Academic Writing 6 min readJuly 22, 2026

Case Study Writing Format — Business, Nursing, Legal (IRAC)

A case study is not a book report. It is an analytical piece where you apply a framework to a real situation and defend a recommendation with evidence. Format varies by field — three of the most common are covered here.

Business case study

Executive summary → Company background → Problem statement → Analysis (SWOT, PESTLE, Porter's 5 Forces, VRIO) → Alternatives considered → Recommendation → Implementation plan → Conclusion.

Nursing care study

Patient background (anonymized) → Assessment (subjective + objective data) → Nursing diagnosis → Plan → Interventions → Evaluation → Reflection on practice.

Legal case brief (IRAC)

Issue (what legal question?) → Rule (which statute or precedent?) → Application (how does the rule apply to the facts?) → Conclusion (how does the court rule?).

Recommendations rule

Every case study ends with 2–4 defended recommendations tied to your analysis. 'Improve marketing' is not a recommendation. 'Reallocate 30% of the ad budget from print to Instagram based on the audience data in Table 3' is.

FAQ

Do I use real or fictional companies?

Real if the assignment allows — annual reports and press releases give you data. Fictional cases are also fine when the framework is the focus.

How long is a typical case study?

1,500–4,000 words for undergraduate; 5,000–8,000 for postgraduate.

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