Case study format

How we document a case study — the evidence format, built on our own proof

A case study is only as strong as the evidence behind its numbers. This page shows the exact format we use: what a case study must specify, how each figure was measured, how a result is reported with its uncertainty and its window, and where the scope ends. The worked example is a self-built proof — a build we measured ourselves under our own methodology, not a paid client engagement.

Scope label — self-built proof. Every figure shown here comes from a measurement we ran on our own build. We name this scope on the artifact itself. Revenue, closed-deal and ROI figures appear only when they are backed by evidence that would survive a documentation request — and we publish no ROI percentage we cannot substantiate.

1. Use case and industry specificity — name the problem, not the logo

A case study opens with the use case and the industry it belongs to, because that is what a buyer weighs. In AI answers, use-case fit outranks brand recognition when a reader decides whom to shortlist, so a write-up that leads with a logo and a headline lift teaches nothing transferable. Ours leads with the exact question set a buyer in that vertical would ask an AI assistant, the surfaces those answers appear on, and the competitive frame the engine already believes — the same starting point our evidence review argues for.

2. Measurement design — the numbers have a method

Every figure in a CiteAngle case study traces to a measurement grid, not an estimate. The full grid runs 50 prompts across 14 engines, with every prompt repeated seven times — 4,900 measured cells — and keeps each cell's status (observed, cited, failed, indeterminate) rather than reporting only the cells that succeeded. Applicable citation rates are reported with Wilson score 95% confidence intervals. None of this is proprietary to the write-up: the grid, the repeat design and the interval math are public in the methodology, and the delivered screens are shown in the sample report. A case study that cannot point to its measurement design is a testimonial, not evidence.

3. Numbers and period — what a result line actually reports

A result is never a single score. Each line carries five things:

FieldWhat it states
BaselineThe citation rate at the start, with its confidence interval and its denominator
Re-measurementThe rate on the same grid at a later point, with its own interval
WindowThe exact start and end dates the two measurements were taken
DenominatorThe surfaces, prompts and run count behind each figure
ChangeA citation-rate delta stated with both intervals — shown only when a re-measurement on the same grid exists

A change is reported as a citation-rate delta with both intervals attached, so a reader can see whether the two ranges even separate. It is never stated as a bare percentage lift with no denominator, and never as an ROI multiple. If the intervals overlap, we say so.

4. Limitations and scope — where the evidence ends

Every case study ends by stating what it does not prove. AI answers are non-deterministic, so a result is a measured range over a stated window, not a permanent number; a later window can move. The worked example is a self-built proof, which shows the format and the measurement discipline but is not a client outcome — client reports are delivered to the client alone. And any commercial figure — revenue, pipeline, a closed deal — is included only with evidence attached. Where we have none, the line is absent, not estimated.

The format in one checklist — the same four parts, in order, on every case study we publish.

Use case & industrythe question set and surfaces, not the logo
Measurement designgrid, repeats and interval math — linked and public
Numbers & periodbaseline, re-measurement, window, denominator, delta
Limitations & scopeself-built proof · no unsubstantiated ROI

Want this format filled with your own brand's evidence? Start with a free snapshot and a Panorama quote — the measurement runs on your live surfaces, and the write-up follows the four parts above.

Ready to turn US visibility evidence into a market plan? Tell us the US buyer, target state and decision date.

Request a working scope