. Insert the italicized title of the book in sentence case and a period. Conclude with the publication location, a colon, the publisher and a period;

for example: Doe, J. (1998). Psychological case studies. New York: Psych Books.

Journal Reference

Put an in-text citation to a case study from an article on the References page. Start with the author's last name, a comma, initials and a period. Insert the year inside parentheses. Add a period. List the title of the article in sentence case followed by a period. Include the italicized title of the journal, a comma and volume number. Add a comma, the hyphenated page numbers and a period;

for instance: Smith, T. (2009). An economic case study. Economics Today, 27, 156-167.

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Home / guides / How to Cite a Case Study

How to Cite a Case Study

Students are often puzzled about the proper citation format for unusual documents or sources. While they can easily find information on how to cite books, online sources, or periodicals, they may be puzzled about how to cite lesser known sources, like case studies.

Case studies may not a very common type of source, but they can absolutely add value to your research paper or dissertation. In fact, some schools, particularly a very well-known Ivy League’s business school, have become well-known for publishing case studies that challenge some of the assumptions in different industries.

Definition of Case Study

There are actually multiple different definitions for the term case study, each referring to slightly different versions of similar real-life studies of people or phenomenon, in context. In general, the term case study refers to a type of research methodology commonly used in the social sciences, which is an empirical inquiry into a phenomenon in its real-life setting. Case studies tend to be intensively in-depth. In contrast to other types of research, they do not have control groups. Instead, the focus on a single person, group, or event. Therefore, case studies cannot establish cause and effect relationships. Instead, they seek to explore potential causes of the principals being studies, and rather than being conclusory, tend to be both descriptive and exploratory.

While the term case study refers to a single study, research presented in a case study format may actually look at multiple case studies. In those instances, the case study may offer quantitative evidence in addition to qualitative evidence.

Basic Rules for Citing Case Studies

In general, case studies are going to be cited like books. That is because case studies are generally going to be published by publishing houses, giving you many of the same identifying information that you need when citing a book.

However, and this is an important thing to note, sometimes case studies are going to be located within other sources. You may find case studies within books, within periodicals, and within dissertations or thesis. If the case study you are citing is published within another type of publication, then you will cite the case study as an appropriate part of that publication. For example, if the case study is a chapter in a book, then you would cite to the book chapter. If the case study is found in an academic article, then you would cite to the academic article.

Can You Cite an Unpublished Case Study?

There may be times that you want to cite a case study prior to publication or even a case study that is not slated for publication. In those instances, you may wonder if you can use the case study, and, if so, how to properly cite to it.

The citation format for an unpublished case study is relatively easy. In both APA or MLA format, citing to unpublished works is similar to citing to published works. You would simply need the author’s name, the date it was published, the title of the case study, where it was located, and when it was accessed.

Basic APA Citation Format for a Case Study

Last Name, Initials. (Date published). Title. City of Publication: Publisher.

Basic MLA Citation Format for a Case Study

Last Name, First Name. Title . City of Publication: Publisher, Year Published.

Method of Publication. URL.

In MLA 7, it was up to the user to determine whether or not to include a URL with sources found on the web. However, MLA 8 suggests that URLs be included in a citation whenever the source has been found online.

For this example, we are going to look at a screenshot that gives us the publication information for a case study from the Harvard Business Review.

Looking at the screenshot, you can see the following information:

Authors: Elizabeth Collins and Larry E. Greiner

Title: A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products

Publication Date: April 11, 2008

Source: HBS Brief Cases

This screenshot does not tell us the publisher or the place of publication, but the source was found searching through the Harvard Business Review. That tells us the following information:

Publisher: Harvard University Press.

Place of Publication: Boston

APA Citation:

Collins, E. & Greiner, L.E. (2008, April 11). A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the

Fast Lane at Landon Care Products. Boston: Harvard University Press.

MLA Citation:

Collins, Elizabeth and Larry E. Greiner. A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the

Fast Lane at Landon Care Products. Boston: Harvard University Press, 2008. PDF.

Where to Find Case Studies Online

Case studies are an invaluable research tool, particularly in the social sciences and business. The Harvard Business Review is probably the best-known and most-reliable source for business cases studies. However, it is far from the only source for case studies online. You can often find case studies in: books, dissertations, theses, articles, and websites.

