Case Study vs Research

Those involved in completing their thesis are often required to write both case studies as well as research papers. Many students cannot differentiate between a case study and research with the result that they suffer from poor grades from their teachers. There is a great difference in writing styles of the two, and also their content. This article will help one to appreciate the differences between a case study and a research paper.

Case Study

A case study is about a person, company, a product, or an event. If you are writing about a company, you need to make it interesting by writing a few paragraphs about the company and its history. It makes sense to talk about its growth along with the course it has taken that differentiates it from its competitors. After you have introduced the company from different angles, one comes down to the real problem that he wishes to address and the reasons for taking up the problems. It is at the end of the case study that a student must make his suggestions and recommendations for the problems that he has chosen for his case study.

Research Paper

Research paper is different from a case study in the sense that a student needs to acquaint himself with various views on the subject matter. This is necessary to develop one’s own views about the subject. Obviously all this requires much reading of the subject matter from as many sources that the student can lay his hands upon. In a research paper, a student needs to refer to other researches that have taken place on the subject. A research paper also requires you to cite other authors, which forms an important part of a research.

Difference between Case Study and Research

Thus the most important difference between a case study and research is that you are not concerned with earlier reviews on the subject and start straightway with an introduction of the company. On the other hand, you not only talk about earlier reviews, you also present your own views about a topic in the end of a research paper.

Another difference between a case study and research pertains to your focus. Entire focus remains on the company that is being presented as a case study. It would be proper to term a case study as a specific case while one can make generalizations in a research paper. If you are writing about gender inequality with respect to their salaries, you may have to do a lot of research in various industries but if you take up a particular company, it becomes a case study.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXFn5yrnZ6YsqOx07CcnqZemLyue8OinZ%2Bdopq7pLGMm5ytr5Wau26vwKycZqukqrG6ecCnm2auo2K%2Fpr%2FEmqmcoF8%3D