If studying people, research information in their past that may be relevant, possibly including medical history, family history, or history of an organization. A good background knowledge of the research topic and similar case studies could help guide your own research as well, especially if you are writing a critical interest case study. Any case study, but especially case studies with a retrospective component, will benefit from basic academic research strategies. In a case study involving human participants, ethics guidelines do not typically allow you to "spy" on the participants. You must practice obtrusive observation, where the participants are aware of your presence. Unlike a quantitative study, you may talk with the participants, make them feel comfortable, and include yourself in activities. Some researchers do attempt to maintain a distance, but be aware that your presence will affect the behavior of the participants regardless of the relationship you form with them. Establishing trust with participants can result in less inhibited behavior. Observing people in their home, workplaces, or other "natural" environments may be more effective than bringing them to a laboratory or office. Having subjects fill out a questionnaire is a common example of obtrusive research. Subjects know they are being studied, so their behavior will change, but this is a quick and sometimes the only way to gain certain information. Extensive notes during observation will be vital when you are compiling your final report. In some case studies, it may be appropriate to ask the participant to record experiences in a diary. Depending on the total length of your case study, you might hold an interview weekly, once every month or two, or just once or twice a year. Begin with the interview questions you prepared in the planning phase, then iterate to dig deeper into the topic: Describe experience ask the participant what it's like to go through the experience you're studying, or be a part of the system you're studying. Describe meaning ask the participant what the experience means to them, or what "life lessons" they take from it. Ask what mental and emotional associations they have with the subject of your study, whether it's a medical condition, an event, or another topic. Focus in later interviews, prepare questions that fill gaps in your knowledge, or that are particularly relevant to the development of your research questions and theories over the course of the study. A case study may feel less data-driven than a medical trial or a scientific experiment, but attention to rigor and valid methodology remains vital. If you find yourself drawn to studying a participant on one extreme end of the spectrum, set aside time to observe a more "typical" participant as well. When reviewing your notes, question your chain of logic and discard possible conclusions that do not have detailed observation backing them up. Any sources you cite should be thoroughly checked for reliability. After reading and referring back to your original bullet points, you may find that the data reacts in a surprising manner. You need to pull your information together and focus it before writing case studies, especially if your research was performed in intervals across months or years. If you are working with more than one person you will want to assign sections for completion together to make sure your case study will flow. For example, one person may be in charge of making charts of the data you gathered, while other people will each write an analysis of one of your bullet points you are trying to answer. Based on the research questions you designed and the type of case study you conducted, this may be a descriptive report, an analytic argument grounded in a specific case, or a suggested direction for further research or projects. Include your most relevant observations and interviews in the case study itself, and consider attaching additional data (such as full interviews) as an appendix for readers to refer to. If writing a case study for a non-academic audience, consider using a narrative form, describing the events that occurred during your case study in chronological order. Minimize your use of jargon.
++++++++++
One-sentence summary -- Perform background research. Learn how to conduct obtrusive observation. Take notes. Conduct interviews. Stay rigorous. Collect all of your data and analyze it. Write your final case study report.

Q: Poodles have a curly wiry coat that grows continually. Poodles do not shed hair in the same way as other breeds. Their hair does fall out, but it gets tangled with the rest of the coat. This means poodles are very liable to getting knots and tangles. Puppies have a soft coat, which starts to be replaced by adult fur from about 6-9 months of age. A full changeover to the adult coat can take until the pet is 18 months old. Take a few minutes every day to groom your dog. This will serve a dual purpose: you will be able to detangle his hair and you will be giving him some much-needed attention. To comb through the snags, use a comb or brush that is available at a pet store. You may also want to use both, using a comb on certain parts of the dog's body and a brush on other parts. Before you start combing, spray your toy poodle's coat with a light mist of water. This will help avoid static build-up. It can also help prevent dry hair from snagging together. Separate off a section of coat and hold it between your fingers. Comb the coat by brushing from root to tip. Groom the entire coat and be sure to comb behind the ears and under the tummy. A toy poodle's hair grows all the time, so keeping it tidy requires clipping. Depending on how long or short you'd like to keep your dog's coat, aim to get the hair clipped every 3-8 weeks. This is usually done at a dog grooming parlor, but with access to good dog clippers, some practice, and plenty of time, you can learn to clip a dog yourself.
A: Keep your dog's coat free from snags. Groom your dog every day. Use a comb or a stiff brush. Spritz the dog's coat with water. Comb section by section. Clip your dog's hair every 3-8 weeks.

Article: Even if you are fairly certain you didn't get any rubbing alcohol on your hands, it's best to wash them before you ignite the fireball. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. If any rubbing alcohol splashed on your clothes, it's very important to change into new clothes. Having rubbing alcohol on your clothes can cause your clothes to get set on fire. Don't ignite your fireball in a cluttered space or around highly flammable objects like papers. Try to find an empty, neutral space like your driveway or inside a concrete garage. Set up a fire extinguisher as an extra safety precaution. Review how to use the fire extinguisher before lighting the fireball. It's not a good idea to set fire to the ball when it is in your hands. Instead, pick it up using a pair of tweezers or tongs and hold it out in front of you. Clear the bowl of rubbing alcohol away, as it could be a fire hazard. Use a fire source, preferably a long reach lighter, to ignite the ball. The ball should immediately be consumed by flames and become a fireball! After you light the fireball, you have the option of holding it by the tongs or tweezers, or holding it in your hand. If you decide you want to hold it, drop the fireball carefully into your palm, making sure not to drop it on the ground. If you do drop the fireball, you can try to scoop it up, or just stamp on it with your foot to put it out. Though it's safe to handle the fireball, if you hold it in the same place in your hand, it will become very hot and may burn you. Instead of holding the fireball in the same spot, shift it between your left and right hand. Hold your hands away from your body so that there is no risk of the fireball catching your clothes on fire. Remember not to panic. It's safe to hold the fireball as long as you keep shifting it around and keep it away from your clothing. Whenever you are done playing with the fireball, close your hand over it. This should cause the fireball to extinguish. Make sure that the fireball is completely extinguished by running water over it. Then dispose of the ball.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Wash your hands. Find a clear, safe space. Hold the ball with a pair of tweezers or tongs. Ignite the ball with a fire source. Drop the fireball into your hand. Shift the ball from hand to hand. Put out the fireball.