how to write a short medical case study

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Medical Studies

How to Write a Medical Case Study Report

Last Updated: April 18, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was medically reviewed by Mark Ziats, MD, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Dr. Mark Ziats is an Internal Medicine Physician, Scientist, Entrepreneur, and the Medical Director of xBiotech. With over five years of experience, he specializes in biotechnology, genomics, and medical devices. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Baylor College of Medicine, a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Cambridge, and a BS in Biochemistry and Chemistry from Clemson University. He also completed the INNoVATE Program in Biotechnology Entrepreneurship at The Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School. Dr. Ziats is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 188,306 times.

You've encountered an interesting and unusual case on your rounds, and a colleague or supervising physician says, "Why don't you write up a case study report?" If you've never written one before, that might sound intimidating, but it's a great way to get started in medical writing. Case studies always follow a standard structure and format, so the writing is very formulaic once you get the hang of it. Read on for a step-by-step guide to writing your first case study report.

What is a case study report?

Step 1 A case study report is an academic publication describing an unusual or unique case.

Medical students or residents typically do the bulk of the writing of the report. If you're just starting your medical career, a case study report is a great way to get a publication under your belt. [2] X Research source

Step 2 Your report discusses the case presented by one patient.

If the patient is a minor or is incapable of giving informed consent, get consent from their parents or closest relative. [4] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
Your hospital likely has specific consent forms to use. Ask your supervising physician if you're not sure where to get one.
Some journals also have their own consent form. Check your target journal's author or submission information to make sure. [5] X Research source

How is a case study report structured?

Step 1 A typical report consists of an abstract, intro, case description, discussion, and conclusion.

Even though the introduction is the first part of a case study report, doctors typically write it last. You'll have a better idea of how to introduce your case study to readers after you've written it.
Your abstract comes at the top, before the introduction, and provides a brief summary of the entire report. Unless your case study is published in an open-access journal, the abstract is the only part of the article many readers will see.

Step 2 Check your target journal for possible variations.

Many journals offer templates and checklists you can use to make sure your case study includes everything necessary and is formatted properly—take advantage of these! Some journals, such as BMJ Case Reports , require all case studies submitted to use their templates.

Drafting Your Medical Case Study Report

Step 1 Pull all of the hospital records for the case.

Patient description
Chronological case history
Physical exam results
Results of any pathological tests, imaging, or other investigations
Treatment plan
Expected outcome of treatment
Actual outcome of treatment

Step 2 Write a draft of the case presentation.

Why the patient sought medical help (you can even use their own words)
Important information that helped you settle on your diagnosis
The results of your clinical examination, including diagnostic tests and their results, along with any helpful images
A description of the treatment plan
The outcome, including how and why treatment ended and how long the patient was under your care [11] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source

Step 3 Research the existing literature on the patient's condition and treatment.

You will need references to back up symptoms of the condition, common treatment, and the expected outcome of that common treatment.
Use your research to paint a picture of the usual case of a patient with a similar condition—it'll help you show how unusual and different your patient's case is.
Generally, aim for around 20 references—no fewer than 15, but no more than 25. [13] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source

Step 4 Write a section discussing the case in light of your research.

Close your discussion section with a summary of the lessons learned from the case and why it's significant to consider when treating similar cases in the future.
Outline any open questions that remain. You might also provide suggestions for future research.

Step 5 Complete your introduction and conclusion after you've written the body.

In your conclusion, you might also give suggestions or recommendations to readers based on what you learned as a result of the case.
Some journals don't want a separate conclusion section. If that's the case for one of your target journals, just move this paragraph to the end of your discussion section.

Polishing Your Report for Submission to Publishers

Step 1 Come up with a title for your case study.

Most titles are fewer than 10 words long and include the name of the disease or condition treated.
You might also include the treatment used and whether the outcome was successful. When deciding what to include, think about the reason you wrote the case study in the first place and why you think it's important for other clinicians to read.

Step 2 Identify the authors of the report on the title page.

Made a significant intellectual contribution to the case study report
Was involved in the medical care of the patient reported
Can explain and defend the data presented in the report
Has approved the final manuscript before submission for publication

Step 3 Write an abstract summarizing the entire article.

Keep in mind that the abstract is not just going to be the first thing people read—it will often be the only thing people read. Make sure that if someone is going to walk away having only read the abstract, they'll still get the same message they would have if they read the whole thing.
There are 2 basic types of abstract: narrative and structured. A narrative abstract is a single paragraph written in narrative prose. A structured abstract includes headings that correspond with the sections of the paper, then a brief summary of each section. Use the format preferred by your target journal.

Step 4 Choose keywords that will help readers find your case study.

Look for keywords that are relevant to your field or sub-field and directly related to the content of your article, such as the name of the condition or specific treatments you used.
Most journals allow 4-8 keywords but check the submission guidelines of your target journal to make sure.

Blur out the patient's face as well as any tattoos, birthmarks, or unrelated scars that are visible in diagnostic images.

Step 6 Include your acknowledgments and conflict of interest statement.

It's common to thank the patient, but that's up to you. Even if you don't, include a statement indicating that you have the patient's written, informed consent to publish the information.
Read the journal's submission guidelines for a definition of what that journal considers a conflict of interest. They're generally the same, but some might be stricter than others. [22] X Research source

Step 7 Compile and format your reference section.

If you're not familiar with the citation style used by your target journal, check online for a guide. There might also be one available at your hospital or medical school library.
Medical librarians can also help with citation style and references if you run into something tricky—don't just wing it! Correct citation style insures that readers can access the materials you cite.

Step 8 Get feedback on your final draft.

It's also a good idea to get a beta reader who isn't a medical professional. Their comments can help you figure out where you need to clarify your points.
Read a lot of case studies published in your target journals—it will help you internalize the tone and style that journal is looking for.

Submitting Your Report to Publishers

Step 1 Choose target journals that publish similar content.

Look into the background and reputation of journals before you decide to submit to them. Only seek publication from reputable journals in which articles go through a peer-review process.
Find out what publishing fees the journals charge. Keep in mind that open-access journals tend to charge higher publishing fees. [26] X Research source
Read each journal's submission and editorial guidelines carefully. They'll tell you exactly how to format your case study, how long each section should be, and what citation style to use. [27] X Research source
For electronic journals that only publish case reports, try BMJ Case Reports , Journal of Medical Case Reports , or Radiology Case Reports .

Step 2 Submit your manuscript according to the journal's requirements.

If your manuscript isn't suitable for the journal you submitted to, the journal might offer to forward it to an associated journal where it would be a better fit.
When your manuscript is provisionally accepted, the journal will send it to other doctors for evaluation under the peer-review process.
Most medical journals don't accept simultaneous submissions, meaning you'll have to submit to your first choice, wait for their decision, then move to the next journal on the list if they don't bite.

Step 3 Revise your manuscript based on peer review comments.

Along with your revised manuscript, include a letter with your response to each of the reviewer's comments. Where you made revisions, add page numbers to indicate where the revisions are that address that reviewer's comments.
Sometimes, doctors involved in the peer review process will indicate that the journal should reject the manuscript. If that's the case, you'll get a letter explaining why your case study report won't be published and you're free to submit it elsewhere.

Step 4 Complete final copy-editing if the editors approve your article.

Some journals require you to have your article professionally copy-edited at your own cost while others do this in-house. The editors will let you know what you're responsible for.

Step 5 Pay the article processing charge if your article is accepted.

With your acceptance letter, you'll get instructions on how to make payment and how much you owe. Take note of the deadline and make sure you pay it as soon as possible to avoid publication delays.
Some journals will publish for free, with an "open-access option" that allows you to pay a fee only if you want open access to your article. [32] X Research source

Through the publishing agreement, you assign your copyright in the article to the journal. This allows the journal to legally publish your work. That assignment can be exclusive or non-exclusive and may only last for a specific term. Read these details carefully!
If you published an open-access article, you don't assign the copyright to the publisher. The publishing agreement merely gives the journal the right to publish the "Version of Record." [33] X Research source

How do I find a suitable case for a report?

Step 1 Keep your eye out for unusual or interesting cases.

A rare disease, or unusual presentation of any disease
An unusual combination of diseases or conditions
A difficult or inconclusive diagnosis
Unexpected developments or responses to treatment
Personal impact
Observations that shed new light on the patient's disease or condition

Step 2 Discuss possible cases with your medical team.

There might be other members of your medical team that want to help with writing. If so, use one of these brainstorming sessions to divvy up writing responsibilities in a way that makes the most sense given your relative skills and experience.
Senior doctors might also be able to name some journals that would potentially publish your case study. [36] X Research source

Expert Q&A

↑ https://www.elsevier.com/connect/authors-update/the-dos-and-donts-of-writing-and-publishing-case-reports
↑ https://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2693
↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5686928/
↑ https://health.usf.edu/medicine/internalmedicine/im-impact/~/media/B3A3421F4C144FA090AE965C21791A3C.ashx
↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597880/
↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6476221/
↑ https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/authorandreviewertutorials/writing-a-journal-manuscript/title-abstract-and-keywords/10285522
↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597880/
↑ https://thelancet.com/pb/assets/raw/Lancet/authors/tl-info-for-authors.pdf
↑ https://jmedicalcasereports.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13256-017-1351-y
↑ https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/casereports
↑ https://casereports.bmj.com/pages/authors/
↑ https://jmedicalcasereports.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1752-1947-7-239
↑ https://research.chm.msu.edu/students-residents/writing-a-case-report
↑ https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/moving-through-production/copyright-for-journal-authors/#

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The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.

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Published: 27 November 2013

A guide to writing case reports for the Journal of Medical Case Reports and BioMed Central Research Notes

Richard A Rison 1

Journal of Medical Case Reports volume 7 , Article number: 239 ( 2013 ) Cite this article

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Case reports are a time-honored, important, integral, and accepted part of the medical literature. Both the Journal of Medical Case Reports and the Case Report section of BioMed Central Research Notes are committed to case report publication, and each have different criteria. Journal of Medical Case Reports was the world’s first international, PubMed-listed medical journal devoted to publishing case reports from all clinical disciplines and was launched in 2007. The Case Report section of BioMed Central Research Notes was created and began publishing case reports in 2012. Between the two of them, thousands of peer-reviewed case reports have now been published with a worldwide audience. Authors now also have Cases Database, a continually updated, freely accessible database of thousands of medical case reports from multiple publishers. This informal editorial outlines the process and mechanics of how and when to write a case report, and provides a brief look into the editorial process behind each of these complementary journals along with the author’s anecdotes in the hope of inspiring all authors (both novice and experienced) to write and continue writing case reports of all specialties. Useful hyperlinks are embedded throughout for easy and quick reference to style guidelines for both journals.

Peer Review reports

Introduction: the importance of case reports

Case reports are a time-honored tradition in the medical profession. From Hippocrates (460 B.C. to 370 B.C.), and even arguably further back since the papyrus records of ancient Egyptian medicine (c. 1600 B.C.) to modern day, physicians of all specialties have described interesting cases involving all specialties [ 1 , 2 ]. Published case reports provide essential information for optimal patient care because they can describe important scientific observations that are missed or undetected in clinical trials, and provide individual clinical insights thus expanding our knowledge base [ 3 ].

The publication of case reports has indeed become a standard lexicon of the medical literature. Examples abound. Few practicing physicians would not know for instance the significance and subsequent discovery of a disease whose first description in 1981 began with the title in the medical case report literature as: “A preliminary communication on extensively disseminated Kaposi’s sarcoma in a young homosexual man” [ 4 ]. There is no neurologist that I know who is unfamiliar with the disease whose description began in 1817 by James Parkinson (1755 to 1824) with the title “An essay on the shaking palsy.” [ 5 ].

Yes, both of the above-mentioned famous diseases (the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and Parkinson’s disease) were first described in the case study format. The act of recording, discussion with colleagues, and publishing our clinical observations with patients remains essential to the art of medicine and patient care. As Osler once said “Always note and record the unusual…Publish it. Place it on permanent record as a short, concise note. Such communications are always of value.” [ 6 ].

But how and when should we do this? Early case reports were little more than personal communications between colleagues about unique and interesting patients seen in their respective medical practices. This anecdotal reporting has evolved into an accepted form of scholarly publication with the ability to rapidly disseminate knowledge to a broad medical audience [ 7 ] using the generally accepted format of a title, abstract, introduction (background), case presentation, discussion, conclusions, and references. Many biomedical journals publish case reports and provide authors with guidelines that provide instruction for acceptance criteria, content, and format and give advice on relevant patient case reports that merit publication [ 3 ].

There are already many well-written published articles on how and when to write a good case report (please see Recommended further reading section at the end). I will not re-invent the wheel, but within this editorial I hope to provide an informal guide on how and when to write a case report for BioMed Central (BMC), in particular the Journal of Medical Case Reports ( JMCR ) and BioMed Central Research Notes ( BMCRN ). The utility of the newly created Cases Database will also be discussed. Relevant and useful website links will be used throughout to allow the reader easy access to further information on BMC requirements. I also hope to impart to the reader a brief overview of case report editorial flow in both JMCR and BMCRN along with the complementary relationship between both journals. I will also give anecdotes of how I personally approach things.

