Identifying the Right Research Problems for Case Study Approach

Choosing the right method is one of the earliest decisions a researcher makes, and it depends heavily on the kind of problem being studied. Not every question fits a case study. Some demand large surveys, others need controlled experiments, and a few are best understood by examining a single situation in close detail. The skill lies in recognising which research problems genuinely call for a case study approach and which would be better served elsewhere. This post explains how to identify research problems suited to case studies, with practical examples drawn from Library and Information Science.

What makes a research problem suitable for a case study 🔗

A case study is a detailed examination of a specific subject, such as a person, group, organisation, event, or phenomenon, studied within its real-world context. According to Robert Yin, whose framework remains the most widely cited in this area, case studies are the preferred strategy when “how” or “why” questions are posed, when the investigator has little control over events, and when the focus is a contemporary phenomenon within a real-life context. These three conditions act as a quick test. If a research problem satisfies them, a case study is usually a strong fit.

The phrasing of the research question matters most. Questions that ask how a process unfolds or why a particular outcome occurred are well suited to case studies, because they focus on process rather than frequency. A question like “how many libraries have adopted RFID?” is a counting question best answered by a survey. But “why did RFID adoption succeed in one library and stall in another?” is a process question that needs the depth a case study provides.

A second feature is the role of context. A case study is appropriate when you want concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject. When the boundary between the phenomenon and its surrounding context is blurred, the context cannot simply be controlled away. The case study embraces that messiness instead of stripping it out.

Finally, case study problems are usually bounded. The researcher defines a clear unit of analysis, a single library, one department, a particular programme, or a specific event, and studies it over time using multiple sources of evidence rather than a single dataset. This boundedness keeps the project focused and manageable.

The three lenses: exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory 🔗

Yin distinguishes three broad types of case study, and recognising which one your problem fits helps clarify whether the method is appropriate at all.

Exploratory case studies are used when little prior research exists and the outcomes are not yet defined. The aim is to map the terrain and generate questions for later, larger studies. An exploratory study might investigate how patrons respond to a brand-new mobile library app where no established outcomes exist yet.

Descriptive case studies aim to describe a phenomenon in rich detail within the context where it occurs. A descriptive study might document exactly how a university library reorganised its workflows after shifting to an open-source management system.

Explanatory case studies seek to explain causal links that are too complex for a survey or experiment. As one methodological review notes, an explanatory case study is ideally used when seeking to explore causal links that are too complex for survey or experimental strategies. A study explaining why a digital literacy programme improved student outcomes in one college but not in another would fall here.

Research problems in Library and Information Science 🔗

Library and Information Science offers fertile ground for case study research, because so many of its concerns are organisational, contextual, and human. A library is itself a bounded system, an institution with users, staff, technology, and a mission, which makes it a natural unit of analysis. The case study is frequently used in library science research as a descriptive approach to investigate an individual, entity, organisation, or group in depth. Below are three areas where case study problems commonly arise.

Library automation 🔗

Library automation involves replacing manual operations with computerised systems for cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions, and the public access catalogue. The research problems here are rarely about counting; they are about how implementation actually happens and why some efforts work better than others.

Consider a problem such as “how did a state university library plan and carry out its migration to integrated library software, and what challenges shaped the outcome?” This cannot be answered by a questionnaire alone. It requires studying the institution over time, interviewing staff, examining internal documents, and observing the system in use. The boundaries between the technology and the organisation that adopts it are inseparable, which is exactly the situation a case study handles well. Studies of RFID rollouts in academic libraries, for instance, are routinely framed as case studies because the value lies in the detailed, situated account rather than broad generalisation.

The impact of information technology 🔗

The broader impact of information technology on libraries is a classic explanatory and exploratory territory. The integration of newer tools, including artificial intelligence, has been described as a present-day reality rather than a future prospect, driving a profound shift across library and information services. When the technology is new and its effects are not yet understood, an exploratory case study is well placed to surface what those effects might be.

A suitable research problem might ask “how has the introduction of an AI-based discovery tool changed the way reference staff interact with users in a special library?” Here the phenomenon is contemporary, the researcher has no control over how staff and users behave, and the context is essential to understanding the change. All three of Yin’s conditions are met. The same logic applies to studying how a digital repository reshaped scholarly communication within a single research institute, or how the shift to remote services during a crisis affected a particular library’s operations.

