"Case Studies are reports of case materials obtained while working with an individual, a group a community or an organization."
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. (p.11).
In your assignment:
Tell the story --> Find a personal narrative in the popular media (magazines, newspapers, blogs, or in a book).
Identify the debate --> Is there a controversy about treatment, education, etc? (A controversy is a dispute or a discussion of contrary opinions.)
Present your thesis --> Your original idea about the case that you support through rational arguments; blueprint for your analysis of the controversy.
Controversy (n.). (2013). In Oxford English Dictionary online. Retrieved from http://go.utlib.ca/cat/8323833
To determine whether a resource is popular, consumer or trade (i.e.: non-scholarly), use Ulrich's Periodical Directory. Search for the source title:
then click on the title for more information, and scroll down the record to find this type of information:
Notice that the TITLE of the magazine listed above gives a good description of its scope. Scroll down to SERIAL TYPE; it is MAGAZINE, a non-scholarly resource. Also note CONTENT TYPE, which is CONSUMER, also non-scholarly in nature.
Searching the following databases will help you find many non-scholarly sources.
Remember to review and adjust source and document format search limits in the Advanced Search menu:
ProQuest indexes articles from journals, popular magazines and newspapers. Searches can be limited by publication type, including magazines, newspapers and trade publications:
You can build searches using Boolean logic operators, as illustrated here:
The major index for education, ERIC provides access to a broad collection of resources on education research and information. ERIC indexes journal articles, books, research syntheses, conference papers, reports, and other education-related materials.
Some of the ERIC-specific publication types which may help you find narratives include: book reviews and books, creative works, ERIC documents, historical materials and "reports - descriptive." One can search ERIC using an ISSN you got from Ulrich's in a previous step.
Child Development & Adolescent Studies
Covers current and historical literature related to growth and development of children through the age of 21. Child Development & Adolescent Studies provides book reviews and abstracts of articles from journals, and a bibliography of technical reports, books, book chapters, theses and dissertations covering social sciences and biomedical subjects.Publication types for which one can search include case study, book, periodical and "primary source document," which may include interview transcripts.