If you are having a problem finding case studies, you may find the following resources to be useful:

Harvard Business School

The Case Centre

The Richard Ivey School of Business

Your University Case Study Database

If you are at a university, then you may have student access to a great case study database, already. It is certainly worthwhile to check and see if your university has a database of case studies. If you are unsure how to locate this information, take a few moments to contact your school’s librarian to ask if your university has this resources, and, if so, how you can access it!

Case studies are highly-focused empirical investigations into specific people, groups, or phenomenon. Thought they cannot establish causal relationships; case studies are often a great research tool because they allow one to investigate the relationship between different factors. Case studies are often used as an initial exploratory research method, though they may be used in more highly-focused ways if the particular issue being researched does not lend itself to a more quantitative-type of analysis. For example, if what is being studied occurs so rarely that quantitative analysis is difficult, a case study may be the perfect way to investigate the topic.

If you are focusing on the social sciences or on business, then you will almost certainly need to make references to some case studies in some of your research and writing. Doing so is very easy. You either cite to the book, article, thesis, dissertation, or webpage where you found the case study, or, if the case study is published as a stand-alone document, cite to the case study like you would cite to a book. If the case study is one of many case studies included in a compilation-type book, then you should follow the instructions for citing to a chapter or section of a book.

Using the tips and example that we have provided, you should be able to easily cite to any case study you encounter. However, if you have any questions about how to incorporate case studies into your academic writing or any other aspects of your academic writing project, we would be happy to answer them.

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How to Cite a Case Study: Different Styles

November 20, 2023

Properly citing case studies plays a crucial role in academic writing for several reasons. Firstly, citing case studies demonstrates the credibility and reliability of your arguments and research. By referencing the original sources, you show that you have conducted thorough research and have used reputable and authoritative information to support your claims.

Secondly, citing case studies allows readers to further explore the topic and verify the information provided. It enables them to locate and read the full case study if they wish to delve deeper into the details and findings. This promotes transparency and fosters a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

Finally, citing case studies acknowledges the contributions of the original authors and researchers. By giving proper credit, you adhere to ethical standards of academic integrity and avoid plagiarism. It also ensures that the individuals responsible for the case study receive recognition for their work.

In summary, citing case studies is essential in academic writing to enhance credibility, facilitate further exploration, and acknowledge the original authors’ contributions.

Basic Guidelines for Citing a Case Study

When citing a case study in your essay, it is important to follow some basic guidelines to ensure accuracy and consistency. Here are the key guidelines to keep in mind:

• Identify the case study: Start by providing the full title of the case study, along with the names of the authors or researchers involved. Include any relevant publication information, such as the name of the journal or book in which the case study is published.
• Format the citation style: Depending on the citation style required by your academic institution or professor, format your case study citation accordingly. Common citation styles include APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard. Each style has specific rules for formatting and referencing case studies, so familiarize yourself with the requirements of the chosen style.
• Include the case study publication date: In addition to the authors’ names and title, mention the date on which the case study was published. This provides important chronological context for your readers and allows them to assess the relevance and currency of the information presented.
• Provide a direct link or source: Whenever possible, include a direct link or source to the case study. This could be a URL to an online version of the case study, a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), or the volume and page numbers if it is published in a journal or book. This helps readers locate the case study easily and access it for further reading.

By adhering to these basic guidelines, you can ensure that your case study citations are accurate, consistent, and accessible for your readers. Remember to consult the specific guidelines of your chosen citation style to ensure complete adherence.

Citing a Case Study in APA Format

When citing a case study in APA format, follow these guidelines to accurately reference the source:

• Author(s) of the case study: Include the last name(s) and initials of the author(s) of the case study. If there are multiple authors, separate their names with commas and use an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name.
• Year of publication: Provide the year the case study was published in parentheses.
• Title of the case study: Use sentence case capitalization for the title. Only capitalize the first word and proper nouns.
• Source information: Depending on the source type, include additional details following the title. For example:
• If it is a journal article, include the journal name in italics, volume number(issue number), and page range.
• If it is a book chapter, include the book title in italics and the editors’ names.
• If it is an online source, provide the URL and the date of access.

Example APA citation for a case study:

• Single author: Author, A. (Year). Title of case study. Source information.
• Multiple authors: Author, A., & Author, B. (Year). Title of case study. Source information.

