APA Case Study Format: Guide, Example, and Paper Sample

Case studies are common assignments in social and life sciences, requiring sharp research, analysis, and writing skills. Presenting your findings clearly is essential for academic success. If you’re unsure where to start, this guide on how to write a case study in APA walks you through everything you need to know, from structuring your paper to formatting the title page, headings, and citations according to APA 7 style.

The Role of APA Style in Professional and Student Papers

Whether submitting student papers or preparing professional papers, proper APA style helps ensure your document meets specific requirements set by academic institutions or publishers. This includes formatting elements such as the title page, page number placement, line spacing, and first line indentation. Following the APA Publication Manual also means knowing when to use quotation marks, how to structure a literature review, and applying correct capital letters in headings. Getting these details right shows mastery of academic standards and helps your assignment stand out.

For those who want extra support, Papers Owl provides expert help with case study writing and formatting. Their services can guide you through creating an APA-style case study from start to finish — whether you’re working on a real-life scenario, deciding on paper type, or formatting the first paragraph on a new page in the upper half of your APA paper. They also offer samples, editing, and citation tools that help bring attention to your main ideas while keeping your content 2x spacing and aligned with APA’s structure and clarity standards.

In this article, you’ll find everything you need to succeed: a complete guide on how to format a case study in APA, a helpful checklist, a sample case study, tips on APA citations, and even visuals to make the formatting process easier. By the end, you’ll be confident presenting your work line by line, page by page.

Sample of Case Study Format APA (7th Edition)

Here’s a fully formatted sample that includes all the key components to help you better understand how to structure and format your case study in APA style.

⬇️ Download The Case Study APA Format Example

It’s structured according to the official APA Publication Manual and follows all formatting rules  —  from title page to page number, headings, line spacing, and more.

Real APA Format Case Study

Here’s an anonymized APA case study example based on a popular behavioral research topic in education and psychology.

What Is a Case Study In APA Format?

To achieve your success, first realize that a case study is detective work. Your research may have an unresolved question or require some testing to validate a hypothesis. Psychology, nursing, and business are common fields in which this approach is applied. In this scientific approach, you’ll approach an event, action, individual, etc. And apply a set of circumstances to observe outcomes.

Most papers in this field are written in the APA, which can burden students, especially if they aren’t familiar with this style. If you lack time or motivation for writing, appeal to our professional writers to write a case study in APA, and we will ensure your paper is perfectly formatted and gets a high grade.

Structure of Case Study Report

First, let’s look at the sections in writing a case study in APA, which shares a few similarities to a typical research paper type.

• Introduction: Introduce your topic to the reader. Be sure to include the state of current research and where you plan to develop the current state of knowledge. Include an interesting fact to reinforce your work’s importance and develop an interest in your hypothesis. Finish off with a thesis statement that you’ll focus on your workaround.
• Aim: In this section, you answer the questions regarding why you are conducting your research and any questions you’ll explore. An avid case study writer recommends focusing your questions on your thesis. You can develop a triangle with a diagram and drill down your questions in a logical format that matches your paper’s main purpose.
• Method: Writing a case study requires a methods section that details how you conducted your research. Did you conduct any interviews, send questionnaires, or observe any behaviors? Detail them in this section, and state the environment and circumstances surrounding your data collection.
• Results: Now that you’ve identified what you’d planned to accomplish and how you went about it, it’s time to post the results. Don’t be shy if things don’t go swimmingly. Often in studies, we have unexpected results, which sometimes make your paper more interesting to read.
• Discussion: It’s time for the heart and soul of your paper. After all your research and observation, it is time to discuss the results. The key to how to write a case paper hangs on your ability to interpret the results in a meaningful way. Be sure to focus the review on your stated approaches and how they pertain to your aims.
• Recommendations: Here, you want to detail what is to follow your study. Professional case study writers advise stating any knowledge gaps in your work and any unanswered or new questions you have found. Your insights will be useful for others to follow in your footsteps and expand on your analysis.