Definitions

What exactly is a case report? From peer-reviewed journals to Wikipedia (and yes, I read Wikipedia like we all do) definitions are readily available and generally agreed upon. A simple online search shows the following definition from “thefreedictionary.com” [ 8 ]: “Case Report A report of a single case of a disease, usually with an unexpected presentation, which typically describes the findings, clinical course, and prognosis of the case, often accompanied by a review of other cases previously reported in the biomedical literature to put the reported case in context.” Wikipedia [ 9 ] has this to say: “In medicine, a case report is a detailed report of the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of an individual patient. Case reports may contain a demographic profile of the patient, but usually describe an unusual or novel occurrence. Some case reports also contain a literature review of other reported cases.” Whether one uses the above definitional references or older more classic ones [ 10 ], all are in agreement.

How to start: the patient

Things start at the bedside or in the office with the most important person involved: the patient. Patients and their stories (including from their friends, coworkers, and family) are our portal to writing the case report. Patients (both in-patients and out-patients) are assessed, we confer with colleagues, appropriate investigations then follow, and treatment if possible begins. If I encounter an in-patient on call then I follow him or her throughout his or her hospitalization and, I hope, timely discharge. The patient is then followed and reexamined in the office over the course of time to see how the clinical course evolves. I usually wait 6 months over the course of multiple visits before I actually begin to write a case report so as to allow enough time for the clinical course to play out. Of course if the patient is hospitalized with an acute and rapid illness then this time may be much shorter, but I still follow him or her with daily neurologic examinations.

Collegial discussion and the Internet: our modern day water cooler

When an interesting condition is encountered in either the hospital or the office setting, I discuss the case in person with both my local neurology colleagues and colleagues of other specialties to see if they have encountered before the clinical scenario that I am dealing with at the time. This is usually a quick face-to-face nursing station conversation. If the case is particularly challenging then I will contact my local university colleagues for their opinion (especially if an urgent transfer needs to be arranged). I then “hit the books”, or at least I used to. Nowadays I usually “hit the keyboards” which are plentiful at every hospital nursing station and in my office. Indeed, the Internet seems to have become our modern day replacement for office water cooler conversations. Since it is readily available (and free to me because I am a member of the staff) in the hospital in which I see patients and in my office, I usually start with UpToDate® [ 11 ] and then click the links to individual references. Further reading is then supplemented by both PubMed [ 12 ] (free) and Cases Database (also free) [ 13 ] (see later). If I feel that a particular patient warrants a case report, then I continue to read more and more. There are also medical list servers and medical online communities to which one can post a case with de-identified images online and petition the advice of colleagues worldwide. I use both Neurolist [ 14 ] (a membership-only service, but membership is free) and The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) for my specialty and/or subspecialties [ 15 ] (also a membership-only service, the fee of which comes out of my yearly AAN dues). Another useful list server is sermo® [ 16 ], which has free membership. Teaching grand rounds at one’s local university or hospital, poster presentations, and simple discussion with professors giving lectures at local seminars are also good (and previously “traditional”) places to start. I have always preferred an in-person encounter to discuss a case with a colleague or professor, but given the current day and age (daily workload, travel costs, time away from the office and family, and so on), I have found Internet-based discussion (keeping all patient information anonymous of course) very helpful.

The BMC series, JMCR , and BMCRN : a brief history

The BMC series is a group of open access, peer-reviewed journals that spans most areas of biological and clinical research. There are currently 65 journals in the series, including (alphabetically) BMC Anesthesiology to BMC Women’s Health. Some of these publish case reports within their respective disciplines, and some do not [ 17 ].

JMCR is an online, open access journal under BMC auspices dedicated mainly to the publication of high quality case reports, and aims to contribute to the expansion of current medical knowledge (please see specific publication criteria below). It was created and founded by Michael Kidd and colleagues in 2007 and at the time was believed to be the world’s first international medical journal devoted to publishing case reports from all clinical disciplines. In the 5 years since its launch, JMCR has published over 2000 case reports. In 2011, case reports were downloaded from the journal’s website over 1,500,000 times [ 18 ].

BMCRN is also an online, open access journal under BMC auspices publishing scientifically sound research across all fields of biology and medicine. The journal provides a home for short publications, case series, and incremental updates to previous work with the intention of reducing the loss suffered by the research community when such results remain unpublished. BMCRN began publishing case reports in 2012 and now has a dedicated section for case reports [ 19 ].

Please read on to see the complementary relationship of case reporting between the two journals, how they relate to other journals in the BMC series, and further information on editorial work flow including specific publication criteria.

Cases Database: an invaluable resource

Since the launch of JMCR in 2007 and the more recent introduction of case reports to the BMCRN , which aims to have a broader scope, BMC has acknowledged and continues to acknowledge the value of case reports to the scientific literature. To further strengthen this commitment, BMC in conjunction with Michael Kidd have developed the invaluable new resource of Cases Database, a continually updated, freely accessible database of thousands of medical case reports from multiple other publishers, including Springer, British Medical Journal, and PubMed Central. By aggregating case reports and facilitating comparison, Cases Database provides a simple resource to clinicians, researchers, regulators and patients to explore content and identify emerging trends [ 20 ].

http://www.casesdatabase.com/

I find Cases Database indispensable when I research a particular patient’s condition. It is very helpful in seeing if a particular condition has been reported before and what treatment the authors have performed. It is an invaluable resource which can be used to check and see if previous cases have been reported before and how other authors have managed their patients with similar clinical conditions. When I last checked, Cases Database had in its repository 27,915 peer-reviewed medical case reports from 250 journals (!) [ 13 ]. Cases Database is quickly becoming my first go to when reading about a patient’s condition and symptoms.

When to write a case report

How does one determine when to write an actual case report? What constitutes and what are the criteria for publication? Different journals have different criteria, but here are the criteria for JMCR and BMCRN .

JMCR [ 21 ] publishes original and interesting case reports that contribute significantly to medical knowledge. Manuscripts must meet one of the following criteria: unreported or unusual side effects or adverse interactions involving medications; unexpected or unusual presentations of a disease; new associations or variations in disease processes; presentations, diagnoses and/or management of new and emerging diseases; an unexpected association between diseases or symptoms; an unexpected event in the course of observing or treating a patient; findings that shed new light on the possible pathogenesis of a disease or an adverse effect.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport

BMCRN [ 22 ] has somewhat different publication criteria: BMCRN considers medical case reports that describe any clinical case. Case reports submitted to BMCRN do not need to be novel, but must be authentic cases and have some educational value along with representing at least an incremental advance in the field. BMCRN will not consider case reports describing preventive or therapeutic interventions because these generally require stronger evidence.

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport

Neither BMCRN nor JMCR will consider case reports where there are ethical concerns.

JMCR and BMCRN have the following definitions that authors should know: a single case report, two case reports, or a case series (greater than two reported cases). Both journals follow this format and accept submissions with these title structures.

I tend to classify case reports in my mind generally as follows: diagnosis-related, management-related, or both [ 10 ]. Either type should have clear and concise take-home messages and teaching points. I personally keep a stack of charts labeled “Curious Cases” on a bookshelf within my small office next to my desk which is always within my field of view at work, adhering to the “out of sight, out of mind” principle. Over the years that space has grown and, admittedly, I have cases dating back over the entire span of my years in practice (now over 13 years) which I simply have not gotten around to yet (!).

BMC editorial workflow for case reports: a brief glimpse

If a BMC Series journal editorial team considers a submitted case report unsuitable for their respective specialty journal (and now a growing list of Springer journals that BMC is now affiliated with), the authors are given the option to transfer their manuscript to BMCRN . If this option is exercised, then the BMC editorial team (usually the Case Report Section Editor for BMCRN in conjunction with the appropriate Associate Editor) determines if the manuscript is suitable for BMCRN or if it is more suitable for JMCR (based on the criteria listed above). The manuscripts will then be forwarded on to the respective Deputy and/or Associate Editors for peer review depending on which of the journals the author(s) agree(s) to. Peer reviewers are solicited (usually at least one at BMCRN and at least two at JMCR ). The peer review comments (which are open and identifiable at JMCR and blinded at BMCRN ) are then usually sent to the authors for appropriate revisions and rebuttals (unless it is felt that the manuscript should be rejected outright, at which time the editorial office sends the authors an explanatory letter). After these revisions and rebuttals have been performed, the revised manuscript and rebuttals are sent back to the respective editors for a final decision and recommendations. These decisions and recommendations are then forwarded on to the Editor-in-Chief for final approval for publication. At JMCR , manuscripts are professionally copyedited before being sent off to the production team for publication, whereas at BMCRN the authors are requested to obtain their own professional copyediting (if needed) before publication (the respective costs being reflected within the different article processing charges for both journals). When the manuscripts are published in both journals, they are in the preliminary form before being converted to the final form after production.

Author satisfaction consistently ranks high for the overall process in both journals.

The actual case report

Now let us discuss the brass tacks of writing the actual case report by going through the individual sections that will comprise the manuscript. I will present them in a sequence that matches the journals’ website requirements and provide easily accessible hyperlinks to both respective journals.

The first page of the manuscript should be a dedicated title page, including the title of the article. The title should be a clear and short description of the case with a list of the full names, institutional addresses and email addresses for all authors. There should always be at least one corresponding author who is clearly identified. Abbreviations within the title should always be avoided.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-title

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#title

I usually end the title with “…: a case report” or “…: two case reports” or “…: a case series”. I also try to avoid any puns or overly cute wording within the title and try to keep things strictly descriptive and clear. The title needs to accurately describe the case – after all, this may be all that someone reads. If a cute or clever title is used that obscures what the case is really about, then it may be even less likely that the manuscript is read.

The Abstract should be “short and sweet”. It should not exceed 350 words. Abbreviations or references within the Abstract should not be used. The Abstract should be structured into three sections: Background, an introduction about why this case is important and needs to be reported. Please include information on whether this is the first report of this kind in the literature; Case presentation, brief details of what the patient(s) presented with, including the patient’s age, sex and ethnic background; Conclusions, a brief conclusion of what the reader should learn from the case report and what the clinical impact will be. Is it an original case report of interest to a particular clinical specialty of medicine or will it have a broader clinical impact across medicine? Are any teaching points identified?

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-abstract

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#abstract

I find this is the most important part because this is often all that people will read and its availability will allow easy retrieval from electronic databases and help researchers decide their level of interest in the case report. The Abstract should be a concise and condensed version of the case report and should include the same main sections of the main text and be as succinct as possible [ 3 ]. This is the last thing that I usually write as it tends to flow easily after I have invested my time in thought and writing of the manuscript.

This section is comprised of three to ten keywords representing the main content of the article. It is important for indexing the manuscript and easy online retrieval.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-keywords

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-keywords

Introduction (Background)

The Introduction ( JMCR ) or Background ( BMCRN ) section should explain the background of the case, including the disorder, usual presentation and progression, and an explanation of the presentation if it is a new disease. If it is a case discussing an adverse drug interaction the Introduction should give details of the drug’s common use and any previously reported side effects. It should also include a brief literature review. This should give an introduction to the case report from the standpoint of those without specialist knowledge in the area, clearly explaining the background of the topic. It should end with a very brief statement of what is being reported in the article.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-intro

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#background

The Introduction or Background serves as the sales pitch for the rest of the manuscript. It should be concise and salient [ 3 ] and immediately attract the reader’s attention to entice him or her to read on.

Case presentation

This should present all relevant details concerning the case. The Case presentation section should contain a description of the patient’s relevant demographic information (without adding any details that could lead to the identification of the patient); any relevant medical history of the patient; the patient's symptoms and signs; any tests that were carried out and a description of any treatment or intervention. If it is a case series, then details must be included for all patients. This section may be broken into subsections with appropriate subheadings.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-case

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#presentation

This is one of the most integral sections. The case should be described in a concise and chronological order. One should usually begin with the primary complaint, salient history (including significant family, occupational, and other social history along with any significant medications taken or allergies), followed by the physical examination, starting with the vital signs presented at the examination, along with pertinent investigations and results. There should be enough detail (but not too much) for the reader to establish his or her own conclusions about the validity. It should contain only pertinent information and nothing superfluous or confusing [ 3 ].

This is an optional section in JMCR for additional comments that provide additional relevant information not included in the case presentation, and that put the case in context or that explain specific treatment decisions.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-discussion

This section should evaluate the patient case for accuracy, validity, and uniqueness and compare and contrast the case report with the published literature. The authors should briefly summarize the published literature with contemporary references [ 3 ].

Although this section is optional in JMCR (and not even listed separately on the BMCRN guidelines website), I find that most authors write this section, or an expanded conclusions section incorporating the elements listed above.

I personally write a separate discussion section and conclusions section for each case report that I author.

