Case study

A case study is an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case (or cases) within a real-world context. For example, case studies in <a href="/facts/Medicine/2fnp90Je">medicine</a> may focus on an individual patient or ailment; case studies in <a href="/facts/Business/For1e8Nh">business</a> might cover a particular <a href="/facts/Firm/psBVz9jr">firm</a>'s strategy or a broader <a href="/facts/Market_(economics)/6RfCU3fH">market</a>; similarly, case studies in <a href="/facts/Politics/1gDNy3RP">politics</a> can range from a narrow happening over time like the operations of a specific <a href="/facts/Political_campaign/pT2y19wD">political campaign</a>, to an enormous undertaking like <a href="/facts/World_war/pEzjDFFs">world war</a>, or more often the <a href="/facts/Policy_analysis/3TACGvdW">policy analysis</a> of real-world problems affecting multiple stakeholders.
Generally, a case study can highlight nearly any individual, group, organization, event, belief system, or action. A case study does not necessarily have to be one observation (<a href="/facts/Sample_(statistics)/URCwKNge">N</a>=1), but may include many observations (one or multiple individuals and entities across multiple time periods, all within the same case study). Research projects involving numerous cases are frequently called cross-case research, whereas a study of a single case is called within-case research.
Case study research has been extensively practiced in both the <a href="/facts/Social_science/hAbm1xtD">social</a> and <a href="/facts/Natural_science/8hg81Q2p">natural sciences</a>.: 5–6

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Case study