How to Cite a Case Study

Particularly in research for business studies or papers in the social sciences, you may want to cite a case study completed by a university or other organization. While case studies have titles and publication information like other articles, they often have a unique case study number that is typically included in your citation. While Chicago citation style is most frequently used in business schools, you may also use the American Psychological Association (APA) or Modern Language Association (MLA) style.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Chicago

  1. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 1
    1
    Begin your bibliographic citation with the author's name. List the author's last name first, then a comma, then their first name and middle initial (if available). End this portion of your citation with a period (typically, it will be the period following the middle initial).[1]
    • Example: Lee, Stan.
    • If there is more than one author, list the additional authors' names in first-middle initial-last format. Separate author's names with commas, with the word "and" before the last author's name.
  2. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 2
    2
    Identify the name and number of the case study. After the name of the author or authors of the case study, type the title of the case study in quotation marks. Place a period after the title (inside the closing quotation marks). Then type the case study number, if any, provided by the publishing university or organization. Place a period after the case number.[2]
    • Example: Lee, Stan. "DC Comics in 2016." HBS No. 999-111.
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  3. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 3
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    Add publication information for the case study. Type the city where the case study was published, followed by a colon. Then type the name of the publishing company, a comma, and the year the case study was published.[3]
    • Example: Lee, Stan. "DC Comics in 2016." HBS No. 999-111. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017.
  4. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 4
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    Include the URL and date of access for online cases. You don't necessarily have to include a direct permalink to the case study – you can simply use the main URL for the source. However, you may want a permalink if you are citing multiple case studies from the same source, or if your instructor or supervisor prefers it. After the URL, place a comma and type the word "accessed" with the month and year you accessed the page.[4]
    • Example: Lee, Stan. "DC Comics in 2016." HBS No. 999-111. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017. http://hbsp.harvard.edu, accessed July 2018.
  5. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 5
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    Alter the punctuation for footnotes. When you need to reference the case study in the body of your paper using footnotes, you'll include the same basic information as you have in your bibliographic citation. However, the format changes slightly. Generally, commas are used instead of periods. Authors' names are listed first-name first, and publication information is included in parentheses. Add the page number at the end of the footnote, if appropriate.[5]
    • Print example: Stan Lee, "DC Comics in 2016," HBS No. 999-111 (Boston, Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017), p. 14.
    • Online example: Stan Lee, "DC Comics in 2016," HBS No. 999-111 (Boston, Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017), http://hbsp.harvard.edu, accessed July 2018.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

APA

  1. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 6
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    Put the name of the author, last name first. In your bibliography, your full citation of a case study begins with the last name of the author. Place a comma after the last name, then their first initial. You can also include their middle initial, if provided.[6]
    • Example: Lee, S.
    • Separate the names of multiple authors with commas, placing an ampersand before the last author's name.
  2. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 7
    2
    Include the year of publication in parentheses. The next part of your full citation is the year the case study was published. Type a space after the period ending the author's name, then type the year in parentheses. Place a period after the closing parentheses.[7]
    • Example: Lee, S. (2017).
    • If there is no year of publication listed, use the abbreviation "n.d." in the parentheses.
  3. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 8
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    Provide the title of the case study in italics. When typing the title of the case study for an APA citation, use sentence-case, capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns. This capitalization may differ from the way the case study title itself is capitalized. Place a period after the title of the case study.[8]
    • Example: Lee, S. (2017). DC Comics in 2016.
  4. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 9
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    List the case number of the case study. Type a space after the period that follows the title, then type the case number along with any abbreviation or code listed for the university or organization that published the case study. Place a period at the end of the case number.[9]
    • Example: Lee, S. (2017). DC Comics in 2016. HBS No. 999-111.
  5. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 10
    5
    Close your citation with publication information. Provide the location of the publisher, then type a colon. Use the city and state for US locations, or the city and country for international locations. Provide the full name of the publisher, then type a period to end your citation.[10]
    • Example: Lee, S. (2017). DC Comics in 2016. HBS No. 999-111. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.
  6. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 11
    6
    Provide the author and year of publication for in-text citations. When you paraphrase or quote the case study in the text of your paper, APA style requires a parenthetical citation to direct your readers to the full citation in your reference list. For a case study, the parenthetical citation follows the same format as any other citation. Type the author's last name, then a comma, then the year the case study was published. Place your period outside the closing parentheses.[11]
    • Example: (Lee, 2017).
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

