the difference between a research paper and an essay is

Essay vs Research Paper: What Sets Them Apart?

Table of contents

• 1.1 What Is an Essay?
• 1.2 What Is a Research Paper?
• 2.1 Purpose and Objective
• 2.2 Structure and Organization
• 2.3 Length and Depth
• 2.4 Sources and Evidence
• 2.5 Voice and Style
• 2.6 Audience and Presentation
• 3 Essay vs Research Paper: 10 Points of Difference
• 4 What Is the Difference Between Research Paper and Different Types of Papers
• 5 Let’s Sum Up

Every student needs to write some academic papers for the university. However, even young people with experience can’t determine the difference between an essay and a research paper. Although these two areas of academic writing have many similarities, the requirements are still significantly different.

• We will outline the key differences between these two types of academic writing.
• In this article, you will get a clear definition of an essay and research paper.
• You will learn more about the organization, structure, essay, and research paper requirements.

Before we dive into the detailed definitions, let’s first explore the key differences between an essay and a research paper.

Definitions and Overview

What is an essay.

An essay is a short piece of writing that presents a personal opinion on a specific topic. Essays can be formal or informal, but in an academic setting, they are usually formal. The main purpose of an essay is to inform the reader or argue a particular perspective.

Essays do not always aim to be scientific but require a clear structure. This structure typically includes an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Following this format lets you organize your thoughts and communicate them effectively.

With their versatility, essays can cover various topics, from complex ideas to everyday subjects. What makes your essay unique is the creativity and originality of your ideas. Before you begin, it is important to  drafting an essay  carefully. This process involves brainstorming fresh ideas and planning how to present them. Although your classmates might use the same basic structure, your writing skills and unique perspective will help your essay stand out. Focus on making your ideas compelling, rather than just sticking to the format.

What Is a Research Paper?

A research paper explores a specific scientific topic in detail. It provides analysis, interpretation, and argument based on careful study. Unlike essays, research papers focus less on personal opinions and more on thorough examination of the subject. They require you to use different sources and add new insights to the academic discussion.

In a research paper, it is not enough to just present facts or share personal views. You need to study the topic in depth, understand what others have said about it, and clearly outline your approach. This type of assignment involves more than just collecting information. You must also evaluate the information to build a strong argument.

Teachers expect you to show your ability to analyze information, choose reliable sources, and have a deep understanding of the topic. Research papers require you to go beyond basic knowledge and present your findings in a clear and organized way.

A typical research paper consists of several key elements that are crucial for presenting your argument and findings clearly:

• Introduction: The paper begins with an introduction that sets the stage and includes a thesis statement.
• Body: The body follows, providing detailed analysis and evidence to support the thesis, using information from reliable sources.
• Research Paper Outline: Creating an outline helps organize these sections, ensuring a logical flow of ideas throughout the paper.
• Conclusion: This part ends with a summary of the main points and a restatement of the thesis.

Whether writing a research paper or a term paper, maintaining this clear structure is essential for demonstrating a thorough understanding of your topic.

Key Differences Between Essay and Research Paper

The central difference is the goal of these academic assignments. The essay aims to express an individual point of view and find a creative, fresh approach to an existing topic. A good research paper seeks to introduce scientific novelty by examining existing data and conducting new experiments to analyze the information obtained.

Purpose and Objective

The first and main difference between an essay and a research paper is the purpose of writing . An essay as an academic task has the goal of developing students’ creative thinking. It also teaches us a structured presentation of thoughts regarding a certain topic. The student is required to have a non-standard approach, fresh thoughts, and reasoned conclusions on the given topic.

The purpose of the research work is to study a scientific topic in detail. This academic assignment is aimed at assessing the student’s analytical abilities and competence to determine cause-and-effect relationships, filter sources, and formulate logical conclusions. Such work requires theoretical knowledge, preliminary study of existing scientific works, and the ability to formulate goals and research methods.

