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      Methodology or method? A critical review of qualitative case study reports

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          Abstract

          Despite on-going debate about credibility, and reported limitations in comparison to other approaches, case study is an increasingly popular approach among qualitative researchers. We critically analysed the methodological descriptions of published case studies. Three high-impact qualitative methods journals were searched to locate case studies published in the past 5 years; 34 were selected for analysis. Articles were categorized as health and health services ( n=12), social sciences and anthropology ( n=7), or methods ( n=15) case studies. The articles were reviewed using an adapted version of established criteria to determine whether adequate methodological justification was present, and if study aims, methods, and reported findings were consistent with a qualitative case study approach. Findings were grouped into five themes outlining key methodological issues: case study methodology or method, case of something particular and case selection, contextually bound case study, researcher and case interactions and triangulation, and study design inconsistent with methodology reported. Improved reporting of case studies by qualitative researchers will advance the methodology for the benefit of researchers and practitioners.

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          The case study approach

          The case study approach allows in-depth, multi-faceted explorations of complex issues in their real-life settings. The value of the case study approach is well recognised in the fields of business, law and policy, but somewhat less so in health services research. Based on our experiences of conducting several health-related case studies, we reflect on the different types of case study design, the specific research questions this approach can help answer, the data sources that tend to be used, and the particular advantages and disadvantages of employing this methodological approach. The paper concludes with key pointers to aid those designing and appraising proposals for conducting case study research, and a checklist to help readers assess the quality of case study reports.
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            Case study research: Design and methods

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              Emerging Criteria for Quality in Qualitative and Interpretive Research

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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: PhD Candidate
                Journal
                Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being
                Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being
                QHW
                International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
                Co-Action Publishing
                1748-2623
                1748-2631
                07 May 2014
                2014
                : 9
                : 10.3402/qhw.v9.23606
                Affiliations
                Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia
                Author notes
                [* ]Correspondence: N. Hyett, La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University, P.O. Box 199, Bendigo, Victoria 3550, Australia. E-mail: N.Hyett@ 123456Latrobe.edu.au
                Article
                23606
                10.3402/qhw.v9.23606
                4014658
                24809980
                c6391783-a6ef-479f-8a56-ddcb827e05ec
                © 2014 N. Hyett et al.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 07 April 2014
                Categories
                Review Article

                Health & Social care
                case studies,health research,research design,interdisciplinary research,qualitative research,literature review

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