MLA

  1. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 12
    1
    Provide the author's name first. The full citation in your "Works Cited" page begins with the names of the author or authors of the case study. Write the author's name with their last name first, then a comma, then their first name and middle initial (if available). Place a period at the end of this portion of your citation.[12]
    • Example: Lee, Stan.
    • If there are 2 authors, place the word "and" between their names. For 3 or more, use commas with the word "and" before the final author. After the first author, list subsequent authors with their first name followed by their last name. For example: Lee, Stan and Clark Kent.
  2. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 13
    2
    Include the title and the phrase "Case Study." After the author's name, write the name of the case study as it appears at the top of the case study. Use title-case, capitalizing nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. Place a period after the title, then write the phrase "Case Study" to let your readers know what type of document it is. Follow the phrase with another period.[13]
    • Example: Lee, Stan. DC Comics in 2016. Case Study.
  3. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 14
    3
    List publication information for the case study. Type the city where the case study was published, then follow with a period. Type the name of the publishing company (which will typically be the university or organization that produced the study). Place a comma, then provide the year the case study was published.[14]
    • Example: Lee, Stan. DC Comics in 2016. Case Study. Boston. Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017.
    • Note that unlike many other citation styles, the unique case study number is not necessarily included for MLA citations. Ask your instructor or supervisor if they want this information included in your citation.
  4. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 15
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    Identify whether you accessed a print or online version. Following the year of publication, include the word "Web" if you accessed the case study online, or "Print" if you read a print version. Place a period after the appropriate word. For online versions, add your date of access in day-month-year format.[15]
    • Print example: Lee, Stan. DC Comics in 2016. Case Study. Boston. Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017. Print.
    • Web example: Lee, Stan. DC Comics in 2016. Case Study. Boston. Harvard Business School Publishing, 2017. Web. 17 July 2018.
    • If you accessed the case study online, you may put the URL of the case study. However, this isn't required by MLA style. Ask your instructor or supervisor for their preference.
  5. Image titled Cite a Case Study Step 16
    5
    Use the author's name and page number in parenthetical citations. When you quote or paraphrase the case study in the body of your paper, the MLA citation style requires you to place a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence. This parenthetical citation directs your reader to the full citation in your "Works Cited."[16]
    • Example: (Lee 27).
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Do I need author permission to cite a study?
    Tom De Backer
    Tom De Backer
    Top Answerer
    No. If it is in the public domain and you have correctly listed your sources, then you can quote or cite anything without having to call up the author asking for permission.
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.library.hbs.edu/content/download/49322/786369/version/1/file/HBS_Citation_Guide
  2. ↑ https://www.library.hbs.edu/content/download/49322/786369/version/1/file/HBS_Citation_Guide
  3. ↑ https://www.library.hbs.edu/content/download/49322/786369/version/1/file/HBS_Citation_Guide
  4. ↑ https://www.library.hbs.edu/content/download/49322/786369/version/1/file/HBS_Citation_Guide
  5. ↑ https://www.library.hbs.edu/content/download/49322/786369/version/1/file/HBS_Citation_Guide
  6. ↑ https://guides.library.ualberta.ca/apa-citation-style/case-studies
  7. ↑ https://guides.library.ualberta.ca/apa-citation-style/case-studies
  8. ↑ https://guides.library.ualberta.ca/apa-citation-style/case-studies
  9. ↑ https://guides.library.ualberta.ca/apa-citation-style/case-studies
  1. ↑ https://guides.library.ualberta.ca/apa-citation-style/case-studies
  2. ↑ http://libanswers.snhu.edu/faq/128490
  3. ↑ http://libanswers.walsh.edu/faq/147917
  4. ↑ http://libanswers.walsh.edu/faq/147917
  5. ↑ http://libanswers.walsh.edu/faq/147917
  6. ↑ http://libanswers.walsh.edu/faq/147917
  7. ↑ http://maag.guides.ysu.edu/businesscitations/mla

About This Article

Jennifer Mueller, JD
Co-authored by:
Jennifer Mueller, JD
Doctor of Law, Indiana University
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is a wikiHow Content Creator. She specializes in reviewing, fact-checking, and evaluating wikiHow's content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. Jennifer holds a JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 34,198 times.
4 votes - 50%
Co-authors: 4
Updated: February 12, 2023
Views: 34,198
Categories: Citation
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