Conclusions

This should state clearly the main conclusions of the case report and give a clear explanation of their importance and relevance. Is it an original case report of interest to a particular clinical specialty of medicine or will it have a broader clinical impact across medicine? Information should be included on how it will significantly advance our knowledge of a particular disease etiology or drug mechanism (if appropriate).

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-conclusion

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#conclusions

This should be short and concise with clear take-home messages and teaching points [ 3 ].

Patient’s perspective

This section is an opportunity for patients to add a description of a case from their own perspective. The patients should be encouraged to state what originally made them seek medical advice, give a description of their symptoms, whether the symptoms were better or worse at different times, how tests and treatments affected them, and how the problem is now. This section can be written as deemed appropriate by the patients, but should not include identifying information that is irrelevant to the case reported. As medicine becomes more person-centered, the voice of the individual patient becomes even more important, both to assist in clinical decision making, and for medical education.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-patients

This optional section is unique to JMCR , and I believe adds an important new dimension to the traditional case report. Most authors still do not yet take advantage of this, but I hope as time goes on and more and more open access case report manuscripts are published that this section will be routinely used, not just in JMCR but also in BMCRN and all other BMC clinical journals. I recall one manuscript in particular where the patient himself was requesting publication as soon as possible because of his terminal disease. He wanted his message out there and be available to all to read before he died.

List of abbreviations

When abbreviations are used in the text they should be defined in the text at first use, and a list of abbreviations can be provided, which should precede the Competing interests and Authors’ contributions sections.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-abbreviations

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-abbreviations

Both JMCR and BMCRN publish case reports over a wide range of medical and surgical specialties, and it is important for the reader who may not be within that particular specialty to readily access a quick list of commontechnical abbreviations. Also, given the open access nature of both journals, please keep in mind that nonmedical professionals may read the manuscript as well.

This section is compulsory for BMC. It should provide a statement to confirm that the patient has given their informed consent for the case report to be published. The written consent should not routinely be sent in along with the manuscript submission (because of patient privacy issues), but the BMC editorial office may request copies of the consent documentation at any time. The following wording is recommended: “Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal.” If the individual described in the case report is a minor, or unable to provide consent, then consent must be sought from his or her parents or legal guardians. In these cases, the statement in the ‘Consent’ section of the manuscript should be amended accordingly. Please keep in mind that manuscripts will not be peer reviewed if a statement of patient consent is not present.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-consent

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#consent

In practice, I always start with written consent from the patient. If the patient is incapacitated or deceased, then I obtain consent from the patient’s next-of-kin. Once this is obtained then I place it in the patient’s chart for safe keeping. I find that most patients and family members are quite agreeable to publication as long as their details are anonymous. BMC has very clear and explicit consent criteria and consent forms in multiple languages. I always keep a consent form within my office (and carry a few in my doctor’s handbag for hospital consults) for ready access. After I have obtained consent, I place it in the patient’s chart and keep it my office.

If the patient has died, then I try to obtain consent from the patient’s next-of-kin. This is usually done via telephone or postal mail. If the deceased patient’s family is amenable (and usually they are), then I send them (I never use email when it comes to patient-identifying information) the pre-filled out consent form in their language with a return envelope and paid for postage via the postal service. If I am unable to obtain consent this way in a case involving a patient who has died, then I write in the Consent section the following: “Written informed consent could not be obtained from the deceased patient’s next-of-kin for publication of this case report and accompanying images despite all reasonable attempts. Every effort has been made to protect the patient’s identity and there is no reason to believe that our patient would have objected to publication.”

If the patient was last known to be living but untraceable (or mentally incapacitated without next-of-kin consent), then I just simply do not publish the case.

For further information, please see JMCR and BMCRN website consent section hyperlinks as listed above.

Authors’ information

This section includes any relevant information about the author(s) that may aid the reader’s interpretation of the article and understanding of the standpoint of the author(s). This may include details about the authors’ qualifications, current positions they hold at institutions or societies, or any other relevant background information. Please refer to authors using their initials. Note this section should not be used to describe any competing interests.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-information

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-information

In practice, I have frankly also personally used this section to advertise my services and “tout” my certifications and subspecialties (along with any co-authors and affiliated institutions) to my surrounding local community. This has in turn given me a modest increase in business (which has been completely non-monetary to date), usually in the form of email-based queries, many of which come from patients outside of my locality.

Acknowledgements

Authors should acknowledge anyone who contributed towards the article by making substantial contributions to conception, design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, or who was involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content, but who does not meet the criteria for authorship. Also included should be the source(s) of funding for each author, and for the manuscript preparation. Authors must describe the role of the funding body, if any, in the: design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Please also acknowledge anyone who contributed materials essential for the study. If a language editor has made significant revision of the manuscript, I recommend that you acknowledge the editor by name, where possible. Authors may also like to acknowledge (anonymously) the patient on whom the case report is based. If a scientific (medical) writer is used, this person should be included in the Acknowledgements section, including their source(s) of funding. Authors should obtain permission to acknowledge from all those mentioned in the Acknowledgements section.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-acknowledgements

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-acknowledgements

I have had colleagues who do not want to participate in the actual writing of the manuscript or do any actual “work” who have instead preferred to be mentioned in this section only.

Authors must search for and cite published case reports that are relevant to the case they are presenting. There should be no more than 15 references usually, although BMC does publish manuscripts with more references particularly if there is an extended literature review. Unless it is of historic interest, please keep the references as contemporary as feasible (for example, within the last 5 years or so). Please avoid excessive referencing.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-references

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-references

Cover letter

This is a separate document that should be written and uploaded with the main manuscript submission. I usually write this after I have written the Abstract. The cover letter should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief in a formal manner and include all of the authors’ contact information. It should clearly and concisely state the title of the manuscript, and why the authors feel that their case report should be published based on any already available literature on the topic at hand. From an editor’s viewpoint, the cover letter is exceptionally important as that is the first thing that he or she reads and serves as the gateway to the Abstract and then the rest of the manuscript.

BMC author academy: help for all

Both JMCR and BMCRN have a large number of non-native English-speaking authors. Since JMCR and BMCRN are both BMC publications whose editorial offices are based in England, the language of publication is of course English. The BMC author academy is a joint program by BMC and Edanz [ 23 ] aimed at equipping writers for successful publication. Their materials have been developed from training workshops that Edanz gives to researchers worldwide and are not just limited to case reports. BMC recommends Edanz for authors who want to have their manuscript edited by a native speaker of English who is a scientific expert. Edanz provides scientific editing and related services that raise the quality of manuscripts to the standard needed to be understood at peer review.

http://www.biomedcentral.com/authors/authoracademy

I find that most non-native English-speaking authors have their manuscripts reviewed informally by a native English-speaking colleague and/or friend who is usually mentioned within the Acknowledgements section. This is understandable to keep costs down. However, please be aware that poor grammar and frequent spelling mistakes can be an impediment to editorial work flow and peer review. The editorial staff for both JMCR and BMCRN are acutely aware and sensitive to this given the large number of international submissions. At both JMCR and BMCRN , submitted manuscripts with questionable grammar and spelling are returned back to the authors by the editorial staff if it is felt that the grammar and spelling mistakes would impede peer review. If these issues are minor and it is felt that they would not impede peer review, then the manuscripts are sent off to peer reviewers (when appropriate).

Final checklist and the rule of C s

After I have completed a case report, I like to run through my long-winded (but useful) “rule of Cs” which is as follows.

Is it C lear, C oncise, and C oherent? Does it C onvey your message? Have you used C ases Database to look for any previously similar reported cases, and included them, if appropriate, in your references? Have you C onferred with your C olleagues on the C ontent? Will it C ause the reader to be C urious? Did you obtain C onsent? Does it C ontain all of the necessary information? Does it C omply with BM C guidelines? Do you think that it may need C opyediting? Do your C o-authors C oncur with the C ompleted paper? C an you C ut anything unnecessary out? Are your findings likely to be a C oincidence or by C hance alone? If so, then mention this in the Discussion section. Is the writing style C onsistent? Many times I find co-authored manuscripts have different writing styles within the same paper depending on who wrote what section. There should be a C entral, C orresponding author who is in C harge and oversees all of this. Is the C ase report written in a C hronological fashion with respect to the patient’s history and C hain of events? Is there anything that can be C ut out and have it still C ontain the C ompulsory information? Is it C oncise? Have you C onveyed C uriosity for your C ase report within your C over letter to the editorial team? Remember: your C over letter is the sales pitch to the editorial team! Make it C ount! Have you used within the manuscript C opyrighted information from another source? If so, do you need and/or have permission for use? After C ompletion, wait a C ouple of days before final submission to C lear your mind and read the manuscript again to C atch any mistakes that you may have made while you were C aught up in the C ompletion of it. Are the references C ontemporary? C an it be C omprehended by the average (“ C ”) reader? Remember, both JMCR and BMCRN are open access and freely available to anyone with an Internet C onnection and C omputer. C ast as wide a net as possible and C apture your C olleagues’ and other readers’ C uriosity. And first and foremost as a C linician: was the C are of your patient C ompetent and C ompassionate? (that is, are there any ethical concerns that may preclude peer review and publication?).

Summary and parting advice

Case reporting can be fun and a lifelong hobby, both for novice and experienced authors alike. It is now integral and widely accepted within published medical literature and today’s electronic information and data-sharing age. By following the above recommended steps and general overview, I hope to encourage BMC authors to continue to write and submit manuscripts to both JMCR and BMCRN . After your manuscript is complete, please follow the rule of “Cs”, especially “ C lear, C oncise, C oherent, C onsent, C ompassion, and C ompetence”, which will be appreciated by both reviewers and editors. Do not be afraid to obtain help from native English speakers for your manuscript. Also, please adhere to deadlines and follow instructions given by the editorial office, especially regarding any revisions. Editors read many different manuscripts and the longer it takes to get back a manuscript after revisions have been requested the less fresh that manuscript is in mind. Lastly, consider volunteering as an Associate Editor and/or reviewer within your specialty for both journals. I do for both, and the experience has improved both my writing and editing skills and daily interactions with patients.

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Authors and affiliations.

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Richard A Rison

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Additional information

Competing interests.

A competing interest exists when one’s interpretation of data or presentation of information may be influenced by a personal or financial relationship with other people or organizations. Authors must disclose any financial competing interests and should also reveal any non-financial competing interests that may cause embarrassment were they to become public after the publication of the manuscript. Authors are required to complete a declaration of competing interests. All competing interests that are declared will be listed at the end of published article. Where an author gives no competing interests, the listing should read “The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests”.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-competing

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-competing

I do not usually find any problems with competing interests in the case reports that I publish, but the section should always be completed in our era and in the spirit of complete disclosure.

Authors’ contributions

In order to give appropriate credit to each author of a paper, the individual contributions of authors to the manuscript should be specified in this section.

An ‘author’ is generally considered to be someone who has made substantive intellectual contributions to a published study. To qualify as an author one should: 1) have made substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) have been involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and 3) have given final approval of the version to be published. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group, alone, does not justify authorship. All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, writing assistance, or a department chair who provided only general support.

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-contributions

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/authors/instructions/casereport#formatting-contributions

I have found over the years a trend towards multi-authored case report manuscripts by many different individuals involved in the care of a patient(s). In my setting, it is usually me, a medical student or resident, a second-opinion tertiary colleague, and/or a pathologist or radiologist (if applicable). But I also recognize that there are situations that warrant more co-authors. The above criteria though for co-authorship should always be followed, and I have seen editorial situations where peer reviewers (including Associate Editors) have questioned what they felt was excessive authorship.

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This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Rison, R.A. A guide to writing case reports for the Journal of Medical Case Reports and BioMed Central Research Notes . J Med Case Reports 7 , 239 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-1947-7-239

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Received : 30 August 2013

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Published : 27 November 2013

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-1947-7-239

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- Choosing the right patient

- Choosing the right message

- Before you begin - patient consent

- How to write your case report

- How to get published

During medical school, students often come across patients with a unique presentation, an unfamiliar response to treatment, or even an obscure disease. Writing a case report is an excellent way of documenting these findings for the wider medical community—sharing new knowledge that will lead to better and safer patient care.

For many medical students and junior doctors, a case report may be their first attempt at medical writing. A published case report will look impressive on your curriculum vitae, particularly if it is on a topic of your chosen specialty. Publication will be an advantage when applying for foundation year posts and specialty training, and many job applications have points allocated exclusively for publications in peer reviewed journals, including case reports.

The writing of a case report rests on skills that medical students acquire in their medical training, which they use throughout their postgraduate careers: these include history taking, interpretation of clinical signs and symptoms, interpretation of laboratory and imaging results, researching disease aetiology, reviewing medical evidence, and writing in a manner that clearly and effectively communicates with the reader.

If you are considering writing a case report, try to find a senior doctor who can be a supervising coauthor and help you decide whether you have a message worth writing about, that you have chosen the correct journal to submit to (considering the format that the journal requires), that the process is transparent and ethical at all times, and that your patient is not compromised in your writing. Indeed, try to include your patient in the process from the …

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Roberts, M.J. , 2001. Developing a teaching case (abridged) , Harvard Business School Publishing. Publisher's Version A straightforward and comprehensive overview of how to write a teaching case, including sections on what makes a good case; sources for and types of cases; and steps in writing a case.