Moreover, a student is supposed to show the capacity to draw comprehensive conclusions based on available data and information obtained during independent research. This task may seem complicated to students, so they opt for resorting to the help of PapersOwl writing service to save time.

Structure and Organization

To start with, the basic structure of any college essay involves a text consisting of five paragraphs, divided into three main factions: introduction, body part, and conclusion. When students lack time to compose a nicely structured academic essay, they can always pay to write a research paper and have their tasks done by a professional. The introduction presents the topic, sets the main direction for further text, and also works as a bait to motivate the reader to study further work. The introduction is followed by three body paragraphs. Each of the three body paragraphs presents a separate idea.

The last paragraph of any essay is a conclusion. In this paragraph, the college or university student must resume the arguments and ideas presented in the text, summarizing them into the main message of the essay. Often, the idea that you present in your conclusions will be most memorable to the reader.

Consequently, let’s overview the structure of a research paper. Compared to the structure of an essay, the organization of a research paper is much more ornate. This type of work requires a title page and abstract that go before the main body of text. On the title page, the student describes his topic of work, as well as gives contact details. An abstract is a short description of the main ideas and research methods of your work. The research work itself consists of an introduction, background, main part, and conclusions. Also, at the very end, they often add acknowledgments and a list of references, which must be formatted following the required international format.

Length and Depth

The length and depth of analysis between these two academic assignments also differ significantly. As for the essay, it is often a short prose piece whose length does not exceed 1000 words. You are faced with the task of fitting a large array of ideas into a small amount of text. The essay format itself rarely requires rigorous and thorough research of the topic, but you should work on creativity and the presence of a message in your essay. Most academic papers fall in the 300 to 600-word range.

On the other hand, a research paper is a scientific project that includes many theoretical aspects that require analysis and clarification. Thus, the volume is significantly bigger. Basic research paper lengths range from 4,000 to 6,000 words. In this case, you will no doubt have to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the selected sources, formulate a research vector, and spend time conducting your experiments, or ask PapersOwl to do a research paper for you . A research paper is a scientific project that includes many theoretical aspects that require analysis and clarification.

Sources and Evidence

The presence of theoretical sources and references is not a mandatory requirement for an essay. You can state your own thoughts on a given topic without resorting to the help of existing sources. Present your ideas on the topic, giving arguments that seem logical to you. If you do decide to base your paper on existing works, you must be sure to indicate where the information was taken from. And yet, the teacher needs to see your own thoughts rather than a dry listing of existing ideas.

Unlike an essay, a quality research paper must include primary and secondary sources, as well as a specific citation format. Surely, you are not the first person to study this scientific topic. In order not to repeat existing thoughts, you need to conduct a search to form a reliable basis for your study. If you skip this step, you risk basing your paper on misleading scientific findings.

Voice and Style

The very specificity of the essay as an academic paper is the subjective presentation of information. A large percentage of your essay should consist of your perspective and vision of the chosen topic. For this reason, essays often use a less formal and more subjective tone. However, you can still use a large amount of colloquial vocabulary, completely disregarding the norms of formal style. Students often have trouble figuring out the right style for their university assignments. In such cases, a reasonable solution is to seek help from a specialist. When you buy custom-written essays from PapersOwl, you’ll always get a perfectly balanced academic paper.

On the other hand, a research paper is a serious scientific work. The student must maintain a formal tone while complying with all structural requirements. Also, in investigative work, there is little room for subjectivity and a personal approach since an objective style is required. At the same time, do not oversaturate your research work with formalism and standard clichés.

Audience and Presentation

The essay format can be used both in the educational process and in an independent literary style. Therefore, the audience for such a written assignment can be wide and varied. When you’re writing an essay, make sure it’s understandable in academia and for a wide audience.

Research work, on the contrary, is aimed at a range of professionals in the chosen field. Written in scientific language, the goal of this work is to attract the attention of scientists and students of certain majors. Your scientific work should be rich in theory and related terms.