Make sure to properly format the citation, including hanging indents, use of italics, and punctuation. Additionally, list all the case studies you cited in a separate references page at the end of your essay, following APA formatting guidelines.

Citing a Case Study in MLA Format

When citing a case study in MLA format, follow these guidelines to reference the source accurately:

• Authors of the case study: Include the author’s name(s) in the order they appear in the source, but inverted (last name, first name).
• Title of the case study: Use sentence case capitalization. Capitalize the first word, proper nouns, and any other words that would normally be capitalized. Italicize the title.
• Title of the source: Use italics to indicate the title of the source. This could be the name of the journal, book, or website.
• Publication information: Depending on the source type, include additional details following the source title. For example:
• If it is a journal article, include the name of the journal in italics, volume number (issue number), and page range.
• If it is a book chapter, include the book title in italics, the editors’ names, publisher, year of publication, and page range.
• If it is an online source, provide the name of the website in italics, the date of publication, the name of the publisher, the URL, and the date of access.

Example MLA citation for a case study:

• Single author: Author last name, First name. “Title of case study.” Title of source, Publication information.
• Multiple authors: Last name, First name and First name Last name. “Title of case study.” Title of source, Publication information.

Remember to properly format the citation, including hanging indents, use of italics, and punctuation. Additionally, list all the case studies you cited in a separate works cited page at the end of your essay, following MLA formatting guidelines.

Citing a Case Study in Chicago Style

When citing a case study in Chicago style, follow these guidelines to reference the source accurately:

• Title of the case study: Use sentence case capitalization. Capitalize the first word, proper nouns, and any other words that would normally be capitalized. Enclose the title in double quotation marks.

Example Chicago citation for a case study:

• Single author: Author last name, first name. “Title of case study.” In Title of source, publication information.
• Multiple authors: Last name, first name, and first name last name. “Title of case study.” In Title of source, publication information.

Remember to properly format the citation, including hanging indents and punctuation. Additionally, list all the case studies you cited in a separate bibliography page at the end of your essay, following Chicago formatting guidelines.

Citing a Case Study in Harvard Style

When citing a case study in Harvard style, follow these guidelines to accurately reference the source:

• Authors of the case study: Include the last name(s) and initials of the author(s) of the case study. Separate multiple authors’ names with commas and use an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name.
• Title of the case study: Use sentence case capitalization for the title. Capitalize the first word, proper nouns, and any other words that would normally be capitalized. Italicize the title.

Example Harvard citation for a case study:

Ensure the citation is properly formatted, including punctuation, use of italics, and indentation. Also, list all the case studies cited in a separate references list at the end of the essay, following Harvard formatting guidelines.

Online Databases for Finding Case Studies

Finding case studies for your essay is made easier with the availability of online databases. These databases compile various case studies from different disciplines, allowing you to access a wide range of relevant examples. Here are some online databases you can use to find case studies:

• Google Scholar : This widely-used search engine provides access to scholarly articles, including case studies. Use specific keywords to narrow down your search and include the phrase “cite a case study” to find articles that specifically discuss how to cite case studies.
• EBSCOhost : EBSCOhost is a popular online research platform that offers access to multiple databases such as Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. These databases contain numerous case studies across various fields.
• JSTOR : JSTOR is a digital library that provides access to academic journals, books, and primary sources. It covers diverse disciplines and includes a vast collection of case studies that can be useful for your research.
• ProQuest : ProQuest is another comprehensive research tool that offers access to a wide range of databases, including scholarly journals, newspapers, and dissertations. It houses a substantial collection of case studies covering multiple subject areas.

When searching in these databases, use keywords specific to your topic, such as the name of the industry or concept you are focusing on. Additionally, if you find a relevant case study, make sure to cite it correctly using the appropriate citation style.

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How to Write a Case Study - All You Wanted to Know

What do you study in your college? If you are a psychology, sociology, or anthropology student, we bet you might be familiar with what a case study is. This research method is used to study a certain person, group, or situation. In this guide from our dissertation writing service , you will learn how to write a case study professionally, from researching to citing sources properly. Also, we will explore different types of case studies and show you examples — so that you won’t have any other questions left.

What Is a Case Study?