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How to Write Case Reports and Case Series

Ganesan, Prasanth

Department of Medical Oncology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India

Address for correspondence: Dr. Prasanth Ganesan, Medical Oncology, 3 rd Floor, SSB, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Dhanvantari Nagar, Puducherry - 605006, India. E-mail: [email protected]

Received March 13, 2022

Received in revised form April 10, 2022

Accepted April 10, 2022

This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

Case reports are considered the smallest units of descriptive studies. They serve an important function in bringing out information regarding presentation, management, and/or outcomes of rare diseases. They can also be a starting point in understanding unique associations in clinical medicine and can introduce very effective treatment paradigms. Preparing the manuscript for a case report may be the first exposure to scientific writing for a budding clinician/researcher. This manuscript describes the steps of writing a case report and essential considerations when publishing these articles. Individual components of a case report and the “dos and don'ts” while preparing these components are detailed.

INTRODUCTION

A case report describes several aspects of an individual patient's presentation, investigations, management decisions, and/or outcomes. This is a type of observational study and has been described as the smallest publishable unit in medical literature.[ 1 ] A case series involves a group of patients with similar presentations or treatments. In modern medicine [ Figure 1 ], these publications are categorized as the “lowest level of evidence”.[ 2 ] However, they serve several essential functions. For example, there are rare diseases where large, randomized trials, or even observational studies may not be possible. Medical practice, in these conditions, is often guided by well-presented case reports or series. There are situations where a single case report has heralded an important therapy change.[ 3 ] Further, case reports are often a student's first exposure to manuscript writing. Hence, these serve as training for budding scholars to understand scientific writing, learn the process of manuscript submission, and receive and respond to reviewer comments. This article explains the reasons why case reports are published and provides guidance for writing such type of articles.

WHY ARE CASE REPORTS PUBLISHED?

A case report is often published to highlight the rarity of a particular presentation. However, it may be of much more value if it also informs some aspects of management. This could be in the form of rare expressions of a common disease so that clinicians who read will be aware and can consider additional possibilities and differential diagnoses when encountering similar situations. A new form of evaluation of a patient, either to facilitate the diagnostics or to improve understanding of the disease condition, may stimulate a case report. Novel treatments may be tried, and the results might be necessary to disseminate. This may be encountered either in rare diseases or conditions where treatment options are exhausted. Moreover, randomized trials report outcomes of a group and often do not inform about the individual patient. [ Table 1 ] describes a few examples of case reports/case series which have had a remarkable impact on medical practice.

ETHICAL ISSUES

If there is a possibility of patient identification from the report, it is mandatory to obtain informed consent from the patient while approval from the institutional ethics committee (IEC) may also be needed depending on institutional policies.[ 7 ] If identifying information is absent (or if suitable steps are taken to remove identifying information or hide the identity, (such as by covering the eyes), it may still be required by some journals to obtain ethics committee approval for certain types of case reports. If a case series involves retrospective chart review, “waiver-of-consent” may be sought from the ethics committee. Indian Ethical Guidelines do not separately address this issue in case reports.[ 8 ] The Committee on Publication Ethics has described best practices for journals when publishing case reports which also gives links to model consent forms.[ 9 ]

HOW TO START?

If you are a beginner and you have identified an interesting case which you want to report, the first step would be to sit with your team and discuss the aspects of the case you want to highlight in your publication.[ 10 ] Do a literature search and try to summarize available information before writing the draft. It would also be a good idea to understand which journal you are targeting; this will assist in determining the number of figures, the word limits, and ethical requirements (such as informed consent). Discussions with senior faculty about the authors and their order should also be done at this point to avoid issues later. For a beginner, it would be a good practice to present the case in the department or in an institutional scientific forum before writing up the manuscript.

COMPONENTS OF a CASE REPORT

A case report usually has the following sections: an abstract, a brief introduction, the actual description of the case, and finally, the discussion which highlights the uniqueness of the case and includes a conclusion statement. Many journals these days publish case reports only as a letter to editor; in such cases, an abstract is not usually required.

The title must be informative about the problem being reported. It may refer to the particular issue being highlighted in the report, or it may refer to the educational aspect of that particular report. Catchy titles are often used by authors to trigger interest among the readers and make them want to read the article. Authors may remember to use titles which will help people locate the article when searching the literature.

When writing a title, it may be best to avoid terms such as “case report,” “review of literature,” “unique,” “rare,” “first-report”; these do not add value to the presentation.

Introduction

This must introduce the condition and clearly state why the case report is worth reading. It may also contain a brief mention of the current status of the problem being described with supporting references.

Describing the case

The case must be presented succinctly, in a chronological order, clearly highlighting the salient aspects of the case being reported. Relevant negative findings may be provided. For example, if a case is being reported for elaborating a new type of treatment, then more attention must be given to treatment aspects (e.g., name of the drug, dosage, schedule, dose modifications, or the type of surgery, duration, and type of anesthesia) after briefly describing the presentation and diagnostics. The idea is that the reader must be able to apply the treatment in his/her practice if required.

However, if the case is being presented for diagnostic rarity/unusual clinical features/pathological aspects, then more attention must be given to these aspects. For example, if the emphasis is on tissue pathology, then the description must include details about tissue processing, types of stains, and immunohistochemistry details.

Figures and tables

Figures, as in any publication, should be self-explanatory. A properly constructed figure legend can be used for describing certain aspects of the case much better than long-winded text in the main manuscript. This will also help to reduce the word count in the main manuscript. If there are multiple figures (e.g., follow-up radiology series and response to treatment images), these can be combined as [ Figure 1 ]a, [ Figure 1 ]b, [ Figure 1c ] or [ Figure 1 ]a, [ Figure 1 ]b, [ Figure 1 ]c, [ Figure 1d ]. This will help conform to the figure number limits prescribed by the journal. While preparing the figures, one must ensure that the quality of the art/photograph is not compromised. Further, patient identifying features must be masked, unless necessary to show.

Tables are usually not part of case reports but may be used. One example is presenting the baseline investigations in a tabular format which can facilitate assimilation as well as reduce the word count. Tables are more often used in case series. The most common is a type of table where the features of all the cases included are summarized with each row referring to an individual patient. This usually works for a series of up to ten patients; beyond that, the table may become crowded and difficult to understand. Tables may also be used in the discussion section to summarize related, published reports to date.

Discussion including review

A case report may help to alter the approach to patient management in the clinic or it may even stimulate original research evaluating a new treatment. Thus, the discussion must summarize the unique aspects of the case (why is the case different?) and the essential learning points/implications (how will it change management?/What further research needs to be done?). In addition to stating the differences from existing literature, the discussion should also attempt to explain these differences.

If the condition or treatment approach being focused on is sufficiently rare, reviewing all available cases published until that point is critical. This review may be presented in a table with each case described briefly. A more nuanced study might attempt to summarize the relevant demographics and clinical details of the various cases published to date in the form of a table (e.g., median age, gender distribution, and survival outcomes).

CASE SERIES - WHAT IS DIFFERENT?

There is no formal definition as to what is case series and what would be considered a retrospective cohort study. In general, a case series comprises <10 cases; beyond that, it may be feasible to apply formal statistics and may be considered a cohort study.

Both case reports and case series are descriptive studies. Case series must have similar cases and hence the inclusion must be clearly defined. The interventions must be documented in a way that is reproducible and follow-up of each individual in the report must be available. Although formal statistical analyses are usually not a part of case series, authors may attempt to summarize baseline demographic parameters using descriptive statistics.

ABSTRACT OF a CASE REPORT

As explained earlier, a few journals do not require abstracts for case report submissions. When required, one should try to highlight the salient aspects of the case presented and the reason for the publication within the abstract word limit, which may be as short as 100–200 words. Spend time and effort in writing a good abstract as this is a portion which is usually read by the editor during manuscript screening and may have implications for whether the article progresses to the next stage of editorial processing.

REFERENCES IN a CASE REPORT

One may only cite key references in a case report or series as there is limited scope for elaborate literature search. Most journals have a limit of 10–15 references for case reports; when publishing as a letter to editor (or correspondence), the allowed reference limit may be even lower (five or less for some journals).

CHOOSING THE RIGHT JOURNAL

Many journals have recently stopped publishing case reports and series. This is often an attempt by journals to optimize their resources (space and reviewer time) to attain the highest possible impact. Although this is unfortunate, it is a reality which must be acknowledged. Nonetheless, the advent of online-only journals has led to more options for aspiring authors. Some journals accept case series, whereas others have “sister” journals created to accept case reports and other, less definitive, contributions to the literature.[ 11 ] It is an important exercise to study all available journals accepting case reports of the type being written. The case report must be tailored to the journal's requirements. Many journals may charge an article processing fee; author(s) must consider whether they are willing to pay and publish. Some of these may be predatory journals; authors must be wary of them and scrupulously avoid publishing in such journals as they can permanently stain the publication records of a researcher.

PUBLISHING THE CASE REPORT/SERIES AS a LETTER TO EDITOR/IMAGE SERIES

When the matter to be conveyed is very minimal or is being published mainly for its rarity, letters to editor may be an alternate route to publish case report data. Interesting images may be published in the form of “images” series which is now a part of many journals. The flexibility of web-based publishing also allows interesting videos to be published online.

GUIDELINES FOR CASE REPORTS

There are guidelines which help authors in the preparation and submission of case reports. The CAse REports (CARE) checklist is one such popular guideline. It provides a “checklist” and other resources for authors that can help navigate the process of writing a case report, especially when a person is doing it for the first time.[ 12 ]

AUTHORSHIP IN CASE REPORTS

Although there are no separate guidelines for authorship in “case reports,” general authorship rules follow that for any manuscript. “Gift” authorship must be avoided. All authors must have contributed to the creation of the manuscript in addition to being involved in some aspect of care of the patient being reported. Authorship order should be ideally predecided based on mutual consensus.

CONCLUSIONS

A case report is a useful starting point for one's scientific writing career. There are useful online resources which describe the steps for a newbie writer.[ 13 14 ] [ Table 2 ] summarizes the important components to follow and understand when writing case reports. Although many frontline journals have reduced their acceptance of case reports, these publications continue to serve an essential scientific and academic role.

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Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

Case reports; manuscript writing; case series; references

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The do’s and don’ts of writing and publishing case reports

March 6, 2023 | 5 min read

Lessons from a recent Researcher Academy webinar

As a method of documenting a single clinical observation, case reports offer timely and valuable information, especially with regards to rare diseases. They show medical professionals how fellow practitioners have acted in similar situations and thus aid in the decision-making process by sharing best practices. Not only do they significantly contribute to the knowledge pool, they also help add to a researcher’s own publication portfolio. Producing a good case report requires much more than just an interesting case, however.

To assist researchers with this task, Professors Oliver Kurzai and Adilia Warris, editors of the journal Medical Mycology Case Reports opens in new tab/window shared tips on writing high impact case reports in the latest Researcher Academy webinar opens in new tab/window . We are pleased to share here some quick do’s and don’ts from the webinar.

Tell a story

The best way to compose a case report is to tell a story. This can be accomplished by arranging the events in chronological order, being specific about your differential diagnostic considerations, elucidating the arguments for your clinical decision-making process, and following up to round off the story neatly. This will create an imaginary journey where your readers can follow every development of the case and understand why you have performed specific tests or made certain decisions during a particular treatment.

Get the details right

Make sure to describe the relevant signs and symptoms which have resulted in the differential diagnosis, both positive and negative in order to provide readers with the context in which you have made your decisions. You can also include in your case reports descriptions of actual values for blood test results, detailed dosages for medications prescribed or other variables that should be taken into account with respect to the outcome of the situation.

Employ pictures/figures where relevant

A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words, especially for case reports where findings can be clearly and efficiently illustrated via images. Don’t make use of pictures without justification, however – do so only if they have a function. For example, macroscopic and microscopic images of a newly-identified causative microorganism are an essential whereas a picture of the model you have clearly explained elsewhere in the text may be overkill.

Formulate short and sharp titles

The title is the first selling point of your case report. Therefore, you would want it to be interesting and something that grasps the reader’s attention. Make sure you phrase it concisely, but still in an eye-catching way. Take a look at the examples shared by the speakers below.

An OK title: " Treatment of cerebral mucormycosis with drug therapy alone: a case report"

Versus a compelling title: "Successful outcome of cerebral mucormycosis with drug therapy alone"

Secure written consent from patient

Due to its nature of being a detailed description of an individual patient’s clinical presentation and therapy, a case report almost always contains information that could be traced back to the individual in question. Thus, a written, informed consent from the patient is a key requirement for the publication. Keep in mind that your patient is your partner in completing a case report, therefore make sure to discuss the report proactively with them including being explicit about any potential images that you are going to use, especially if they show or could identify the patient.