Essay vs Research Paper: 10 Points of Difference

As you may have noticed, research papers and essays have many differences, both global and specific. These two types of academic assignments differ in the purpose of writing, have different structures and formats, and are aimed at testing different skills. And yet, every day, students face difficulties in understanding the basic requirements, which leads to incorrect execution of the task. To summarize the main differences, let’s look at the table below.

What Is the Difference Between Research Paper and Different Types of Papers

There are many types of papers, each focusing on different topics, serving different purposes, and requiring a specific structure. Those are different types of essays that share a common ground but differ in the way they present information and arguments.

Analytical paper. The purpose of such an essay is an in-depth analysis of the chosen topic, studying different approaches and points of view, and formulating one’s own conclusions based on the information studied and scientific evidence.

Argumentative paper. This type of essay takes as a basis an ambiguous topic; the author must take a certain position and provide a number of arguments.

Informative paper. It has an informative purpose — a presentation of information to the reader, preceded by careful analysis and selection of data.

Persuasive paper . The purpose of this paper is to present convincing arguments, using chosen writing techniques, confirming the author’s position regarding the selected scientific topic.

To get a high grade, you need to understand the requirements of academic requirements. No matter how informatively rich your work is, if it does not meet the requirements, it cannot be highly appreciated. Each type of academic assignment has its own clearly defined, unique format. It’s necessary to know the difference between a research paper vs argumentative essay so as not to get confused while completing a college assignment. So before you start writing an assignment, make sure you understand the type of academic writing required of you.

Let’s Sum Up

Research papers and essays are aimed at testing various skills of the student, following different structures, and having several requirements. An essay is a more creative writing task, which involves showing originality and expressing a personal opinion on a certain topic. At the same time, a research paper is a type of scientific writing that adheres to a strict structure and uses a formal tone. Understanding the main differences will make your writing process easier, saving you time researching the requirements. Remember that knowing the essence of the assignment is a key factor in writing a decent paper.

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Essay vs. Research Paper

What's the difference.

An essay and a research paper are both academic writing assignments that require students to explore a specific topic and present their findings in a structured manner. However, there are some key differences between the two. An essay is typically shorter in length and focuses on presenting the writer's perspective or argument on a particular subject. It often includes personal opinions and experiences, and the writer's voice is more prominent. On the other hand, a research paper is more extensive and involves in-depth research and analysis of various sources. It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic and often requires the use of citations and references to support the writer's claims. Additionally, a research paper is usually more formal and objective in tone compared to an essay.

Further Detail

Introduction.

When it comes to academic writing, two common forms of assignments that students often encounter are essays and research papers. While both serve as means of evaluating a student's understanding of a particular topic, they differ in several aspects. This article aims to explore and compare the attributes of essays and research papers, shedding light on their unique characteristics and purposes.

Structure and Organization

One of the primary distinctions between essays and research papers lies in their structure and organization. Essays typically follow a more flexible and fluid structure, allowing the writer to present their ideas in a creative and engaging manner. They often consist of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In contrast, research papers adhere to a more rigid structure, often requiring specific sections such as an abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. The structure of a research paper is designed to provide a comprehensive and systematic analysis of a particular topic.

Purpose and Focus

Essays and research papers also differ in terms of their purpose and focus. Essays are generally shorter in length and aim to present a concise argument or viewpoint on a specific topic. They often require critical thinking and analysis, allowing the writer to express their own opinions and interpretations. On the other hand, research papers are more extensive and focus on investigating a particular research question or problem. They require in-depth research, data collection, and analysis to provide evidence-based conclusions. Research papers aim to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on a given subject.

Research Requirements

As the name suggests, research papers heavily rely on extensive research to support their claims and arguments. They require the writer to gather information from various sources such as scholarly articles, books, and reputable websites. Research papers often involve conducting experiments, surveys, or interviews to collect primary data. On the other hand, while essays may also require some research, they typically rely more on the writer's existing knowledge and understanding of the topic. Essays often prioritize critical thinking and analysis of the available information rather than extensive research.

