Case study
A case study in the biological sciences involves a detailed examination of a specific biological phenomenon within a particular context. These studies are typically detailed, comprehensive, and focused on an in-depth understanding of a single case, whether it be an organism, an ecosystem, or a biological process. The elements for its implementation include: case selection, data collection on the case (which may involve observations, measurements, experiments, and sample analyses), and data analysis (which may require various analytical tools and statistical methods).
Additionally, it is necessary to contextualize the case under study by considering environmental, historical, geographical, and social factors that may influence the biological phenomenon. Finally, the study concludes with data interpretation and conclusions: interpretations are developed based on the collected data and the analysis performed.
Case studies in biology are useful for deepening the understanding of such phenomena in a specific manner and for generating hypotheses that can later be tested in broader studies. Furthermore, they can provide detailed and concrete information that may be valuable for conservation, natural resource management, and decision-making in fields such as medicine, agriculture, and ecology. Generally, a case study ranges from 5 to 15 pages, though it may be shorter or longer as needed. In terms of word count, it could range from 1,500 to 5,000 words.
Title: Must not exceed 18 words. Include the title with its English translation.
Authors, Affiliation, Email, ORCID Code: Authors should be listed immediately below the research title, numbered with a subscript at the end of their names, ordered according to their scientific contribution to the work and not alphabetically. For each author, include their affiliation, email address, and ORCID code. Academic degrees and hierarchical positions are not included.
Abstract and Abstract (in English): Must not exceed 250 words and must include an English translation of the same (Abstract). It must be sufficiently succinct and informative to allow the reader to identify the content and interest of the work and decide whether to read it. It must be written in the past tense and refer to the place and date of execution; in addition to containing the methodological procedure of the work, summarized objectives, providing clues only to its main results and conclusions.
Keywords (Key words): These must refer to the content of the case study, be written at the end of the abstract and abstract so that the article is included in databases. The maximum number is five keywords. The first letter of the first keyword is capitalized, the following are in lowercase, and they are ordered by importance separated by a comma (,).
Abstract: A concise summary providing an overview of the case study, including the research problem, methods used, main results, and conclusions. It must be clear and not exceed 250 words.
Introduction: Presents the context of the case study, including the relevance of the problem investigated, the objectives of the study, and a brief review of pertinent literature.
Methodology: Describes in detail the methods used to conduct the case study. This includes information on subject selection (if applicable), experimental procedures, instruments used for data collection, and any statistical analyses performed.
Results: Presents the findings of the study clearly and concisely. This may include tabulated data, graphs, or any other format that helps visualize the results.
Discussion: Interprets the results in the context of existing literature and discusses their relevance and potential implications. Additionally, it addresses any limitations of the study and suggests areas for future research.
Conclusions: Summarizes the main findings of the study and highlights their importance. Avoid introducing new information in this section.
Bibliographic References: Described in the General criteria and Author guidelines.
Appendices (if necessary): Includes any supplementary material, such as additional data, tables, or figures that may be relevant but were not included in the main body of the report.