A case study is a subcategory of research design which investigates problems and offers solutions. Case studies can range from academic research studies to corporate promotional tools trying to sell an idea—their scope is quite vast.

What Is the Difference Between a Research Paper and a Case Study?

While research papers turn the reader’s attention to a certain problem, case studies go even further. Case study guidelines require students to pay attention to details, examining issues closely and in-depth using different research methods. For example, case studies may be used to examine court cases if you study Law, or a patient's health history if you study Medicine. Case studies are also used in Marketing, which are thorough, empirically supported analysis of a good or service's performance. Well-designed case studies can be valuable for prospective customers as they can identify and solve the potential customers pain point.

Case studies involve a lot of storytelling – they usually examine particular cases for a person or a group of people. This method of research is very helpful, as it is very practical and can give a lot of hands-on information. Most commonly, the length of the case study is about 500-900 words, which is much less than the length of an average research paper.

The structure of a case study is very similar to storytelling. It has a protagonist or main character, which in your case is actually a problem you are trying to solve. You can use the system of 3 Acts to make it a compelling story. It should have an introduction, rising action, a climax where transformation occurs, falling action, and a solution.

Here is a rough formula for you to use in your case study:

Problem (Act I): > Solution (Act II) > Result (Act III) > Conclusion.

Types of Case Studies

The purpose of a case study is to provide detailed reports on an event, an institution, a place, future customers, or pretty much anything. There are a few common types of case study, but the type depends on the topic. The following are the most common domains where case studies are needed:

• Historical case studies are great to learn from. Historical events have a multitude of source info offering different perspectives. There are always modern parallels where these perspectives can be applied, compared, and thoroughly analyzed.
• Problem-oriented case studies are usually used for solving problems. These are often assigned as theoretical situations where you need to immerse yourself in the situation to examine it. Imagine you’re working for a startup and you’ve just noticed a significant flaw in your product’s design. Before taking it to the senior manager, you want to do a comprehensive study on the issue and provide solutions. On a greater scale, problem-oriented case studies are a vital part of relevant socio-economic discussions.
• Cumulative case studies collect information and offer comparisons. In business, case studies are often used to tell people about the value of a product.
• Critical case studies explore the causes and effects of a certain case.
• Illustrative case studies describe certain events, investigating outcomes and lessons learned.

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Case Study Format

The case study format is typically made up of eight parts:

• Executive Summary. Explain what you will examine in the case study. Write an overview of the field you’re researching. Make a thesis statement and sum up the results of your observation in a maximum of 2 sentences.
• Background. Provide background information and the most relevant facts. Isolate the issues.
• Case Evaluation. Isolate the sections of the study you want to focus on. In it, explain why something is working or is not working.
• Proposed Solutions. Offer realistic ways to solve what isn’t working or how to improve its current condition. Explain why these solutions work by offering testable evidence.
• Conclusion. Summarize the main points from the case evaluations and proposed solutions. 6. Recommendations. Talk about the strategy that you should choose. Explain why this choice is the most appropriate.
• Implementation. Explain how to put the specific strategies into action.
• References. Provide all the citations.

How to Write a Case Study

Let's discover how to write a case study.

Setting Up the Research

When writing a case study, remember that research should always come first. Reading many different sources and analyzing other points of view will help you come up with more creative solutions. You can also conduct an actual interview to thoroughly investigate the customer story that you'll need for your case study. Including all of the necessary research, writing a case study may take some time. The research process involves doing the following:

• Define your objective. Explain the reason why you’re presenting your subject. Figure out where you will feature your case study; whether it is written, on video, shown as an infographic, streamed as a podcast, etc.
• Determine who will be the right candidate for your case study. Get permission, quotes, and other features that will make your case study effective. Get in touch with your candidate to see if they approve of being part of your work. Study that candidate’s situation and note down what caused it.
• Identify which various consequences could result from the situation. Follow these guidelines on how to start a case study: surf the net to find some general information you might find useful.
• Make a list of credible sources and examine them. Seek out important facts and highlight problems. Always write down your ideas and make sure to brainstorm.
• Focus on several key issues – why they exist, and how they impact your research subject. Think of several unique solutions. Draw from class discussions, readings, and personal experience. When writing a case study, focus on the best solution and explore it in depth. After having all your research in place, writing a case study will be easy. You may first want to check the rubric and criteria of your assignment for the correct case study structure.