Writing Style and Tone

The writing style and tone of essays and research papers can also differ significantly. Essays often allow for a more personal and subjective writing style, enabling the writer to express their thoughts and emotions. The tone of an essay can vary depending on the topic and purpose, ranging from formal and academic to more conversational and informal. In contrast, research papers require a more objective and formal writing style. They should be written in the third person and avoid personal opinions or biases. The tone of a research paper is typically neutral and focused on presenting factual information and analysis.

Citation and Referencing

Both essays and research papers require proper citation and referencing of sources used. However, the extent and complexity of citation may differ between the two. Essays often require the use of in-text citations and a reference list or bibliography at the end of the document. The citation style may vary depending on the academic discipline or the instructor's requirements. Research papers, on the other hand, typically follow a specific citation style, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago, and require more detailed and comprehensive referencing. They often include in-text citations, footnotes or endnotes, and a detailed bibliography or works cited page.

Evaluation and Assessment

Essays and research papers are evaluated and assessed based on different criteria. Essays are often graded on the writer's ability to present a coherent argument, critical thinking skills, and the clarity of their writing. The focus is on the writer's ability to convey their ideas effectively. Research papers, on the other hand, are evaluated based on the depth of research, the quality of data analysis, and the validity of the conclusions drawn. The assessment of research papers often considers the writer's ability to contribute to the existing knowledge on the topic and their understanding of research methodologies.

In conclusion, while essays and research papers share the common goal of evaluating a student's understanding of a particular topic, they differ in various aspects. Essays offer more flexibility in structure and allow for personal opinions and interpretations, while research papers adhere to a more rigid structure and require extensive research and analysis. The purpose, focus, writing style, citation requirements, and evaluation criteria also set them apart. Understanding these differences can help students approach each assignment appropriately and effectively meet the expectations of their instructors.

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Essay vs Research Paper: Understanding the Differences

by  Antony W

June 26, 2024

This is the most comprehensive guide on essay vs research paper . 

We’ll look at the differences and similarities between the two papers so that you can approach either assignment with clarity and certainty.

To begin with, essays and research paper examine your research, writing and analytical skills. They also require adherence to strict formatting and the inclusion of citation and bibliography.

What’s an Essay?

An essay is a written academic assignment that requires you to look into an issue and then provide your personal opinion while using credible sources and verifiable evidence to support your work.

In addition to knowing the different types of essays , you need to have excellent research and writing skills to earn full marks.

The length of an essay varies from topic to topic, with the shorter one being 500 words and longer ones can go up to 4,000 words. 

Shorter essays don’t require extended research and you can therefore write them in one sitting.

Longer essays, on the other hand, demand in-depth research and attention to details. They can be quite time consuming to write and edit, which part of the reasons why students seek for writing help. 

What Essays Do Students Write in School? 

The following are some of the most common essays that you’ll write in high school, college, or university.

1. Descriptive Essays

If asked to write a descriptive essay, focus on explaining the characteristics of a subject or issue.

Descriptive essays require some literary devices ,  such as similes and metaphors, to read well and communicate your message.

2. Comparison Essays

In a compare and contrast essay ,  you have to explain the differences and similarities between two subject. You can organize your writing based either on individual points or on the subjects.

3. Analytical Essays

Analytical essays don’t just appear in academic journals, newspapers, and magazines. They’re also common in academic settings.

In analytical essay writing ,  your work is to provide a substantive analysis of the topic without being biased.

3. Reflective Essays

In reflective essay writing ,  students have to examine experiences and explore the changes, challenges, developments, and growth that those experiences bring.

The standard format for a reflective essay is the same for all, but the format may change a little depending on the audience.