Don’t write your case report before doing your homework

If your case is not unique or interesting enough, there is a high chance that it will not be published. Even when your case is unique but is not well-documented or misses some crucial diagnostic elements, the same outcome might still ensue. This is not only a waste of your precious time but also a discouragement which might prevent you from producing more case reports in the future. To avoid this outcome, make sure to carry out careful research before writing your case reports. Make sure it meets all necessary characteristics and requirements before spending a lot of time and effort on the writing part.

Don’t publish a case report without the patient’s consent

As explained above, informed patient consent is mandatory for the publication of your case reports. Ignoring this requirement can result in a rejection for your work and worse, ruin your relationship and reputation with patients. However, there is an exception for publishing a case report without patient consent when the benefit of publication toward to society outweighs potential harm for individual. This happens when the case report contains an extremely important public health message but impossible to obtain informed consent despite all efforts as the patient has died, for example.

Don’t forget, moreover that clinical practitioners are not required to, and should not reveal personal patient information to a journal that is not relevant to the case.

Don’t include everything

“Less is more” goes the popular adage… It is not recommended to provide an extensive overview or discuss every single aspect of the patient’s disease in the introduction and conclusion. This will only serve to disengage readers and will distract them from the main ideas you want to communicate. If you want to give a focused introduction and discussion, make sure your case report mentions only the key messages and information related and relevant to these points.

To learn more about other insightful tips on how to write influential case reports and more importantly to get them published, you can watch the full webinar recording at the Researcher Academy opens in new tab/window . If, after doing so you still have unresolved questions, why not post in the Researcher Academy Mendeley group opens in new tab/window , where the team will endeavour to find expert answers for you.

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Marketing and Communications Intern

Patient Case Study

Ai generator.

Case studies are a qualitative research method that offers a complete and in-depth look into some of the situations that baffled medical science. They document the cases that escape the ordinary in a hospital that has seen a manifold of plights. They serve as cautionary tales of the intricacy in dealing with human health.

It is a well-established empirical research approach that illuminates a stand-out case of a subject or a group of subjects. In the end, it seeks to introduce new information for the understanding of the nature of a disease or medical condition in the context of someone who has lived it. Patient case studies make a difference in the medical arena by reporting clinical interactions that can improve medical practices, suggest new health projects, as well as provide a new research direction. By looking at an event as it exists in the natural setting, case studies shed understanding on a complex medical phenomenon.

Case Study Pitfalls

Writing case studies can be no different than writing a research paper, with a few tweaks in the paper’s template and format. However, there are different blunders to avoid in preparing your report.

Since it documents stand-out clinical interactions where a single person or a few number of people are a party of, the findings may not be valid for generalization for a wider population. Therefore, you should avoid making motherhood statements and misleading conclusions just to make your study seem relevant where it isn’t. Your findings should stick to the evidence and data that you possess.

Because you are studying a case valid only for some people as of the moment, you should indicate the general scope and limitation of your work. The scenario might be different when placed in a different context. You should be honest in reporting the information about your study. Disclose the limits of your findings.

You are working on limited information. You should look into all of the possible explanations for the medical condition at hand. If a plight can be explained by more than one reason, then you have to look into the less obvious but similarly compelling explanations. Make your case study as informative as possible.

Case For Generalization

You cannot generalize a population using one case study. However, multiple case study contains two or more cases under the point of interest can give you a replicated result. When the findings remain true for several cases under this research method, your case study’s results become more reliable.

10+ Patient Case Study Examples

Medical practitioners use case studies to examine a medical condition in the context of a research question. They perform research and analyses that adhere to the scientific method of investigation and abide by ethical research protocols. The following are case study samples and guides on case presentation.

1. Patient Information for Single Case Studies Example

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2. Sample Case Study Base on Acttual Patient Example

3. Ethical Legal Analysis of Patient Case Study Example

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4. Patient Audit Case Study Example

Patient Clinical Audit Case Study Example

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5. Brain Injury Patient Case Study Example

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6. Simple Patient Case Studies Example

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7. Cellulitis Patient Case Study Example

8. Not-for-Profit Hospital Patient Case Study Example

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9. Case Study of a Narcoleptic Patient Example

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10. Drugs Patient Case Study Example

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11. Patient Case Study in DOC

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Writing Your Patient Case Study

Since patient case studies are generally descriptive , they are under the a phenomenological principle. This means that subjectivity is entertained and allowed in research design. The medical scenarios are open to the researcher’s interpretation and input of insights. The following are reminders on how to prepare your case study analysis .

1. Work on Your Introduction

Select a case. You have to identify your focus and scope for the study. Like other research papers, you should prepare a research outline that guide you during the whole study duration. Another thing to produce is a related literature review. You should know about what you are going to study, and if any other investigation has been done on the material. When you have properly organized your information, you will have a smooth flow of ideas.

2. Get to Know the Participants

You can have one or multiple case participants. While other research methods boast of data credibility and generalizability, the small number of subjects in a case study is working for its advantage. The researcher is more attentive about his or her participants, and in-depth treatment of the study will not be very difficult. What case studies lack in generalized conclusions, they make up for thorough analysis of a subject matter.

3. Perform Data Analyses Method

Your results will depend on your interpretation of the raw data. Some researchers interpret their study data as the big picture while others dive into each pixel of the image. Be sure to extrapolate on all the possibilities that could help make sense of your case. You can compare your findings with present literature. Leave no stone unturned as you get down to the bottom of the investigation. Your data is only as good as your explanation.

4. Report the Case Study Results

Your patient case analysis is an investigation of a medical plight or case. When you present your findings, you have to balance the description of the situation and the detailing of the analyses. You have to illustrate how and why you came to a conclusion by providing the necessary background information. In the end, you can suggest future research or improvement built on what you have accomplished in this case study.

Against evidence-and-experiment-based research methods, case studies seem to have the lower end of the stick on the issue of reliability. However, case studies offer a comprehensive and exhaustive treatment on a complicated subject matter in a real-life setting. This research method lets you gain an appreciation for a concept beyond what cold, hard facts can provide. There is no single approach to science and knowledge.

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How to Write a Case Study (Examples & Best Practices)

Sudarshan Somanathan

Head of Content

July 19, 2024

Promising your clients powerful solutions is great, but what wins them over is cold, hard proof that you’re successful at what you claim.

And that proof is a case study. Crafting one that grabs attention and showcases business expertise isn’t just about laying out the facts and figures—it’s about making your success stories come alive.

Whether you’re seasoned or just starting, let’s look at actionable tips to write compelling case studies. From integrating best practices and examples to using tools and templates that simplify the process, learn to write case studies that will win clients over! 🙌

Understanding Case Studies

1. identify the case, 2. research, 3. define the problem, 4. develop a hypothesis, 5. plan the structure, step 1: write an impactful introduction, step 2: provide context, step 3: show your research, step 4: present the solution, step 5: reveal the result, step 6: structure and polish, beyond the steps: different methodologies, leverage clickup for writing compelling case studies , narrative case studies , descriptive case studies , exploratory case studies , explanatory case studies , case study templates, case study examples, best practices for writing case studies, landing pages and onboarding , the role and benefit of case studies in various fields, tell powerful business stories with case studies.

A case study is an in-depth analysis of a real-life situation designed to showcase a concept or principle. It’s an impactful tool in problem-solving and decision-making that gives a detailed illustration of a particular issue and its solution within a real-world context.

Case studies uncover problems, propose solutions, and highlight successes, making them invaluable for businesses, educators, researchers, and professionals across various fields such as medicine and law.

Case studies help us explore complex issues through detailed contextual analysis. They help understand cause and effect, identify patterns, and develop strategies for future scenarios.

By studying how others overcame challenges, you can identify best practices and find new, effective approaches to solve problems that are specific to you.

For instance, a business might use a case study to understand how a specific marketing strategy led to increased sales, or a medical professional might examine a case study to understand the progression of a disease and the effectiveness of different treatments. This enables you to make informed decisions in similar future cases instead of decisions based purely on anecdotal theory or just raw data with no context.

Attaching a case study of your customer’s success to your proposals or response to Request for Proposal ( RFP) documents can lend credibility to your business’ capabilities and enhance your chances of winning over prospective customers.

How to Prepare for a Case Study

Preparation is key to crafting a compelling case study. Follow these steps to ensure you cover all bases:

Pick a relevant, unique subject that addresses a key customer pain point and provides valuable insights. The chosen case should provide a meaningful story and outcome.

Suppose you consider a local environmental group struggling to raise funds for a critical habitat restoration project. This could be a great case study to showcase how you, as a consultant, helped them develop a compelling fundraising strategy, identify new donor segments, and ultimately reach their financial goals.

Gather information and raw data relevant to your topic, including quantitative data (such as statistics and numerical data) and qualitative insights (such as interviews and observations).

For interviews, you might need to prepare a list of interviewees and research questions beforehand. Comprehensive research helps build a solid foundation for your case study. This is where research plan templates can come in handy. You can use them to structure your research process—from defining the key elements of your case study upfront to formulating clear research questions and outlining the methods you’ll use to gather data.

Let’s go back to our environment group example. To understand the environmental group’s fundraising struggles, you would gather data on their past fundraising campaigns, donor demographics, and website traffic. You would also interview key staff members and conduct focus groups with potential donors to understand their giving habits and concerns.

Clearly outline the issue or challenge faced. A well-defined problem sets the stage for a focused and effective analysis. Spend some time fine-tuning your case study.

In our example, based on your research, you define the problem as the environmental group’s reliance on traditional fundraising methods that were no longer reaching new donors, leading to stagnant funding for critical projects.

Formulate a potential solution or theory to address the problem. Crafted carefully in one or two sentences, this thesis statement will guide your investigation and analysis.

To help the group, your hypothesis could be that by implementing a multi-channel fundraising strategy that leverages social media, targeted email campaigns, and grant proposals, the environmental group can expand its donor base, increase donation amounts, and secure funding for the habitat restoration project.

Decide on the format and structure of your case study. A well-organized structure ensures that your case study is easy to follow and understand. Most case studies follow a chronological structure. This is great for storytelling and helps you take the reader on a journey from the initial challenge to the successful resolution achieved. It allows you to build suspense and highlight the transformation that took place.

For the example given above, you can decide to structure your case study with sections on the environmental group’s mission and the importance of the restoration project, the fundraising challenges they faced, the implemented solutions using your consulting framework, the results achieved (increased donations and project funding), and the key takeaways for other non-profit organizations.

Once you’ve addressed these steps related to case study planning, you’re ready to jump to the writing process. Let’s do that together, one step at a time! 🤝

How to Write a Case Study

Writing a compelling case study goes beyond simply recounting a project’s success. It’s about weaving a narrative that showcases the problem, your approach, and the impactful results.

Let’s examine how to write case studies that inform and inspire potential customers and stakeholders.

The introduction is prime real estate in your case study—your chance to grab the reader’s attention.

Here are two effective strategies to start strong

Intrigue with a challenge: Open with a relatable scenario highlighting the common pain points your solution addresses. Example: “A struggling e-commerce store has stagnant sales despite offering high-quality products. This was the reality for [Company Name] back in [year/month]”
Spark curiosity with a statistic: Hook your audience with a surprising or thought-provoking statistic related to the industry or challenge. Example: “Did you know that 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts before checkout? [Client Name] faced this very issue, leading to [amount] in lost revenue”

Once you’ve piqued their interest, provide context for your case study:

Introduce the client: Briefly introduce the client, their industry, and their specific goals or challenges
Highlight the problem: Clearly define the problem the client faced. Be specific about the impact it had on their business

Give your readers insights into tangible data and evidence of your study:

Quantitative research

Numbers add credibility to your case study. Gather data relevant to the problem, such as sales figures, website traffic, or customer churn rates.

Qualitative research

Go beyond the numbers! Interview key stakeholders to understand the client’s perspective, thought processes, and emotional impact of the problem.

Behavioral science

Understanding human behavior can strengthen your case study. Consider incorporating principles of psychology or decision-making to explain why the client’s previous approach wasn’t working and how your solution addressed those behavioral patterns.

For instance, if your case study focuses on improving a website’s conversion rate, you could mention how applying the “scarcity principle” by highlighting limited-time offers or low stock availability can incentivize purchase decisions.

Help your readers understand how exactly you solved the problem:

Explain your approach: Detail the steps you took to address the client’s problem. Be clear about the specific strategies or methodologies you implemented
Highlight expertise: Showcase your unique knowledge and expertise. If you developed a custom framework or used innovative techniques, explain them here

The result of your case study shows your success. Ensure you make it appealing to your readers:

Showcase results with data: Present the positive outcomes achieved through your solution. Quantify the results whenever possible using the data you gathered earlier. For example, if you helped a client increase website traffic, mention the specific percentage increase observed
Include client testimonials: Weave in positive quotes or testimonials from the client expressing their satisfaction with the results

Now that you know what exactly to put in your case study, you must understand how to present it:

Organize for clarity: Structure your case study logically. Common sections include Introduction, Client Background, The Challenge, The Solution, Results, and Conclusion
Pay attention to readability: Use clear and concise language. Break down complex concepts into digestible terms for a wider audience
Proofread with precision: Ensure your case study is free of grammatical errors and typos. A polished presentation reflects professionalism

While the above steps provide a general framework, case studies can be structured using various methodologies. Here are two common approaches:

Challenge-Solution-Benefit: This linear structure directly addresses the problem, presents the solution, and highlights the resulting benefits for the client
Customer journey: This method focuses on the customer’s experience throughout the process. It showcases how your solution helped them navigate challenges and achieve success at each stage of their journey

The chosen methodology depends on the case study’s specific goals and the message you want to convey.