Read Also: ' WHAT IS A CREDIBLE SOURCES ?'

Although your instructor might be looking at slightly different criteria, every case study rubric essentially has the same standards. Your professor will want you to exhibit 8 different outcomes:

• Correctly identify the concepts, theories, and practices in the discipline.
• Identify the relevant theories and principles associated with the particular study.
• Evaluate legal and ethical principles and apply them to your decision-making.
• Recognize the global importance and contribution of your case.
• Construct a coherent summary and explanation of the study.
• Demonstrate analytical and critical-thinking skills.
• Explain the interrelationships between the environment and nature.
• Integrate theory and practice of the discipline within the analysis.

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Case Study Outline

Let's look at the structure of an outline based on the issue of the alcoholic addiction of 30 people.

Introduction

• Statement of the issue: Alcoholism is a disease rather than a weakness of character.
• Presentation of the problem: Alcoholism is affecting more than 14 million people in the USA, which makes it the third most common mental illness there.
• Explanation of the terms: In the past, alcoholism was commonly referred to as alcohol dependence or alcohol addiction. Alcoholism is now the more severe stage of this addiction in the disorder spectrum.
• Hypotheses: Drinking in excess can lead to the use of other drugs.
• Importance of your story: How the information you present can help people with their addictions.
• Background of the story: Include an explanation of why you chose this topic.
• Presentation of analysis and data: Describe the criteria for choosing 30 candidates, the structure of the interview, and the outcomes.
• Strong argument 1: ex. X% of candidates dealing with anxiety and depression...
• Strong argument 2: ex. X amount of people started drinking by their mid-teens.
• Strong argument 3: ex. X% of respondents’ parents had issues with alcohol.
• Concluding statement: I have researched if alcoholism is a disease and found out that…
• Recommendations: Ways and actions for preventing alcohol use.

Writing a Case Study Draft

After you’ve done your case study research and written the outline, it’s time to focus on the draft. In a draft, you have to develop and write your case study by using: the data which you collected throughout the research, interviews, and the analysis processes that were undertaken. Follow these rules for the draft:

Use Data to Illustrate Key Points in Your Case Study

Even though your case study is a story, it should be based on evidence. Use as much data as possible to illustrate your point. Without the right data, your case study may appear weak and the readers may not be able to relate to your issue as much as they should. Let's see the examples from essay writing service :

‍ With data: Alcoholism is affecting more than 14 million people in the USA, which makes it the third most common mental illness there. Without data: A lot of people suffer from alcoholism in the United States.

Try to include as many credible sources as possible. You may have terms or sources that could be hard for other cultures to understand. If this is the case, you should include them in the appendix or Notes for the Instructor or Professor.

Finalizing the Draft: Checklist

After you finish drafting your case study, polish it up by answering these ‘ask yourself’ questions and think about how to end your case study:

• Check that you follow the correct case study format, also in regards to text formatting.
• Check that your work is consistent with its referencing and citation style.
• Micro-editing — check for grammar and spelling issues.
• Macro-editing — does ‘the big picture’ come across to the reader? Is there enough raw data, such as real-life examples or personal experiences? Have you made your data collection process completely transparent? Does your analysis provide a clear conclusion, allowing for further research and practice?

Problems to avoid:

• Overgeneralization – Do not go into further research that deviates from the main problem.
• Failure to Document Limitations – Just as you have to clearly state the limitations of a general research study, you must describe the specific limitations inherent in the subject of analysis.
• Failure to Extrapolate All Possible Implications – Just as you don't want to over-generalize from your case study findings, you also have to be thorough in the consideration of all possible outcomes or recommendations derived from your findings.

How to Create a Title Page and Cite a Case Study

Let's see how to create an awesome title page.

Your title page depends on the prescribed citation format. The title page should include:

• A title that attracts some attention and describes your study
• The title should have the words “case study” in it
• The title should range between 5-9 words in length
• Your name and contact information
• Your finished paper should be only 500 to 1,500 words in length.With this type of assignment, write effectively and avoid fluff

Here is a template for the APA and MLA format title page:

There are some cases when you need to cite someone else's study in your own one – therefore, you need to master how to cite a case study. A case study is like a research paper when it comes to citations. You can cite it like you cite a book, depending on what style you need.