4. Argumentative Essays 

In argumentative essay writing ,  you have to take a stance on an issue and use objective evidence to support your position.

5. Academic Essays 

Written at college and university levels, academic essay cover content in your coursework to gauge your writing skills and intelligence’s level.

These essays tend to be longer with the word count ranging between 3,000 and 5,000 words.

What’s a Research Paper?

A research paper   is an academic assignment that requires students to express their views on a subject using supportive sources such as books and journal articles.

They’re longer than typical essays and therefore take more time to research, write, and proofread.

In the case where you have more demanding assignments and a research paper waiting for you to complete, you can take advantage of our research paper writing service to get the project done in time.

Types of Research Papers

The following are the common types of research papers that you’ll write in college or university:

1. Analytical Research Paper

With this type of research paper, you choose a topic, collect information from credible sources, and use the data to draw your conclusion on the subject.

Maintain a neutral position when writing an analytical research paper.

2. Argumentative Research Paper

In argumentative research paper, you look into two controversial issues in the same document.

While you’ll look into both sides of the argument, you’ll have to take a side and use information from different reliable sources to persuade reader to take your side.

3. Experimental Research

Experimental research papers are practical in form. Your instructor expects you to describe procedures you used in your experiment, accompanied by in-depth data analysis and a written report.

4. Survey Research Paper

With survey research papers, you have to collect information from as many respondents as you can find. Then, you have to analyze the information and write a final report.

Essay vs Research Paper: What are the Differences?

In this section, we’ll look at the differences between essays and research papers to give you more insight.

Differences in Writing

Since the primary objective of a research paper is to present a deeper knowledge of the subject, you have to do extensive research from different sources. 

You also have to do a deep data analysis before writing so you can make a concrete conclusion. 

Moreover, you have to be very conversant with the primary sources   on the subject to write a good research paper.  

With an essay, your goal is to show your teacher that you have good research and writing skills and can articulate your ideas in a way that shows your understanding of the given topic.

As such, essays won’t require deep research. In essay writing,   you don’t necessarily have to be familiar with the main sources on a given subject although it’s important to.

Differences in Outline and Length

An essay has three parts: an introduction, the main body, and a conclusion. The body section has at least 3 paragraphs , but there can be more depending on the subject, research, and the number of ideas you’d like to present.

A research paper has more sections. Your work needs to feature a title page, an abstract (summary of the research), the main body (divided into sections such as methodology and results), a conclusion, references, acknowledgements, and references.

An essay can be as short as one page, especially if it’s on a topic that doesn’t require extensive research. In some cases, you may have to make your essay longer .  So check the prompt to know how long your instructor expects you to make the essay.

On the other hand, a research paper is longer than a typical essay’s length and can span up to 8 pages or more.

Differences in Presentation

In essay writing,   students present their personal views on a given issue or subject and use reliable academic sources to support their opinions.

In research paper writing, you have to present other scientists and researchers’ point of views of a subject and also add your opinion as a writer. Therefore, you must not only logically organize your ideas but also formulate them academically.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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Essay Vs Research Paper

Table of Contents

An essay and a research paper are two different types of academic writing assignments that students are often required to complete during their academic careers.

An Essay is a piece of academic writing that typically presents the author’s personal opinion or interpretation on a particular topic. It is a relatively short piece of writing that may be persuasive, descriptive, or informative in nature. Essays may be assigned to students as homework, in-class assignments, or as part of an exam.

Research Paper

A Research Paper , on the other hand, is a type of academic writing that involves conducting research on a particular topic, analyzing and interpreting the findings, and presenting the results in a written format. Research papers are usually longer and more complex than essays, and require a more extensive analysis of the topic. Research papers are often assigned to students as part of a course, such as a research methods course or a capstone project.

Difference Between Essay and Research Paper

Here’s a comparison table that highlights the differences between essays and research papers:

Also see Research Methods

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Essay vs. Research Paper: What’s the difference?