By following these steps and considering different approaches, you can craft compelling case studies that not only inform but also inspire your target audience.

Remember, a well-written case study is a powerful marketing tool demonstrating your expertise and the value you deliver to clients.

ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity tool. Its intuitive interface and powerful features make it easy to conduct further research, collaborate with team members, and produce high-quality case studies.

Its marquee feature, ClickUp Brain , is great for writing, editing, and summarizing case studies. This AI-powered tool simplifies the entire process, making it faster and more efficient.

With ClickUp Brain, you can generate comprehensive case studies from scratch, thanks to its intuitive prompts and suggestions that guide you through each section, ensuring you cover all essential points. Just give it a few bullet points of instruction, and it will help you outline the case study, gather and organize your data, and create a compelling narrative highlighting your achievements and solutions.

Editing is a breeze with ClickUp Brain. The AI can review your content, providing insights and suggestions for improvement. It checks for clarity, coherence, and grammatical accuracy, ensuring your case study reads well and conveys your message effectively. This saves you time and effort, allowing you to focus on fine-tuning your content rather than doing the heavy lifting!

When it comes to summarizing, ClickUp Brain excels by distilling lengthy case studies with too much detail into concise, impactful summaries. This is particularly useful for creating an executive summary of your case study that won’t overwhelm your audience with too much information at once while still sharing the key details with them.

By leveraging ClickUp Brain, you can produce polished, professional case studies that effectively communicate your successes and expertise.

Case Study Formats

Case studies have various formats, depending on their purpose and audience. This also determines their length. Marketing case studies are usually 500–700 words long.

In-depth ones for academic, financial, or scientific purposes can exceed 1,000 words, including detailed data, analysis, methodologies, and interviews. Here are some common case study formats with examples:

They tell the story of the case in a linear format . This narrative form is ideal for engaging readers and making complex information more accessible. For instance, a narrative case study about a startup’s journey from inception to success will captivate readers by walking them through each milestone, highlighting challenges and triumphs. A customer success story can be another example.

This format provides a detailed description of the case and its context . It’s useful for presenting a comprehensive overview of a particular situation. An example would be a case study on a company’s operational processes describing how a specific change in workflow improved efficiency, with detailed descriptions of each step and the overall impact on productivity.

Investigates a phenomenon in a preliminary way to lay the groundwork for future studies . This format is often used in academic research to explore new areas of interest. For example, an exploratory case study might examine the initial effects of remote work on employee productivity during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, setting the stage for more extensive research.

This format is ideal for understanding the cause-and-effect relationships in complex scenarios. A case study explaining how a particular marketing strategy led to a significant increase in sales can provide insights into the specific tactics used, customer responses, and overall outcomes, helping clarify the strategy’s direct impact on sales performance.

Each format serves a distinct purpose and can be tailored to the specific needs of your audience and the goals of your case study.

Having templates to structure your case study will save you a great deal of time.

They help streamline your case study creation process and ensure consistency in formatting. They also provide a framework for organizing your information and presenting it well.

Use the ClickUp Case Study Template to present your data effectively

Try the ClickUp Case Study Template to get a head start on your case studies. It helps capture critical information such as project background, challenges faced, strategies implemented, and measurable outcomes.

This template includes prompts and sections that cover all necessary aspects of a case study, from initial analysis to final results. Its intuitive format helps streamline the writing process, making it easier to organize data and insights coherently, eventually allowing you to showcase the tangible benefits of your work.

If you’re looking to craft visually appealing and well-structured case studies, the ClickUp Case Study Design Template is what you need. This template provides a comprehensive layout that guides you through the essential components of a case study, such as problem statements, solutions, methodologies, and results.

Organize and present visually appealing information with this ClickUp Case Study Design Template

With its pre-designed sections, you can easily organize your content, ensuring that each part of your case study is clearly defined and logically presented. The template’s customizable elements allow you to tailor the design to match your brand’s aesthetics , making your case study informative, engaging, and professional-looking.

By using this template, you can save time on formatting and focus more on the important stuff.

Case studies illustrate how solutions are applied in various scenarios, offering valuable insights and practical lessons. Here are some other real-world examples:

Business case study: This type of case study analyzes a company’s strategy and outcomes. For example, this is a ClickUp case study featuring Cartoon Network that doubled its output in 50% less time. It outlines systematic ways the business cut short on duplicative efforts, facilitated deeper real-time collaboration, and leveraged insights to boost its productivity.

Medical case study: It examines a patient’s history and treatment. This National Institutes of Health example details a patient’s symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, providing a comprehensive view of the medical journey. It offers medical practitioners valuable insights into diagnosing and managing similar cases.

Technology implementation case study: This details how an organization implemented new technology. For example, a Microsoft case study explores how a company adopted Microsoft Azure to enhance its cloud computing capabilities. It covers the challenges faced, the implementation process, and the positive impact on business operations.

Marketing case study: This form of case study analyzes a marketing campaign’s strategy and results. For instance, Comedy Central launched an innovative search campaign using YouTube videos to introduce Trevor Noah as the new host of “The Daily Show” and engage fans through an interactive Easter egg hunt. The campaign generated 38M impressions and 2.8M views with high engagement rates.

We’ve curated a set of business best practices for writing and promoting impactful case studies to help you create them.

Incorporate key elements

Start with a strong introduction: Grab the reader’s attention and set the stage for your analysis. A compelling introduction can draw readers in and make them want to learn more about your case study. This introduction draws on a historical timeline and sets a very strong narrative

Be clear and concise: Keep your writing concise and focused. Avoid unnecessary jargon and complex language that might confuse readers
Use visuals: Enhance your case study with charts, graphs, and images to illustrate important sections. Visuals can help make complex information more accessible and engaging

Include real data: Support your analysis with real data and statistics. Providing concrete evidence can strengthen your arguments and add credibility to your case study

Tell a story: Make your case study engaging by telling a compelling customer story. Use narrative techniques to bring your case study to life and make it more relatable to readers

Promoting case studies

Your case study must be supported by a structured marketing plan . To reach a wider audience, leverage social media marketing and content distribution. Share your case studies on LinkedIn, Twitter, and industry-specific forums to generate interest and engagement.

You can repurpose key elements of the case study into bite-sized LinkedIn posts or Tweets. You can even capture client video testimonials to support the results highlighted in the case studies and share them on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Additionally, consider using SEO best practices to ensure your case studies are easily discoverable online.

Presenting a Case Study

Presenting a case study effectively is crucial for conveying your findings and recommendations. Follow these steps:

Prepare a clear outline: Organize your presentation logically with a clear outline. This helps ensure that your presentation is easy to follow and that you cover all key points
Use visual aids: Enhance your presentation with slides, charts, and graphs. Visual aids can help make your presentation more engaging and easier to understand
Engage your audience: Encourage questions and discussions to engage your audience. Interaction can help reinforce your message and make your presentation more memorable
Highlight key points: Emphasize the most important findings and recommendations. Make sure your audience leaves with a clear understanding of the main takeaways from your case study

Create dedicated landing pages to showcase your case studies. Use effective onboarding techniques to guide readers through your content.

For example, you can create a landing page on your website with a strong headline, an overview of your case study, key findings, and a call to action encouraging readers to download the full report.

Here’s an example from the National Library of Medicine

Another best practice most businesses follow is a landing page featuring the full collection of their case studies . This helps your target audience quickly review all the powerful business stories you have on offer and select the one that’s most relevant to them.

Take a look at ClickUp’s landing page for case studies below.

Case studies are used across various fields to provide in-depth analysis of relevant theories and insights.

Nursing

Case studies in nursing help understand patient care and treatment outcomes.

For example, a case study detailing a diabetic patient’s journey can highlight effective management strategies and complications, such as monitoring blood sugar levels, dietary adjustments, and medication adherence.

This comprehensive account can offer valuable lessons for healthcare providers, contributing to better patient care practices and education.

Public policy

Public policy case studies provide a detailed analysis of policy decisions and their impact.

For instance, a case study on a city’s implementation of a new public transportation system can showcase successful interventions, such as increased ridership and reduced traffic congestion. It can also identify areas for improvement, such as the need for better infrastructure or more frequent service.

These insights can guide future policy decisions, helping policymakers design more effective and efficient public services.

Business case study examples in marketing illustrate successful campaigns and strategies.

For instance, a case study on Apple’s marketing strategy for the iPhone highlights how they arrived at their creative briefs , positioning, branding, and targeted advertising to capture a significant market share.

This detailed account of Apple’s approach to market research, consumer behavior analysis, and creative advertising techniques can offer valuable lessons for other businesses looking to enhance their marketing efforts and connect more effectively with their target audience.

Operations management

These case studies provide insights into process improvements and operational efficiency.

For example, this case study on Toyota’s implementation of lean manufacturing principles shows how the company reduced waste, improved production efficiency, and increased overall product quality.

By examining the specific steps Toyota took to streamline its operations, such as adopting just-in-time inventory systems and continuous improvement practices, other businesses can learn how to optimize their processes and achieve higher productivity.

Strategic planning

Case studies in strategic planning demonstrate how companies navigate complex business environments.

For example, a case study on Netflix’s transition from a DVD rental service to a global streaming giant reveals the strategic decisions that fueled its growth. This includes their investment in original content, adoption of new technologies, and expansion into international markets.

By understanding the strategic choices and challenges Netflix faces, other businesses can gain insights into how to adapt their strategies to changing market conditions and emerging opportunities.

These examples illustrate how case studies in various fields provide actionable insights and practical knowledge to help companies innovate, improve efficiency, and make informed strategic decisions.

Writing an effective case study is more than just presenting data; it’s about telling a story that resonates with your audience and showcases the impact of your solutions.

By focusing on clear objectives, customer quotes, thorough research, and engaging narratives, you can create strong case studies that not only highlight your successes with previous customers but also build trust with prospective clients and future customers. Remember, a well-crafted case study can help you achieve your marketing goals .

One tool that can significantly streamline the process of creating impactful case studies is ClickUp. With its robust project management features, ClickUp helps you organize your case study research, track progress, and collaborate seamlessly with your team.

Its AI-powered features streamline the writing process , allowing you to focus on in-depth analysis and creativity.

Use ClickUp’s templates to structure your case study, set deadlines, and capture every detail accurately. Its document and task management capabilities ensure that your case study is well-organized, visually appealing, and professional. Don’t take our word for it. Try it yourself.

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9 Case Study Examples, Plus a Useful Case Study Template

Writing a case study can help you pitch your services to prospective clients. Learn how to write one by studying successful examples and using a free template.

A magnifying glass on an orange background with three boxes displaying data points.

If you can write a résumé, you can write a case study. Just as a résumé shows potential employers how your experience can benefit their team, a case study highlights an existing client’s success story to demonstrate your business or product’s value to prospective clients.

A compelling case study includes relevant data without overwhelming your reader, considers the customer’s perspective, and demonstrates how you handled a specific challenge.

The best way to learn how to write one is by reading a stellar business case study example.

What is a case study?

A case study is a document business-to-business (B2B) companies use to illustrate how their product or service helped a client achieve their goals. A winning case study introduces the featured client, gives a brief description of their challenge or goal, and showcases the results they achieved with your help.

Businesses that provide software, tools, or consulting services often provide case studies to potential customers trying to choose between several options.

A company’s marketing team is typically responsible for writing case studies, but if you have a small business without a dedicated marketing team, don’t worry. Anyone can write a case study, and it’s a straightforward process if you use a template.

Why should you create a case study?

A case study brings your product or service to life for future customers with real-world examples. These success stories offer tangible results. Case studies are, thus, a form of social proof , but their power goes beyond a mere testimonial or review.

Since B2B services often are expensive and require approval from multiple decision-makers, typical forms of social proof often aren't enough to convince potential customers. Business customers want to be able to share compelling data with their teams, and that’s where the case study is beneficial.

How to write a case study

Choose a template
Interview your client or customer
Describe the situation
Identify the solution
Present the results

1. Choose a template

You don’t necessarily need a template to write a case study, but it can make the process easier—especially if you haven’t written one before or need to write several at once.

You’ll notice that most business case studies take the same general format; after inputting the basics into the template, you can add your own personal flair. (That is, your branding and voice.)

2. Interview your client or customer

The client or customer interview is the heart of the case study. Identify several current or past clients willing to chat with you about their experiences. Look for repeat customers and those who reached out independently to tell you how much they enjoyed your product or service.

