Case studies have differences with other research strategies such as historical or experimental methods. The difference can be seen in the table below:
| Strategy | Form research questions | Control over events | A focus on contemporary events |
| Experiment Survey | How, why | yes | yes |
| Analysis Archive | Who, what, where, how many | no | yes |
| History | How, why | no | yes/no |
| Case Studies | How, why | no | yes |