Is there actually a difference between a research paper and an essay? For some people, these two terms have so many similarities that they use them interchangeably. However, there are quite a few major differences that must be clarified. Let’s compare the key purpose of research papers and essays, their structure, and writing style.

The definition of essay and research paper

An essay is a creative but short composition on a variety of given topics. Its main purpose is to reveal the proposed topic by bringing a number of arguments written in the form of abstracts supported by personal experience and all sorts of examples.

A research paper is a report on the topic chosen by the author or a description of the content of any article, book, or other scientific work. That is, it’s an author’s research that reveals the essence of a given topic, gives different opinions on the researched issue or problem, reflects on it, and represents the author’s findings and ways to solve the problem.

The key purpose

A research paper is based on an analysis of certain literature sources that the writer used when studying the topic. It consists of the facts indicated in the source. While working on it, the writer cannot make up his or her own facts or distort information from the source with his or her own opinion. The key word in this type of work is “information,” and it can’t be taken from personal experience. It’s collected from all kinds of sources: encyclopedic and educational literature, the Internet, magazines, and so on.

Writing an essay, the author strives to show her or his own attitude towards the problem, argue his/her position, and make the reader believe that this position is right. In this case, there are no restrictions for the writer. After all, the main purpose of the author is to express the attitude to the topic and his or her opinion, not being afraid that someone will doubt it.

Differences in writing style

The essay’s arbitrary composition allows the author to use different techniques to enhance the impact on the reader’s perception, like inversions, antithesis, irony, and other kinds of allegory. Its writing style encourages the author to use assumptions, rhetorical questions, and phraseological units. They add stylistic expressiveness to the text.

The research paper, on the other hand, must have a more restricted structure, with academic style of writing prevailing. The author must follow the formal tone of his or her work, carefully choosing each word to suit the topic. It’s the formal nature of the work that puts certain restrictions on using the same units of speech that are considered acceptable when writing an essay. Instead of convincing the reader, the author needs to answer all the questions raised in the paper.

Structural features

The research paper should meet certain stylistic and structural standards. Its obligatory components include an introduction, main part, methodology, findings, and conclusion. The introductory part contains a reference to the sources used in a paper indicating the name of the authors and the date and place of publication. It’s also here that the writer describes the relevance of the topic. Then the writer specifies ways of structuring the work and explains research methods. In the main part, the author sets out the essence of the problem. In the last two parts, the writer lists the results of the analysis and the options for their application.

The structure of the essay consists of an introduction with explanation of the topic’s relevance, the main part of the work, and the conclusion. Due to the content and form, it has many similarities with a composition, but the author faces a more complicated task: he or she must encourage the reader to reflect on the topic using persuasiveness and writing skills and evoke an emotional response.

These differences should be enough for you to understand why an essay and a research paper are not the same things. Still can’t write a single page? Save your precious time for something that really matters – buying research paper and let our creative team handle it for you!

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Difference Between an Essay and a Research Paper

The realm of academic writing is extremely varied. Book reviews, literature reviews, summaries, journals, synthesis, and others — there are several types students may come across. However, the top two places in the popularity rating still belong to essays and research papers. While they have numerous similarities, understanding their key differences will assist in completing your assignments without difficulty.

In this guide, let’s pay more attention to their features and see what identifying elements are worth remembering and sticking to in your work. Read on to discover the real nature of an essay and a research paper.

Essays in a Nutshell: Purpose, Structure, and Writing Tips

Creating a piece of academic writing that tells the target audience about an author’s opinion about the target argument means composing an essay. It may have a critical, interpretive, or analytic composition. Compared to other text types, including research papers, it is not as detailed and doesn’t solely focus on interpreting third-party opinions in the field.