A phone interview is the best way to get conversational quotes, but you can correspond via email if your subject is short on time. Not sure what to ask? When social advertising agency Biddyco interviewed the VP of Marketing at Fellow , they asked him the following questions , according to their case study:

What were the obstacles that would have prevented you from choosing/hiring Biddyco?
What have you found as a result of hiring Biddyco?
What specific feature or thing do you like most about Biddyco’s services?
Would you recommend Biddyco and why?

The goal of the interview is to better understand your client’s experience with your product or service and grab a soundbite you can use as a testimonial in your case study. If you didn’t work directly with the client, you may also want to interview someone on your team who did to get more context.

3. Describe the situation

Give context to your case study with a brief description of the client’s business and the desired outcome that led them to seek your product or service. You can follow this general formula:

[Client’s name] is a [type of business] with [unique feature]. [Client’s name] came to [your business] seeking [client’s desired outcome] while [requirement].

Here’s an example of a one-sentence situation summary in the case study for Sharma Brands ’ client Feastables:

“Feastables, a better-for-you snacks company, came to us in need of a team to take the DTC setup off their plate.”

Advertising company Adgile, which created moving billboards for the non-alcoholic aperitif brand Ghia , has a longer description in its case study that provides background on the marketplace, but the heart of it is this:

“Ghia was seeking creative ways to break through the clutter of a crowded—and big-budgeted—adult beverage market, all while managing customer acquisition cost (CAC).”

4. Identify the solution

This section can vary depending on your field. Also described as “the action,” “the work,” or “the strategy,” the solution describes the strategic insights your company brought to your client’s problem or how your customer used your product to achieve their goals.

The basic formula: [Client’s name] partnered with [your business] to [service received].

Here’s an example from email marketing software Klaviyo’s case study featuring olive oil brand Graza:

“Graza uses Klaviyo’s granular segmentation tools to send automated flows and promotional campaigns to small, targeted groups of customers based on purchase frequency.”

This section describes exactly which of Klaviyo’s features Graza used (granular segmentation) and how they used it (to send automated flows to small, targeted groups), without getting into any outcomes or results yet.

5. Present the results

This section is where you’ll win over prospective customers and build trust. The basic formula is:

[Client’s name] used [service received] to [desired outcome].

Share how your product or service positively affected the client’s business, whether that’s cost savings, more clients, or improved company culture. According to a case study from community platform TYB, the results it delivered for skin care company Dieux were as follows:

“Dieux was able to create thousands of authentic, personalized referrals ahead of its new product launch plus live out its brand promise of transparency.”

Depending on your product or service, your results may include quantifiable outcomes (like thousands of referrals), intangibles (like living out your brand promise), or both, as in the case of TYB.

Real-world examples of case studies

Sharma brands for feastables, adgile media group for ghia, meta for lulus, tyb for dieux, biddyco for fellow, outline for heyday canning, klaviyo for graza, culture amp for bombas, kustomer for thirdlove.

A great way to write a case study is to look at a sample case study—or better yet, many. You’ll notice that wildly different businesses have case studies that follow roughly the same structure, which is why we recommend using one of our free case study templates to write yours. Learn from this mix of business, design, and marketing case study examples:

Sharma Brands is a branding agency founded by Nik Sharma , “The DTC Guy.” Sharma Brands keeps its case study featuring snack company Feastables short and sweet, breaking it down into three chronological sections: the situation, the work, and the outcome.

The Sharma Brands case study is a good example of how to incorporate meaningful results without sharing actual numbers (which the client may not wish to make public) or getting into an in-depth analysis.

Instead of metrics, Sharma Brands lists the tasks it executed:

“Successfully launched their DTC site.”
“Simultaneously launched on GoPuff with no downtime.”

It also lists some general achievements:

“Broke Shopify records in the first 24 hours of launch.”
“All revenue and engagement metrics were highly exceeded.”

Adgile case study for Ghia showing ads on trucks.

Adgile Media Group creates outdoor advertising by providing brands with mobile billboards. Unlike traditional outdoor advertising, Adgile also tracks the digital impact of its IRL campaigns.

Adgile’s case study featuring the non-alcoholic beverage brand Ghia is the perfect place to show off the metrics it collects, like:

78% homepage visit lift
91% conversion lift
82% lift on its Find Us page
Increase in brand awareness and recall, more than 75% over the competition

Meta, the social media and digital advertising platform, does something in its case studies that every company can replicate. Instead of saving the numbers for the results section, Meta provides a brief overview near the top. This breaks up the text visually, provides a quick snapshot for anyone who doesn’t want to read the full case study, and intrigues those curious to know how they achieved those numbers.

A screengrab of Lulu's case study results.

Meta’s case study for the clothing company Lulus starts by teasing its most impressive stat:

“The women’s fashion ecommerce company compared the performance of a Meta Advantage+ shopping campaign with Advantage+ catalog ads versus its usual ad campaign setup and saw a 47% increase in return on ad spend using the Advantage+ products.”

It then presents three key figures in a visually appealing design, drawing clear attention to the impact it had on this customer.

TYB is a community platform that rewards fans for creating user-generated content . TYB’s case study for Dieux details how the skincare brand used its platform to involve customers in product testing.

It also does something small worth noting: Instead of sticking the call to action at the bottom of the case study, TYB places a “request demo” button at the top of the page. That way, anyone compelled by the results of the case study can take the next step immediately.

Screengrab of Dieux's referral with request a demo button and image of a statue of cupid.

Advertising agency Biddyco took a unique approach to its case study for the coffee- and tea-gear company Fellow . Unlike other business case study examples that use the typical situation-solution-results format, Biddyco structured its case study as an extended testimonial, with a series of questions like, “What specific feature or thing do you like most about Biddyco’s services?”

In addition to client feedback, Biddyco also highlights a few key accomplishments under the heading “All You Really Need to Know.”

Screengrab of Biddyco's case study results.

A branding studio like Outline won’t approach case studies in the same way an advertising platform like Meta would. What matters here isn’t cost per impression or ROAS, it’s how everything looks.

That’s why Outline’s case study for Heyday Canning is relatively light on words and heavy on imagery. If your work is more visual than numerical, your case study is a great place to show your behind-the-scenes process.

For example, Outline shows the label design alongside images of the cans on the shelf and provides a brief description of the design inspiration. This example shows how you can have a design-focused case study that still tells a compelling story.

Heyday Canning product display with highligh on Apricot Glazed.

Klaviyo , an email marketing software company, puts numbers front and center in its case study for the olive oil company Graza . If your product or service involves tracking metrics like email open rates, revenue, and click rates, highlight those stats in a larger font size, as Klaviyo did.

Klaviyo’s case study for Graza also shows you don’t necessarily need to fix a problem to create a great case study; you can also simply help your client achieve their goals. According to Klaviyo’s case study, Graza’s challenge was to create strong customer relationships.

Screengrab of Graza case study results and image of Graza products display.

How do you write a compelling case study if your service doesn’t involve tangible metrics or flashy design? For the performance management software company Culture Amp , it’s highlighting key statistics about the subject of its case study , sock company Bombas .

Like Meta and Klaviyo, Culture Amp highlights three numbers in large font. But these numbers are stats about their client Bombas, not Culture Amp’s services: “120+ employees,” “25M+ items donated,” and “$100M+ in revenue for 2018.”

Instead of showing off the results it achieved for Bombas, these numbers let prospective clients know that Culture Amp works with big, important companies on their performance management process.

Choosing a customer relationships management ( CRM ) platform is a big decision. Switching platforms—as bra company ThirdLove did in this case study from customer support platform Kustomer—can involve lengthy data migration, customization, and employee onboarding.

That’s why it makes sense that Kustomer’s case study for ThirdLove is a four-page-long PDF and not a blog post. If your case study involves a long, detailed analysis, follow Kustomer’s example and make two versions of your case study.

The first page is an executive summary, with about a paragraph each describing the challenge and results. If after reading the first page, you want to learn more, you can dive into the rest of the case study, but you don’t have to read the entire thing to get a sense of how Kustomer collaborated with ThirdLove.

Screengrab of ThirdLove case study with image of bra display.

Case study examples FAQ

How do you write a simple case study.

To simplify the case-study writing process, download a template. Shopify’s fill-in-the-blanks case study template can help you share your customers’ success stories in an easily digestible, well-designed format.

Why are case studies important for businesses?

For the business reading a case study, the contents can help them decide between different products or services. For the business writing the case study, it’s a chance to connect more deeply with potential customers.

What is an example of a case study?

An example of a case study is a mobile billboard company’s overview of the services it provided to a client. The case study might include an overview of the client's goals and how the advertiser addressed them, plus a list of outcomes—increased website visits, decreased costs per visit, and a rise in brand awareness.

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Indian J Orthop
v.51(3); May-Jun 2017

Effective medical writing: How to write a case report which Editors would publish

Rehan ul haq.

Department of Orthopaedics, UCMS and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, New Delhi, India

Ish Kumar Dhammi

Case reports will always have an important place in medical literature. 1 , 2 A number of important medical conditions such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, adverse effects of fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine in causing primary pulmonary hypertension, parkinsonism, and Paget's disease were initially reported as case reports. 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 The words of William Osler, (father of modern medicine) “Always note and record the unusual…Publish it. Place it on permanent record as a short, concise note. Such communications are always of value,” are still very true. 9

The first piece of medical writing which most authors attempt is usually a case report. They come across a clinical condition or perform a procedure which they think is unique and worth reporting. They put it down in words, in the form of a case report and send it to the most reputed journal, thinking that it would help to disseminate their new discovery most widely. But, the journal rejects it, and the same story is repeated many times over till the time the author finally dumps the report.

Authors who wish their case reports to be accepted must pay importance to the following points; what are the different types of case reports? which topic to choose for a report? how to structure it? which journal to send it to? ethical issues as applied to case reports; and common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid.

T YPES OF C ASE R EPORTS

Before one starts writing a case report, one must know the different types of case reports that exist. Broadly speaking, clinical case reports can be divided into two categories; 10

Diagnosis related. These include case reports which describe new, rare, or unusual disease; unusual presentation of a known disease; unusual or new etiology for a known disease; new test or method of diagnosis; unexpected association between diseases or symptoms; and diagnostic dilemma or challenge
Management related. These include case reports which describe a new, novel, or improved treatment or surgical procedure; a new or rare side effect or complication of treatment; and therapeutic dilemma or challenge.

Besides these two broad categories, case reports can be on other issues such as a positional or quantitative variation of an anatomical structure; cases in which one patient has two or more unexpected diseases or disorders; new possible mechanism of injury; and an unusual injury pattern. 11

Different categories of case reports require slightly different styles of writing and highlighting key points, therefore authors must be familiar with them.

W HICH T OPIC TO C HOOSE FOR A C ASE R EPORT ?

Most journals, especially the ones which publish only case reports, provide an extensive list of topic on which they usually accept a report. This is usually in accordance with the broad publication policy of the journal. 2 Other journals including the Indian Journal of Orthopaedics (IJO) where case reports form a small part of the print publication do not provide extensive guidelines, but have some broad rules for them to be accepted. 12 Authors must understand that it is not the rarity or unusual nature of a case because of which it is accepted. 10 Case reports are accepted if they have key learning message which may change or alter practice. They are also accepted if they contribute new knowledge, ideally raising a new research question leading to larger scale research. 10 Novice authors, sometimes by focusing solely on the novelty of a case, de-emphasize the educational value of the report which results it not being accepted. This is something which must be avoided at all cost.

H OW TO S TRUCTURE A C ASE R EPORT ?

Most journals provide authors some broad guidelines about how to structure a case report. More recently, consensus-based clinical case report guidelines have been advocated by Gagnier et al . 13 , 14 Authors planning to write a case report must make themselves familiar with them. Some of the key points for each section of a case report are described in the following sections: 2 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 14 , 15

Title should include the word “case report” and highlight the subject of greatest interest which makes the case report worth reporting. Title should clearly state what the case is really about, because if it is obscure, then readers may not read it at all.

Abstract must briefly mention the rationale of the report, the chief concerns of the patient, the main intervention, outcome, and finally the main learning message from the case report. Great care must be exercised in writing an abstract because most editors and readers would only read this part of the case to form an opinion about it. For case reports, IJO expects its authors to provide an unstructured abstract. 12

Two to five keywords must be provided. These phrases of words must be carefully chosen so that electronic search of the report is maximized. IJO encourages its authors to also provide Medical Subject Headings terms for all types of articles including case reports to optimize its electronic search. 12

Introduction

Introduction must summarize the background and context of the case report. It should include a brief relevant literature review including any landmark papers on the issue. It must usually end with the reason highlighting as to why the case is worth reporting.

This is the main body (core part) of the case report. In two or three well-laid out paragraphs, authors must present the patient's information, clinical history presenting features, family, social occupational history, clinical examination findings, diagnostic assessment including all relevant investigations, differential diagnosis, if relevant, treatment plan, outcome and patient's progress, followup and complications if any. It must follow a logical sequence and time line.

