Case Study Criticisms
Over the years, case-study methods have not received universal acceptance,
which can be seen in the limited exposure that they receive in social science
textbooks on methodology; it is not uncommon for a textbook to devote
only a few paragraphs to this method. This attitude is attributable in part to
some of the criticisms raised about case-study designs. One criticism is that
this technique lends itself to distortions or falsifications while the data are
being collected. Because direct observation may rely on subjective criteria,
in many instances based on general impressions, it is alleged that this data
should not be trusted. A second criticism is that it is difficult to draw causeand-
effect conclusions because of the lack of control measures to rule out alternative
rival hypotheses. Third, the issue of generalization is important after
the data have been collected and interpreted. There will often be a question
regarding the population to which the results can be applied.
In the second half of the twentieth century, there appears to have been a
resurgence of the use of case-study methods. Part of the impetus for this
change came from a reactionary movement against the more traditional
methods that collect data in artificial settings. The case-study method plays a
significant role in studying behavior in real-life situations, under a set of circumstances
that would make it impossible to use any other alternative.
Sources for Further Study
Baker, Therese L. Doing Social Research. 3d ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998.
Gives the reader a general introduction to field research, observational
studies, data collection methods, survey research, and sampling techniques
as well as other topics which will help the reader evaluate “good”
field experiments from those that are poorly constructed.
Berg, Bruce L. Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. 4th ed. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon, 2000. Discusses a field strategy used by anthropologists
and sociologists to study groups of people; in addition, discusses the
ethical issues that arise while conducting research. Looks at the dangers
of covert research and provides the guidelines established by the National
Research Act.
Griffin, John H. Black Like Me. Reprint. New York: Signet, 1996. This excellent
book, first published in 1962, is a narrative of the author’s experiences
traveling around the United States observing how people react to
him after he takes on the appearance of a black man. This monumental
field study, which contributed to an understanding of social prejudice,
provides the reader with an excellent example of the significance of and
need for conducting field research.
Luria, Aleksandr R. The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book About a Vast Memory.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
field study, which contributed to an understanding of social prejudice,
provides the reader with an excellent example of the significance of and
need for conducting field research.
Luria, Aleksandr R. The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book About a Vast Memory.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
Bryan C. Auday
See also: Animal Experimentation; Experimentation: Independent, Dependent,
and Control Variables; Survey Research: Questionnaires and Interviews. Animal Experimentation; Experimentation: Independent, Dependent,
and Control Variables; Survey Research: Questionnaires and Interviews. Doing Social Research. 3d ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998.
Gives the reader a general introduction to field research, observational
studies, data collection methods, survey research, and sampling techniques
as well as other topics which will help the reader evaluate “good”
field experiments from those that are poorly constructed.
Berg, Bruce L. Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. 4th ed. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon, 2000. Discusses a field strategy used by anthropologists
and sociologists to study groups of people; in addition, discusses the
ethical issues that arise while conducting research. Looks at the dangers
of covert research and provides the guidelines established by the National
Research Act.
Griffin, John H. Black Like Me. Reprint. New York: Signet, 1996. This excellent
book, first published in 1962, is a narrative of the author’s experiences
traveling around the United States observing how people react to
him after he takes on the appearance of a black man. This monumental
field study, which contributed to an understanding of social prejudice,
provides the reader with an excellent example of the significance of and
need for conducting field research.
Luria, Aleksandr R. The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book About a Vast Memory.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
field study, which contributed to an understanding of social prejudice,
provides the reader with an excellent example of the significance of and
need for conducting field research.
Luria, Aleksandr R. The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book About a Vast Memory.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
Bryan C. Auday
See also: Animal Experimentation; Experimentation: Independent, Dependent,
and Control Variables; Survey Research: Questionnaires and Interviews. Animal Experimentation; Experimentation: Independent, Dependent,
and Control Variables; Survey Research: Questionnaires and Interviews. Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. 4th ed. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon, 2000. Discusses a field strategy used by anthropologists
and sociologists to study groups of people; in addition, discusses the
ethical issues that arise while conducting research. Looks at the dangers
of covert research and provides the guidelines established by the National
Research Act.
Griffin, John H. Black Like Me. Reprint. New York: Signet, 1996. This excellent
book, first published in 1962, is a narrative of the author’s experiences
traveling around the United States observing how people react to
him after he takes on the appearance of a black man. This monumental
field study, which contributed to an understanding of social prejudice,
provides the reader with an excellent example of the significance of and
need for conducting field research.
Luria, Aleksandr R. The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book About a Vast Memory.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
field study, which contributed to an understanding of social prejudice,
provides the reader with an excellent example of the significance of and
need for conducting field research.
Luria, Aleksandr R. The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book About a Vast Memory.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
Bryan C. Auday
See also: Animal Experimentation; Experimentation: Independent, Dependent,
and Control Variables; Survey Research: Questionnaires and Interviews. Animal Experimentation; Experimentation: Independent, Dependent,
and Control Variables; Survey Research: Questionnaires and Interviews. Black Like Me. Reprint. New York: Signet, 1996. This excellent
book, first published in 1962, is a narrative of the author’s experiences
traveling around the United States observing how people react to
him after he takes on the appearance of a black man. This monumental
field study, which contributed to an understanding of social prejudice,
provides the reader with an excellent example of the significance of and
need for conducting field research.
Luria, Aleksandr R. The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book About a Vast Memory.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
field study, which contributed to an understanding of social prejudice,
provides the reader with an excellent example of the significance of and
need for conducting field research.
Luria, Aleksandr R. The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book About a Vast Memory.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
1968. Reprint. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. A fascinating
case study, written by a founder of neuropsychology and one of the
most significant Russian psychologists. Directed toward a general audience.
The case study focuses on his subject, Shereshevskii (subject “S”),
and his extraordinary memory.
Singleton, Royce, Jr., et al. Approaches to Social Research. 3d ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
University Press, 1999. This well-written text discusses various aspects
of field experimentation, such as how to select a research setting and
gather information, how to get into the field, and when a field study
should be adopted. The chapter on experimentation can be used to contrast
“true” experiments with field studies.
Spradley, James. Participant Observation. New York: International Thompson,
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
1997. A guide to constructing and carrying out a participant observation
study, from a chiefly anthropological perspective.
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3d ed. Thousand
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2003. This volume is perhaps the finest single source
on case-study methods in print. Yin shows the reader exactly how to design,
conduct, analyze, and even write up a case study. Approximately
forty examples of case studies are cited with brief explanations. Not
highly technical.
Bryan C. Auday
See also: Animal Experimentation; Experimentation: Independent, Dependent,
and Control Variables; Survey Research: Questionnaires and Interviews. Animal Experimentation; Experimentation: Independent, Dependent,
and Control Variables; Survey Research: Questionnaires and Interviews.
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