From a structural standpoint, there are a couple of strategies to help you present your thoughts in an essay. While the general order with an introduction, body, and conclusion remains the same, you can stick to one of the following to state and prove your arguments:

• Chronological order — as it implies, this tactic describes a series of events that happened one after another. The introduction part consists of a hook, background, and thesis statement, and the related events will chronologically tell readers how the author has come up to a certain conclusion.
• Compare and contrast — that is where you find similarities and differences between two notions or phenomena. It is a common approach for argumentative essays and literary analysis texts.
• Problems, methods, and solutions — in this case, there are different paragraphs that discuss the problems you want to highlight in your essay, what methods and approaches have been used to solve them so far, and your personal perspective on the troubleshooting strategy.

To ensure your essay is as flawless as possible, do not forget to implement transition sentences to ensure that there are smooth connections between different parts of the text. In addition, you can ask for assistance from Write My Papers service. They have the proper specialists to create the best essay for you.

Research Papers in Detail: Overview and Composing Dos and Don’ts

When your task is to create a research paper, it means you will need to complete a piece of academic writing aimed at independent, multifaceted, and in-depth research of a certain problem or argument. The challenge is to bring together facts, evidence, and opinions on the chosen topic and represent your view as well as interpreting the information you emphasize in the paper.

When it comes to composing a research paper, you will have to follow its structure precisely:

• Abstract — you briefly state the problem you are going to discuss or solve in your research paper, highlighting the key research methods and conclusions.
• Introduction — that’s where you describe the research problem you will discuss in the paper and why taking an in-depth insight into it is crucial.
• Methodology — here, you will need to describe the procedures, materials, and research tools that helped you study the target problem from different perspectives as precisely as possible.
• Results — in this section, you emphasize the summary of your discoveries and findings. Feel free to include different text formats here — visual materials like infographics, graphs, and tables will surely come in handy.
• Discussion — your task is to interpret the paper’s findings and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your research statement
• Conclusion — that is a final summary of all your work.
• List of references — of course, your paper is not only a representation of your thoughts and opinions. You have to prove your point of view by citing other valuable sources. Follow the principles of the target citation style to get things done correctly.

Essays vs. Research Papers: What Is the Difference?

Let’s represent the key features that will help you distinguish these two types of academic writing texts from one another:

• Length — while essays are typically short and guide the reader through the topic in five paragraphs on average, research papers consist of at least eight pages.
• View — essays can be personalized, representing your opinion, and research papers are a combination of individual and scientific ideas and insights.
• Purpose — if you want to boost your writing skills, essays will be efficient. For deepening your knowledge and expertise on the topic, composing a research paper will be a much more sufficient challenge.

Key Takeaways

Research papers and essays are both the most widespread text types in academic writing. They stand out with unique requirements for their length, purpose, objectivity, structure, methodology, and timeframe — it would be a mistake to say that essays are just a shorter form of research paper. With this introductory guide, it will be easier to complete the target assignment and not lose points for its wrong interpretation.

No matter what, choose the topic that sparkles interest and curiosity flares. It will simplify your preparation and research, letting you compose a text that engages readers from its title to the last dot.

About the Author  Kyrie Mattos

• Robertson Library

What is the difference between a paper and an essay?

Usually, nothing!

Papers and essays are the same thing. A research paper is a paper or essay that uses information from other sources, such as books and articles.

A paper or essay might also be referred to as an assignment . An assignment is any work you need to do for a course. 

Instructors often use project to describe large assignments. Some projects include writing a paper.

If you are unsure of your assignment or paper requirements, ask your instructor. They are the ones who will be marking your work, so they will know what is needed for a good grade.

If you want to know more about how to write a research paper, you should make an appointment at the Writing Centre .

Research Papers Vs. Essays (Differences and Similarities)

In high school, college, university, and even professional life, you will write many assignments, including research papers and essays. In school, instructors and professors use essays and research papers to test your understanding of concepts taught in class. It is, therefore, imperative to know the difference between essays and research papers.

You came to the right place if you struggle to get the facts right about essays vs. research papers. This guide guides you through the similarities and differences between the two common papers written at all academic levels.