It must be able to convince the editors and readers that the case is worth reporting. Authors should begin with expanding on the introduction and reemphasizing as to why the case is worth reporting. This must be followed by a focused review of literature narrowing down to the key challenges in the present case. The authors must try to compare and contrast their case with the existing literature. A line about the strengths and limitations of the case report must also be added. Discussion must conclude by bringing out the key take away points from the report and how the evidence can add value to the future clinical practice and research.

Most journals in their guide to authors would provide information about the length, number, and type of figures and tables, number and style of references, etc., for a case report. For example, the IJOs encourages authors to stick to a length of 1000 words excluding the references while submitting a case report. 12 Authors must go through the guide to authors and journal policy before submitting their work to a particular journal.

W HICH J OURNAL TO S END A C ASE R EPORT TO ?

Authors planning to submit a case report for possible publication must understand that case reports have one of the highest rates of rejection. The most obvious reason is that they are one of the most common forms of medical writing that is received by journals which always have limited print space. The other reason is that the level of evidence generated by them is low while journals prefer high-level evidence articles. Third, case reports are low on an editor's priority because they are rarely cited and therefore do not help to improve the impact factor of a journal which is one of the key matrices by which the quality of an indexed journal is accessed. 15 However, if an author feels that his/her report has something unique which can change practice, he/she should not be deterred by these issues and must diligently continue with his/her endeavor. Besides the more established journals, there are several new online journals such as BMJ Case Reports, 16 the Journal of Medical Case Reports, 17 Clinical Case Reports, 18 Cases Journal, 19 and Journal of Orthopaedic Case Reports 20 which publish case reports.

E THICAL I SSUES AS A PPLIED TO C ASE R EPORTS

Patient's informed consent must always be taken and patient's confidentiality and privacy must be maintained. Based on the journal guidelines and local institutional policies, ethics committee or institutional review board approval may be required. Like in any type of medical writing, common ethical issues such as authorship, plagiarism, fabrication and falsification, and conflict of interest issues must be taken care of. 21 , 22

P ITFALLS AND M ISTAKES

At the end of writing a case report, the author must go through it very carefully and see if “the rule of Cs” has been followed. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 The “rule of Cs” is that a case report should be Clear, Concise, Coherent, and must Convey a Crisp message. Some of the common pitfalls that need to be avoided are as follows:

Authors must understand that a good case report is not the one which highlights a rare condition but the one that has a clear message that can be generalized, and is relevant to many other clinicians
Authors must be very clear about the one single learning point they want to highlight. Trying to put too many ideas only confuses the readers and turns off the editors
Before claiming rarity or uniqueness, a thorough literature search is mandatory. Sometimes, in their zeal to publish, authors write a case report on a topic which is all too well known and then feel dejected once it is rejected
The length, structure, and format of a report must be according to the journal to which the authors wish to submit their report. Always go through the guide to authors and previously published case reports of the journal to familiarize with the style of the journal
One must understand that the level of evidence generated by a case report is pretty low and therefore authors must avoid making firm judgments and sweeping recommendations based on speculation. Conclusions must be justifiable and evidence based.

The IJO stopped accepting case reports from January 2016. This was a temporary step to clear the backlog of case reports which had accumulated over the years. The journal publishes two to four case reports in every issue and now the backlog is significantly reduced and we have started accepting them. The editors hope that the present editorial would help authors write case reports which are readily accepted and avoid disappointments which happen, if ones work is rejected.

R EFERENCES

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27 Facts About J.D. Vance, Trump’s Pick for V.P.

Mr. Vance spilled scores of details about his life in his coming-of-age memoir. We’ve collected the highlights.

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J.D. Vance holds hands with his wife, Usha Vance, on the floor of the convention hall. He is taking a selfie with a supporter as others look on.

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Follow the latest news from the Republican National Convention .

J.D. Vance, Donald J. Trump’s choice for vice president, has not lived an unexamined life. Here are 27 things to know about him, drawn from his best-selling 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” and the many other things he has said or written since.

1. His name was not always James David Vance. At birth, it was James Donald Bowman. It changed to James David Hamel after his mother remarried, and then it changed one more time.

2. He longed for a role model. His father left when he was 6. “It was the saddest I had ever felt,” he wrote in his memoir. “Of all the things I hated about my childhood,” he wrote, “nothing compared to the revolving door of father figures.”

3. He had a fraught relationship with his mother, who was married five times. One of the most harrowing scenes in the book occurs when he’s a young child, in a car with his mother, who often lapsed into cycles of abuse. She sped up to “what seemed like a hundred miles per hour and told me that she was going to crash the car and kill us both,” he writes. After she slowed down, so she could reach in the back of the car to beat him, he leaped out of the car and escaped to the house of a neighbor, who called the police.

4. He was raised by blue-dog Democrats. He spent much of his childhood with his grandfather and grandmother — papaw and mamaw, in his hillbilly patois. He described his mamaw’s “affinity for Bill Clinton” and wrote about how his papaw swayed from the Democrats only once, to vote for Ronald Reagan. “The people who raised me,” he said in one interview, “were classic blue-dog Democrats, union Democrats, right? They loved their country, they were socially conservative.”

5. As a teenager, he loved Black Sabbath, Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin. But then his biological father, who was deeply religious, re-entered his life. “When we first reconnected, he made it clear that he didn’t care for my taste in classic rock, especially Led Zeppelin,” he wrote. “He just advised that I listened to Christian rock instead.”

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COMMENTS

Guidelines To Writing A Clinical Case Report
Abstracts of case studies are usually very short, preferably not more than 150 words. Introduction. The introduction gives a brief overview of the problem that the case addresses, citing relevant literature where necessary. The introduction generally ends with a single sentence describing the patient and the basic condition that he or she is ...
Writing a case report in 10 steps
The title should be concise and interesting but should also enable people to find it in medical literature search engines. Also think about how you will present your case study—for example, a poster presentation or scientific paper—and consider potential journals or conferences, as you may need to write in a particular style or format.
Writing a Medical Case Study: From Inspiration to Publication
A case study report is an academic publication describing an unusual or unique case. Academic medical journals publish case study reports to inform and educate other medical practitioners. Case study reports might also prompt additional scholarly research on the medical condition or treatment plan discussed in the report.
Developing a Beginner's Guide to Writing a Clinical Case Report: A
The importance of lack of these factors has been highlighted in a previous study looking at the perceptions of fourth-year medical students on writing case reports . In this study, medical students indicated that lack of formal training and lack of mentorship were significant barriers to writing and presenting cases. There are several journal ...
PDF How to Write & Publish a Medical Case Report Using CARE Guidelines
How to Write & Publish a Medical Case Report Using CARE Guidelines ... - A collection of similar case studies (2-4+) ... • One short paragraph without references at the end of the article Conclusion. End of article is followed by: • Acknowledgements - assistance and funding
A guide to writing case reports for the Journal of Medical Case Reports
Case reports are a time-honored tradition in the medical profession. From Hippocrates (460 B.C. to 370 B.C.), and even arguably further back since the papyrus records of ancient Egyptian medicine (c. 1600 B.C.) to modern day, physicians of all specialties have described interesting cases involving all specialties [1, 2].Published case reports provide essential information for optimal patient ...
How to write a medical case report
Two BMJ Case Reports journal editors take you through the process #### This article contains... During medical school, students often come across patients with a unique presentation, an unfamiliar response to treatment, or even an obscure disease. Writing a case report is an excellent way of documenting these findings for the wider medical community—sharing new knowledge that will lead to ...
Tips for writing a case report for the novice author
Introduction. For many doctors and other healthcare professionals, writing a case report represents the first effort at getting articles published in medical journals and it is considered a useful exercise in learning how to write scientifically due to similarity of the basic methodology.1 Case reports aim to convey a clinical message.2,3 Despite different types of case reports, they all aim ...
PDF How to write a clinical case report
summarise the key messages of your case report in three or four bullet points. Abstract and references . It is often easier to write the abstract once you have completed the main body of text. Abstracts should generally be around 150-250 words, and summarise the case presentation and messages of the report.
Writing Medical Case Reports
There are 3 different sorts of case studies: 1) case examples of typical or atypical patients; 2) case studies of typical or atypical interventions/outcomes; 3) case studies of a complex problem. Generally, patient case studies begin with a concise statement of the pathology/medical/clinical area of the case, then provide a key significance ...
Writing a case
A Short Guide to Writing and Teaching Inclusive Cases. ... Writing a "Teaching" Case Study: 10 Easy Steps, Lundberg Case Consortium. 10_easy_steps_to_casewriting.pdf. ... "Case writing is both art and science. There are few, if any, specific prescriptions or recipes, but there are key ingredients that appear to distinguish excellent cases from ...
A young researcher's guide to writing a clinical case report
A clinical case report or case study is a means of disseminating new knowledge gained from clinical practice. Clinical case reports are the first-line evidence in medical literature as they present original observations. This article provides detailed guidance on how to identify, write, and publish a case report.
How to Write Case Reports and Case Series
can introduce very effective treatment paradigms. Preparing the manuscript for a case report may be the first exposure to scientific writing for a budding clinician/researcher. This manuscript describes the steps of writing a case report and essential considerations when publishing these articles. Individual components of a case report and the "dos and don'ts" while preparing these ...
PDF How to write a case study
How to write a case study This guide explains how to write a descriptive case study. A descriptive case study describes how an organization handled a specific issue. Case studies can vary in length and the amount of details provided. They can be fictional or based on true events. Why should you write one? Case studies can help others (e.g ...
PDF How to write a case report
Case reports are valuable •Case reports are experiments of nature, valuable if they teach us something •Contribute to our medical knowledge •May be novel or contain a teaching point •Never drop off your CV, help throughout career •How we learn to write and publish •A thrill for us to explain and describe something for first time
PDF Composing a Case Study
Composing a Case Study A case study is a document used in many disciplines that examines unique or intriguing cases in order to gain some insight or understanding about the topic. Clinical case studies often look at individual cases or study different types of clinical practice. A case study may involve qualitative or quantitative research methods.
How to Write Your First Clinical Case Report
Structure Your Report. Once you have selected the journal of submission, carefully reread the author instructions to structure your submission. The JACC: Case Reports authors instructions suggest a specific structure for a clinical case: history of presentation, physical examination, past medical history, differential diagnosis, investigations, management (medical/interventions), discussion ...
How to write a case report/series
Throughout our careers, many of us often experience a unique challenge regarding a patient condition, whether surgical or not. This often leads to the question of whether there is any literature published regarding the case. If not, would other medical providers gain from the knowledge about this? The next steps may lead to a case report, which is a detailed description of a patient's ...
The do's and don'ts of writing and publishing case reports
To assist researchers with this task, Professors Oliver Kurzai and Adilia Warris, editors of the journal Medical Mycology Case Reports opens in new tab/window shared tips on writing high impact case reports in the latest Researcher Academy webinar opens in new tab/window. We are pleased to share here some quick do's and don'ts from the webinar.
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How to Write a Medical Case Study Report

What is a case study report?

How is a case study report structured?

Drafting Your Medical Case Study Report

Polishing Your Report for Submission to Publishers

Submitting Your Report to Publishers

How do I find a suitable case for a report?

Expert Q&A

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A guide to writing case reports for the Journal of Medical Case Reports and BioMed Central Research Notes

Introduction: the importance of case reports

Definitions

How to start: the patient

Collegial discussion and the Internet: our modern day water cooler

The BMC series, JMCR , and BMCRN : a brief history

Cases Database: an invaluable resource

When to write a case report

BMC editorial workflow for case reports: a brief glimpse

The actual case report

Introduction (Background)

Case presentation

Conclusions

Patient’s perspective

List of abbreviations

Authors’ information

Acknowledgements

Cover letter

BMC author academy: help for all

Final checklist and the rule of C s

Summary and parting advice

Recommended further reading

Author information

Corresponding author

Additional information

Authors’ contributions

Rights and permissions

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Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Case-Based Teaching & Learning Initiative

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How to Write Case Reports and Case Series

INTRODUCTION

WHY ARE CASE REPORTS PUBLISHED?

ETHICAL ISSUES

HOW TO START?

COMPONENTS OF a CASE REPORT

Introduction

Describing the case

Figures and tables

Discussion including review

CASE SERIES - WHAT IS DIFFERENT?

ABSTRACT OF a CASE REPORT

REFERENCES IN a CASE REPORT

CHOOSING THE RIGHT JOURNAL

PUBLISHING THE CASE REPORT/SERIES AS a LETTER TO EDITOR/IMAGE SERIES

GUIDELINES FOR CASE REPORTS

AUTHORSHIP IN CASE REPORTS

CONCLUSIONS

Financial support and sponsorship

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The do’s and don’ts of writing and publishing case reports

Contributor

Patient Case Study

Case Study Pitfalls

Case For Generalization

10+ Patient Case Study Examples

1. Patient Information for Single Case Studies Example