The DOI matches its Crossref record; 663 of the 667 references it cites were found in a registry or an index, and 4 are not checked yet.
Single-case experimental designs: a systematic review of published research and current standards
Open accessAbstract
This article systematically reviews the research design and methodological characteristics of single-case experimental design (SCED) research published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2010. SCEDs provide researchers with a flexible and viable alternative to group designs with large sample sizes. However, methodological challenges have precluded widespread implementation and acceptance of the SCED as a viable complementary methodology to the predominant group design. This article includes a description of the research design, measurement, and analysis domains distinctive to the SCED; a discussion of the results within the framework of contemporary standards and guidelines in the field; and a presentation of updated benchmarks for key characteristics (e.g., baseline sampling, method of analysis), and overall, it provides researchers and reviewers with a resource for conducting and evaluating SCED research. The results of the systematic review of 409 studies suggest that recently published SCED research is largely in accordance with contemporary criteria for experimental quality. Analytic method emerged as an area of discord. Comparison of the findings of this review with historical estimates of the use of statistical analysis indicates an upward trend, but visual analysis remains the most common analytic method and also garners the most support among those entities providing SCED standards. Although consensus exists along key dimensions of single-case research design, and researchers appear to be practicing within these parameters, there remains a need for further evaluation of assessment and sampling techniques and data analytic methods.
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“A minimum of 5 points per phase is considered the standard in multiple baseline design (Smith 2012).”
From Towards a Treatment for Intolerance of Uncertainty for Autistic Adults: A Single Case Experimental Design Study. (2018) · cites this paper as Smith 2012
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“The increasing baseline rates for some incident types may have contributed to the significant declines observed during implementation. However, program effects persisted after excluding agencies with significant baseline trends, making regression to the mean a less plausible explanation for our findings (Smith 2012).”
From Intervening at the Setting Level to Prevent Behavioral Incidents in Residential Child Care: Efficacy of the CARE Program Model (2016) · cites this paper as Smith 2012
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“Single case experimental designs (SCED) provide a pragmatic alternative that, when well-designed and executed, rival the scientific rigor of randomized controlled trials while requiring far fewer participants (Barlow, Nock, & Hersen, 2008; Smith, 2012; Vilardaga, 2014).”
From Acceptance and Commitment Therapy modules: Differential impact on treatment processes and outcomes (2016) · cites this paper as Smith, 2012
In the citing paper
“We followed guidelines in the design, analysis and reporting of case series to ensure the method was applied optimally”
From Bringing light into darkness: A multiple baseline mixed methods case series evaluation of Augmented Depression Therapy (ADepT) (2019) · cites this paper as Smith, 2012
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Harrar-Eskinazi, K. L. (2023) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/fcb4ed6cz7c22z4021z98aazbc8372ed86ab
Abdel‐Raouf, O., Abdel-aziem, A. A., Alkhamees, N. H., Ibrahim, Z. M., Aboelela, E. M., Dawood, R. S., & Ashour, A. A. (2026) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm15082815
“A within-subject crossover design was used to include all participants in a single group to maximize homogeneity and reduce between-subject variances resulting from physical, strength, and training level characteristics [24].”
Baune, B., Prabhakaran, A., Patel, M., Grübel, S. E. F., Varma, J., Patel, M., & Gupta, S. N. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1719639
Kelley, D., O’Leary, J. C., Aschieri, F., & Finn, S. E. (2026) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1080/00223891.2026.2649229
“The single-case time series experimental design for this study is consistent with previous research on TA (Aschieri & Smith, 2012; Smith et al., 2009, 2010, 2011; Smith & George, 2012).”
InfluentialLavefjord, A., Sundström, F., Preihs, L., Hammar, A., Forslund, S., van de Leur, J. C., Scholten, S., Buhrman, M., & McCracken, L. M. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1809958
“As such, the number of data points exceeded previous recommendations of at least four data points per SCED phase (Smith, 2012).”
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“In fields where interventions are frequently adapted for specific populations or implemented in small samples, null findings can provide valuable insight into limits of generalizability, implementation challenges, or conditions under which interventions may be less effective (D, 2012).”
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Ginis, K. A. M., Gee, C. M., Hoekstra, F., Blitz, S., Baumgart, J. K., Davis, J. A., Karim, M. E., Little, J. P., Singer, J., Todd, K. R., et al. (2026) · Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation · doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2026.06.010
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“In single-case experimental research, phase structures are often adapted to accommodate clinical constraints while preserving the essential experimental features of the design (Smith, 2012).”
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“This rationale draws on N-of-1 and single-case longitudinal approaches, where within-person dynamics are characterized before broader population-level generalization is attempted [22,23].”
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Nordgren, L., Ghaderi, A., Ljótsson, B., Dahlström, Ö., Aabakken, H., Svedberg, S., & Hesser, H. (2026) · Cognitive Behaviour Therapy · doi:10.1080/16506073.2026.2716624
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Andersen, A. S., & Patel, M. R. (2026) · Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1177/21694826261482087
Ooms, M. H. P., Alink, R., van Busschbach, J. T., & Tak, L. M. (2026) · Neuropsychological Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09602011.2026.2733673
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Raafs, B. M., Westerhof-Evers, M., Heugten, C. M. V., Spikman, J., & Rijnen, S. J. M. (2026) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0358008
“There are still, however, no agreed-upon criteria for statistical analysis of SCED data [60].”
Zhu, Y. (2014) · eScholarship (California Digital Library)
Metadata
- Authors
- Smith, J. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Oregon (US)
- Corresponding author
- Smith, Justin D.
- ORCID
- Smith, Justin D.
- Venue
- Psychological Methods
- Published
- 2012
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 510-550
- ISSN
- 1082-989X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1463
- PMC
- PMC3652808
- OpenAlex
- W1978096047
- Cited by
- 630
- References
- 648
- Citations by year
- 2026: 37 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 51 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 73 · 2018: 58 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 3.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Psychological Methods (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH20012)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Psychology Research and Bibliometrics
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Research and Methods
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Keywords
- single-case experimental design, study design quality, methodological standards, visual analysis, statistical analysis methods, methodological quality
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Research Design, Benchmarking
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