Sample of APA Case Study Outline

• Introduction. Briefly describe the topic or situation. Set the context, define the problem, and mention the importance of the case.
• Aims. Explain the purpose of the case study. What are you trying to discover, prove, or understand?
• Methodologies. Describe how the data was gathered. Include information about tools used (e.g., interviews, observations, surveys) and the research environment.
• Results. Present the findings. Include relevant data, statistics, or patterns you observed.
• Discussions. Interpret the results. Explain what they mean in the context of your aims, including limitations or unexpected outcomes.
• Recommendations. Suggest what should happen next — whether more study, a solution, or a real-world application.

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Writing a Case Study in APA Step by Step

Knowing how to write a case study in APA format is a common question for students. In addition to the typical academic standards, this style has its requirements that must be adhered to. The first step is to create a heading, known as a running head, that will be present on each page of your paper. The running head includes:

• The page number is on the right margin
• A shortened title of your paper in ALL-CAPS, no longer than 50 characters to the right

Cover Page in APA for Case Study Project

The title of a case study is a requirement. The purpose is to state the name of the work, who the author is, and the institution that sponsored the study. It has the following parts:

• The words “running head” at the top, followed by the actual header
• The full title of your paper should be no longer than 12 words
• Your name without any designations (Dr/Ph D. /Rev/etc) and the institution you attend

The cover page should also have:

• A page number is at the top right corner.
• The institutional affiliation where the study took place.
• Course information that is mandatory for student papers.
• The author’s note is optional and usually appears in professional papers.
• Font options have expanded to include Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans Unicode 10, Times New Roman 12, or Georgia 11.
• All text on the cover sheet should be double-spaced.
• Center all page contents and capitalize the first letter of significant words.

How to Cite a Case Study in APA Format

Once you’ve discussed the structure of your case study and provided a real example, it’s important to guide readers on how to properly cite your study in both in-text citations and reference lists. Here’s how you can do that:

📝 Key Points to Remember:

• The author’s last name should be listed first, followed by their initials.
• Italicize the title of the case study (only the title).
• The title of the publisher or institution is in regular font, not italicized.
• If the case study has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), include it at the end of the reference. If there’s no DOI, you can add the URL.
• For case studies that are part of a larger book or journal, format the reference accordingly (mention the chapter, journal title, etc.).

Suppose you want to structure your paper more effectively. In that case, our guide on creating an APA research paper outline will help you organize your thoughts, streamline the writing process, and meet all formatting requirements.

Study Plan Sample

A clear and structured study plan is crucial when conducting a case study. Below is a sample study plan template to help you organize the key elements of your study.

How to Use the Study Plan Table:

• Topic: Specify the focus of your case study. It could be anything from “effects of sleep deprivation” to “impact of diet on health.”
• Objective: Define the goal of the case study. What are you hoping to discover or analyze?
• Method: What approaches will you use to gather data? Will you conduct surveys, interviews, or experiments?
• Sample Size: How many participants or data points will you be studying? Ensure the sample size is appropriate for the scope of your case study.
• Tools: List the tools or software you’ll use for your study, whether it’s a survey tool, statistical analysis software, or something else.
• Timeline: Include a timeframe for conducting your study — how long will each stage take, and when do you plan to complete the overall study?
• Analysis: Briefly outline the type of analysis you will perform on the collected data.

Know how to structure your paper

12-point Times New Roman

double spaced (275 words/page) / single-spaced (550 words/page)

0" between paragraphs

1" margin all around

0.5" first line of a paragraph

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The Abstract for an APA case study

The abstract of your paper works as a summary to give a brief overview of what it contains. Include the header at the top; the first line should have the word “abstract” centered. Follow the abstract with 150-250 words summarizing your professional paper. You may also index some keywords to help find the contents of your work in academic databases. At the end of your summary, indent once, and in italics, indicate keywords related to your work.

Writing an effective college paper requires a lot of planning and formatting to get it done right. Brush up on these guidelines for how to write your paper in APA format. If you need someone to review your work or write any parts of your paper, reach out to our professional writers, who are always willing to lend a hand.

Additionally, our blog can help you create a professional PowerPoint presentation that clearly outlines the main points of your paper. If you need help with this, our professional writers can provide guidance.

Formatting your APA title page correctly is crucial in any paper. Our guide explains exactly how to format the title page for both student and professional papers. Make sure your title page is perfect and complies with the latest style guidelines!

Checklist: Final APA 7 Self-Review