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Types of Academic and Scholarly Papers

This guide breaks down the major categories of scholarly papers and provides insight into their key components, writing tips, and strategies for effective reading and comprehension.

Case studies offer in-depth examination of specific instances, situations, or phenomena.

Types of Case Studies

Purpose: 

  • To provide a detailed account of a particular case, event, or situation without necessarily analyzing causes or effects.

Structure:

  • Background and context of the case
  • Chronological or thematic narrative of events
  • Description of key actors, settings, and actions
  • Relevant documents, artifacts, or evidence
  • Summary of the case’s significance

Key Characteristics:

  • Fact-based and objective
  • Focus on rich detail
  • Emphasizes clarity and completeness over interpretation
  • Often used as a foundation for later analysis

Tips for Writing:

  • Present facts clearly and systematically
  • Avoid inserting assumptions or interpretations
  • nclude visuals (timelines, maps, images) where helpful
  • Ensure consistency in terminology and naming
  • Verify accuracy of reported events or statements

Tips for Reading/Understanding:

  • Focus on understanding what happened and when
  • Consider the context that shaped the events
  • Look for patterns or unusual aspects in the details
  • Be aware of any limitations or omissions in the description

Purpose:

  • To investigate a relatively new or poorly understood topic to identify patterns, generate hypotheses, or define future research questions.

Structure:

  • Statement of the topic or phenomenon under exploration
  • Rationale for selecting the case
  • Preliminary observations and background
  • Data collection from interviews, documents, or observations
  • Emerging themes or questions

Key Characteristics:

  • Open-ended inquiry
  • Flexible structure
  • Emphasis on discovery and insight
  • Often a precursor to more in-depth research

Tips for Writing:

  • Clearly define the scope of your exploration
  • Use multiple sources to build credibility
  • Describe your process and rationale transparently
  • Acknowledge uncertainties and areas needing further study
  • Avoid overgeneralizing from early findings

Tips for Reading/Understanding:

  • Identify what is known vs. what is being explored
  • Consider how initial findings shape new questions
  • Look for gaps and opportunities for future research
  • Evaluate the appropriateness of the exploratory methods used

Purpose: 

  • To explain why or how something happened by identifying causal relationships or mechanisms within a specific context.

Structure:

  • Introduction of the phenomenon or event
  • Theoretical framework or hypothesis
  • Narrative of the case
  • Analysis of causes, processes, or interactions
  • Discussion of implications and generalizability

Key Characteristics:

  • Focus on cause-and-effect relationships
  • Grounded in theory
  • Analytical and interpretive
  • Common in social sciences and policy research

Tips for Writing:

  • Frame your case with a clear research question
  • Use theory to guide your analysis
  • Support causal claims with evidence and logic
  • Address alternative explanations
  • Be transparent about limitations and assumptions

Tips for Reading/Understanding:

  • Pay close attention to the theoretical lens used
  • Assess whether the analysis supports the conclusions
  • Look for evidence of alternative interpretations
  • Consider the transferability of findings to other cases

Purpose: 

  • To compare and contrast several cases to identify broader patterns, differences, or trends.

Structure:

  • Introduction to selected cases and rationale
  • Background on each case
  • \Comparative framework or criteria
  • Cross-case analysis and discussion
  • Conclusions drawn from patterns or divergences

Key Characteristics:

  • Involves at least two cases studied in parallel
  • Comparative in nature
  • Requires a consistent framework for analysis
  • Can highlight broader principles or exceptions

Tips for Writing:

  • Ensure consistent data collection across cases
  • Clearly define your basis for comparison
  • Use tables or matrices for cross-case synthesis
  • Highlight both similarities and differences
  • Avoid overgeneralizing from small samples

Tips for Reading/Understanding:

  • Understand the criteria for case selection
  • Evaluate the logic of comparisons being made
  • Consider whether conclusions hold across cases
  • Look for unique insights from outlier cases

Purpose:

  • To deeply understand a single, unique, or exceptional case for its own value—not to generalize.

Structure:

  • Context and uniqueness of the case
  • Detailed description of the case’s elements
  • Exploration of meanings, experiences, or dynamics
  • Reflective interpretation
  • Discussion of insights and relevance

Key Characteristics:

  • Focus on a singular case
  • Often qualitative and narrative-driven
  • Prioritizes depth over breadth
  • Emphasizes complexity and uniqueness

Tips for Writing:

  • Articulate what makes the case worth studying
  • Use rich description and first-hand accounts
  • Reflect on your positionality as a researcher
  • Embrace nuance and avoid oversimplification
  • Allow themes to emerge organically from the case

Tips for Reading/Understanding:

  • Be open to non-linear or interpretive analysis
  • Consider the case in its full context
  • Think about how unique features shape outcomes
  • Reflect on broader insights that emerge indirectly

Purpose: 

  • To use a specific case to understand or illustrate a broader issue, concept, or theory.

Structure:

  • Explanation of the broader issue or theory
  • Justification for selecting the case as illustrative
  • Case description and relevant background
  • Application of broader ideas to the case
  • Analysis and general insights

Key Characteristics:

  • Case serves a broader research purpose
  • Linked closely to theory or conceptual frameworks
  • nsight-focused rather than case-focused
  • Common in education, social research, and applied fields

Tips for Writing:

  • Be clear about what the case is meant to illustrate
  • Connect case details directly to broader concepts
  • Explain the implications of the case for understanding larger issues
  • Clarify boundaries between case-specific and generalizable points
  • Reflect critically on the case’s illustrative power

Tips for Reading/Understanding:

  • Identify the larger concept the case is illustrating
  • Evaluate how effectively the case supports broader insights
  • Be cautious of stretching interpretations too far
  • Consider how transferable the lessons are to other contexts