What is a case study

A case study is an example of how an issue affects a particular person or group of people.

They are used to make it easier to understand complicated topics, like medical issues or mortgage payments.

By putting a human face to a story about changes in the world, it helps other people realise how it might affect them and makes the story more interesting.

Example one:	if the government increases taxes on cigarettes, a newspaper might want to know what a 20-a-day smoker thinks.
Example two:	if new research comes out saying more people are getting skin cancer, a newspaper might want to ask you how you use suncream.
Example three:	if a supermarket sells a cut-price version of a celebrity’s dress, a magazine might want to know if you’d buy it.

Here are some case studies we have done to show you what it looks like. You might have seen things like this before: