Detail Key Players in the Study

Make a list of all the important people in the study, and list them alphabetically, using their name and role in the study. You will need to explain to your readers who each person is, and what their background is.

For example, the "Genie" case study has very heavy background information for all of people related to Genie. Her immediate family, her father, mother, and brother all have extremely detailed backgrounds, as that information is essential to Genie's story.

The background information about Genie's father went back to his childhood, as researchers wanted to know what caused her father to be so abusive. Same for her mother, researchers wanted to know why exactly she was willing to sit by and allow her husband to abuse Genie.

When the researchers obtained all this information, they did so with some paper research, but mostly interviews. Since Genie's father committed suicide soon after she was discovered, they were unable to interview him. Therefore, they had to interview those who knew of him. Researchers were surprised to find that most people who knew Genie's father had no idea that he even had a daughter.

Identify Critical Issues

List all critical issues in the case, and rank them based on importance. This information is for you, the researcher, and not your reader. Next to each issue, write why the issue is important, and why it is necessary for the study.



Check off each issue as you handle them, and list any resources attached to the issue. You must have a source for everything used in your study. Make sure each issue is accurate, and backed by verifiable research. If you cannot corroborate information, then you must cross it off the list.

In the Genie case, there were many critical issues. The case study was about acquiring language skills, of which Genie had almost none when found. The study was going to be an attempt to see whether Genie could acquire language skills as a teenager.

But the Genie case was not that simple. Yes there were language issues. But there were other serious issues as well, such as her behavior, medical issues, and emotional problems. All of these issues had o be identified and dealt with as the study progressed.