FAQ: How can I find case studies in the library?

General Search

If you have a specific case study in mind, you can search for the title with quotation marks around it. Otherwise, you can often find case studies by doing a keyword search for your topic along with the phrase “case study," like this: 

marketing AND “case study”

We recommend starting with the Multi-Search since it searches many of our resources at once.

You can find a list of recommended databases for finding case studies by following these steps:

1. From the library homepage, click on the A-Z Database List link under Quick Links.
2. Just above the alphabet, look for the middle drop-down option, “All Database Types.”
3. Click on “Includes Case Studies” to see a list of databases that include case studies.

Many of these databases have limiters that will narrow your search by publication type or methodology, with case study as an option. These options are often found in the database's Advanced Search section.

Medical Case Studies

Try CINAHL Complete - EBSCO This link opens in a new window  for medical case studies, using the following steps:

1. On the database home page, click on the Advanced Search link above the search box.
2. In the options listed down the page, look for the "Publication Type" field. 
3. Scroll through the list and you will see the "Case Study" option. Click on it to highlight it. 

   

4. Go back up to the search boxes at the top of the page to enter in your search terms, and then run the search. 
5. Your search results will only have articles that have "Case Study" for the publication type.

Psychology Case Studies

Try PsycINFO - EBSCO This link opens in a new window or PsycARTICLES - EBSCO This link opens in a new window for psychology case studies, using the following steps:

1. On the database home page, click on the Advanced Search link above the search box.
2. In the options listed down the page, look for the "Methodology" field. 
3. Scroll through the list and you will see the "Clinical Case Study" option. Click on it to highlight it. 

   

4. Go back up to the search boxes at the top of the page to enter in your search terms, and then run the search. 
5. Your search results will only have articles that have "Clinical Case Study" for the methodology.

Business Case Studies

If you are looking for business-related case studies, try these databases:

• Emerald Insight: Case Studies This link opens in a new window
• SAGE Knowledge: Business Cases This link opens in a new window
• Business Source Ultimate - EBSCO This link opens in a new window

You can find all of these listed in the “Includes Case Studies” list in the A-Z Database List. 

By default, Emerald Insight: Case Studies and SAGE Knowledge: Business Cases are only searching case studies, so you can simply search for your topic keywords or the title of the case study, if you have it.

To search in Business Source Ultimate, follow these steps: 

1. On the database home page, click on the Advanced Search link above the search box.
2. In the options listed down the page, look for the "Publication Type" field. 
3. Scroll through the list and you will see the "Case Study" option. Click on it to highlight it. 
4. Go back up to the search boxes at the top of the page to enter in your search terms, and then run the search. 
5. Your search results will only have articles that have "Case Study" for the publication type.