Robert K. Yin is an American social scientist and President of COSMOS Corporation, known for his work on

case study research A case study is an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case (or cases) within a real-world context. For example, case studies in medicine may focus on an individual patient or ailment; case studies in business might cover a particular f ...

as well as on

qualitative research Qualitative research is a type of research that aims to gather and analyse non-numerical (descriptive) data in order to gain an understanding of individuals' social reality, including understanding their attitudes, beliefs, and motivation. This ...

. Over the years, his work on case study research has been frequently cited.

Google Scholar Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Released in beta in November 2004, the Google Scholar index includes p ...

listed it as the second most cited methodological work, qualitative or quantitative, over a 20-year period

Life and work

Yin obtained his BA in history,

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

, from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, and successfully pursued his graduate studies at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, where he obtained his PhD in brain and cognitive sciences.Robert K. Yin profile
at ''sagepub.com''. Accessed 31.01.2015 While at graduate school, Yin published his first articles on face recognition, in the field of experimental psychology and neuroscience. Later, his research interests shifted to the use of case study research and qualitative research in public policy and related topics. An exemplary example of a case study, relying on both qualitative and quantitative methods, covered organizational innovations in public services. More broadly, Yin's text on case study research received the McGuffey Longevity Award in 2019, as a text that had been published for over 30 years and that was still in print. In 1980, Yin founded COSMOS Corporation. He developed COSMOS as a research corporation for "applied research and evaluation, technical support, and management assistance aimed at improving public policy, private enterprise, and collaborative ventures."
029c7c0.netsolhost.com. Accessed 31.01.2015. Yin has also been affiliated with the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

, the RAND Corporation, the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

, and the School for International Service at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

.Yin, Robert K. 2016 ''Qualitative Research from Start to Finish'', pp. xiii-xiv More recently, he has worked with faculty and students at the School of Education at

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with national accreditation for some hospitali ...

, as well as the Division of Special Education and disAbility Research at

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

. He has collaborated regularly on evaluation projects with

The World Bank The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Grou ...

Selected publications

* Yin, Robert K. ''Case study research: Design and methods.'' Sage publications, 1984; 1989; 1994; 2003; 2009; 2014. *Yin, Robert K. ''Case study research and applications: Design and methods.'' Sage publications, 2018 * Yin, Robert K. ''Qualitative research from start to finish.'' Guilford Press, 2010; 2016. * Yin, Robert K. ''Applications of case study research.'' Sage, 2011. ;Articles, a selection * Yin, Robert K. "Looking at upside-down faces." ''Journal of experimental psychology'' 81.1 (1969): 141-145. * Yin, Robert K. "Face recognition by brain-injured patients: a dissociable ability?." Neuropsychologia 8.4 (1970): 395-402. * Yin, Robert K.
The case study crisis: Some answers
" ''Administrative science quarterly'' (1981): 58-65. * Yin, Robert K. "The case study as a serious research strategy." ''Science communication'' 3.1 (1981): 97-114.

References

External links

profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Yin, Robert K. Living people American social scientists Harvard College alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Academic staff of the University of Copenhagen American University faculty and staff George Mason University faculty Southern New Hampshire University faculty Year of birth missing (living people)