Information literacy 🔗

Information literacy, the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively, is one of the most studied topics in the field, and case studies feature prominently. The reason is that information literacy is taught and practised in specific settings, and its effectiveness depends heavily on those settings.

A well-known example examined digital information literacy in a public library, finding that high school students viewed librarians as competent guides while struggling to articulate their own information needs. The findings carried implications for both teaching practice and the wider discipline, yet they emerged from close study of one institution and its users. Similarly, a case study of online information literacy training at a single university library produced practical recommendations grounded in that library’s actual experience. A research problem such as “how does an embedded information literacy programme influence first-year students’ research behaviour in a particular college?” fits the case study mould precisely.

The importance of case studies in exploring social issues 🔗

Beyond libraries, case studies earn their place because they answer questions that purely numerical methods cannot reach. Many of the most pressing contemporary issues are social, contextual, and resistant to controlled experimentation. You cannot ethically or practically randomise communities, institutions, or policy environments the way you might randomise participants in a laboratory.

Why “how” and “why” questions need case studies 🔗

The central strength of the case study lies in its handling of process. A survey can tell you that something happened and how often; it struggles to tell you the chain of events that produced it. As one guide summarising Yin explains, case studies are appropriate when the research question concerns how and why, focusing on the process rather than just the outcome. When a problem asks you to trace mechanisms, motivations, and sequences, the case study is built for the task.

This is especially valuable for social issues where outcomes are tangled up with their settings. A key question in choosing a design is whether you want a naturalistic understanding of an issue rather than an experimental test, and the former is more appropriately studied using a case study. A formal experiment isolates variables; a case study keeps them connected, which is often closer to how social reality behaves.

Studying contemporary phenomena in real-world settings 🔗

Case studies are also tied to the present. The method is suited to examining contemporary events when the boundaries between context and phenomenon are not evident. This distinguishes it from historical research, which deals with the settled past. A digital divide affecting a specific community, the rollout of a new public service, or the way an institution adapts to a sudden disruption are all live, unfolding situations where a researcher cannot rewind events or control them. The case study lets researchers gather current, accurate information about a situation while it is still in motion.

For students in the discipline, this matters in a very practical way. Case studies also suit projects with limited time and resources, because focusing on one well-chosen case keeps a thesis or dissertation manageable while still producing meaningful, in-depth findings. A single carefully selected library, programme, or community can yield insights rich enough to inform practice and to seed larger studies later.

The trade-off to keep in mind 🔗

None of this means the case study is a universal solution. Its great limitation is generalisation. Because each case is specific and often unusual, the results cannot always be applied confidently to other settings. A finding about one university library’s automation experience may not transfer neatly to a rural public library. Good case study researchers manage this through careful case selection and through triangulation, using multiple data sources to strengthen the trustworthiness of their conclusions. The aim is depth and credibility within the case, not sweeping claims beyond it. Recognising this trade-off is part of choosing the right problem in the first place.

Bringing it together 🔗

Identifying a research problem suited to a case study comes down to a few clear checks. Ask whether the question is a “how” or “why” question about a process. Ask whether the phenomenon is contemporary and unfolding in a real-world setting. Ask whether you, the researcher, have little control over the events involved. And ask whether the context is so bound up with the phenomenon that it cannot be set aside. When the answers point in the same direction, as they often do for problems involving library automation, the impact of information technology, and information literacy, the case study is not just an acceptable choice but the most fitting one. The method rewards problems that are specific, situated, and rich, and it repays the researcher with understanding that broader surveys simply cannot deliver.

What do you think? Looking at a topic you find interesting in your own studies, is your research question really a “how” or “why” question, or is it a “how many” question wearing a disguise? And if you had to pick a single library or programme as a case to study, which one would teach you the most about the issue you care about?

References

1. https://www.rebeccawestburns.com/my-blog-3/notes/yin-and-case-study-research-notes
2. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/case-study/
3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1471-2288-11-100
4. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1196748.pdf
5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331286258_Exploring_Case_Study_Method_for_Library_and_Information_Science_Research
6. https://www.emerald.com/el/article/43/5/693/1319243/Editorial-Application-of-artificial-intelligence
7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281713988_Digital_Information_Literacy_A_Case_Study_in_Oslo_Public_Library
8. https://www.prevnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Guide-to-Case-Studies-fnl.pdf
9. https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/case-study-research-en
10. https://resources.nu.edu/researchtools/casestudy