Citation Example in MLA ‍ Hill, Linda, Tarun Khanna, and Emily A. Stecker. HCL Technologies. Boston: Harvard Business Publishing, 2008. Print.

Citation Example in APA ‍ Hill, L., Khanna, T., & Stecker, E. A. (2008). HCL Technologies. Boston: Harvard Business Publishing.

Citation Example in Chicago Hill, Linda, Tarun Khanna, and Emily A. Stecker. HCL Technologies.

Case Study Examples

To give you an idea of a professional case study example, we gathered and linked some below.

Eastman Kodak Case Study

Case Study Example: Audi Trains Mexican Autoworkers in Germany

To conclude, a case study is one of the best methods of getting an overview of what happened to a person, a group, or a situation in practice. It allows you to have an in-depth glance at the real-life problems that businesses, healthcare industry, criminal justice, etc. may face. This insight helps us look at such situations in a different light. This is because we see scenarios that we otherwise would not, without necessarily being there. If you need custom essays , try our research paper writing services .

Get Help Form Qualified Writers

Crafting a case study is not easy. You might want to write one of high quality, but you don’t have the time or expertise. If you’re having trouble with your case study, help with essay request - we'll help. EssayPro writers have read and written countless case studies and are experts in endless disciplines. Request essay writing, editing, or proofreading assistance from our custom case study writing service , and all of your worries will be gone.

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What Is A Case Study?

How to cite a case study in apa, how to write a case study.

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

How do I cite a case study that is in my textbook both in-text and for my reference page - APA format?

To see how to cite a textbook (and a case study from it), visit the  APA Help  guide:

• Click on References and In-text Citation Examples
• See the drop down arrow by Books  for one that matches your textbook.

Books: General Format

Author Last Name, First & Middle Initials. (Year).  Title of book: Subtitle of book.  City, ST: Publisher.

In-text : Paraphrase : (Last Name, Year).  Quotation : (Last Name, Year, p. Page Number).

Thank you for using ASK US.  For further help, contact your Campus Library/ARC .

• Last Updated Jan 30, 2018
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Harvard Referencing Style: Case Studies & Standards

• Introduction to In-text Citations
• Introduction to Referencing
• Internet Sources
• Dissertations & Theses
• Legal Sources & Government Publications
• Study Guides
• Reference Material
• Corporate Bodies
• Audio-visual Materials
• E-Mail & Personal Communication
• Powerpoint Presentations
• Case Studies & Standards
• Images or Diagrams

Referencing Case Studies

IN-TEXT CITATION

Spar and Burns (2000) ...

.... (Spar & Burns, 2000)

"....." (Spar & Burns, 2000:8)

FORMAT OF A REFERENCE TO A CASE STUDY

Author’s surname, Initials. Year. ‘Title.’ Case number. Place: Publisher or Institution.

Note that the title is not italicised.

EXAMPLE OF A REFERENCE TO A PRINTED CASE STUDY

Spar, D. and Burns, J. 2000. ‘Hitting the wall: Nike and International Labor Practices.’ HBS 700047.  Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.

EXAMPLE OF A REFERENCE TO AN ELECTRONIC CASE STUDY FROM A DATABASE

Mathu, K.M. and Scheepers, C . 2016.  'L eading change towards sustainable green coal mining'. Available from: Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, < https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/ EEMCS-01-2016-0007> [Accessed on: 7 June 2017].

Referencing Standards

South African Bureau of Standards (2013) ...

... (South African Bureau of Standards, 2013).

"....." (South African Bureau of Standards, 2013: 3).

FORMAT OF A REFERENCE  TO A STANDARD

Name of the Authorizing Body. Year.  Number and Title of Standard.  Place of Publication: Publisher.

 EXAMPLE OF A REFERENCE TO A PRINT STANDARD

British Standards Institute.2015.  ​BS ISO 14001:Environmental management systems. Requirements with guidance for use.  ​London: British Standards Institute.

EXAMPLE OF A REFERENCE  TO AN ELECTRONIC STANDARD TAKEN FROM A DATABASE

South African Bureau of Standards. 2013.  SANS 1300​: Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for monitoring and measuring ​. [online]. Pretoria: South African Bureau of Standards. Available from:<https://www.sabs.co.za/Standardss/index.asp> [ Accessed on: 17 March 2014].

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