In a nutshell, research papers focus on facts to argue a point, while essays focus on an individual's understanding of a topic. Understanding the difference between these two pieces of writing will help you succeed in school.

With that said, here is an overview of essays and research papers.

What is an Essay?

An essay is a short piece of writing demonstrating your comprehension, critical thinking, analytical skills, creativity, and awareness of a given topic. The length of the essay will determine the citations it should have and how long it takes to write it. So for a 500 words essay, the instructor will require at least five verifiable sources. Since they are short in length, they usually have five paragraphs starting with an introduction, followed by the body, and then a conclusion.

The main objectives of an essay are to:

• Inform the reader by providing accurate and proven information about a particular topic
• Convince the audience of a specific headline using researched evidence
• Explain a topic by providing in-depth information with flowing content
• Entertain the readers through humor and other funny statements

Check out our comprehensive guide on how to write a good essay .

Format and Structure

The basic format of an essay is an introduction, body, and conclusion. You must fashion all the ideas- one at a time - in the order that makes sense. To successfully deliver the content to the readers, you must attend to their logic. You have to introduce the arguments, analyze all the data, provide counterarguments and conclude the topic.

You should consider every part of the essay answering basic questions the reader is probably asking. These questions are: what, how, why.

The "what" explains what evidence leads you to your thesis statement, and you must therefore examine all the evidence demonstrating the truth of your fact.

The "how" explains how other arguments can counter your thesis statements. In other words, how does another way of looking at things affect your claims?

The "why" shows why the readers should care about your statements and allows them to learn more about what you are saying in a larger context.

An essay follows different formats depending on the academic style of writing requested; it could be MLA, APA, or Chicago format. For example, the APA style is used in social and health sciences, MLA in liberal arts, Language, Literature, and humanities, and the Chicago style in literature, history, and arts.

However, the structure is as follows:

Introduction

The introduction paragraph sets the stage for what is to come. It has three main parts:

• Background information
• Thesis statement

The first sentence of the introduction should grab the reader's attention . Next, you should arouse curiosity through an eye-catching statement for the reader to continue reading the essay. You can achieve this by using a joke, statistics, or research findings.

Background Information

Give the readers the context of the essay by providing some background information depending on the essay's subject. Don't give too much information — mention just a few points you will divulge later in the text. Just make sure you save the evidence for the body of the essay. The length of this information will depend on the scope of your essay.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement sums up the main ideas of your topic and helps control the essay's narrative. Therefore, the statement should state clearly the main idea you want readers to grasp.

Body (Arguments)

The body is the longest part of the essay, which is organized into different paragraphs. Each paragraph elaborates on one idea and contains between four to five sentences. Every paragraph contains three sections starting with the topic sentence, followed by a supporting sentence and a concluding sentence.

The topic sentence informs the reader about the paragraph, and the supporting sentence expounds on the central idea. And the concluding sentence summarizes what you have talked about.

The conclusion is the last paragraph of the essay. It aims to summarize the essay's main parts, show the essence of your argument, and leave the reader with a sense of closure.

When writing the conclusion paragraph of an essay , you should restate the thesis statement to remind the reader what you talked about, followed by a summary of your arguments and counterarguments. Finally, the last sentence of the paragraph should state your concluding thought.

Types of Essays

There are different types of essays, each with its own objectives. They include:

• Descriptive
• Argumentative

Narrative Essays

Narrative essays are mostly personal, and they tell a story. This essay is written from a first-person perspective.

Descriptive Essays

Descriptive essays describe something— object, person, place, emotion, or situation from your own perspective.

Expository Essays

Expository essays aim at explaining a topic with facts. This is where you analyze a given piece of information and explain in detail how you have reached your conclusion.

Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay presents both sides of an argument to inform the reader. An instructor will give this type of essay to gauge your debating skills.

Persuasive Essay

The persuasive essay aims to convince the reader. The writing presents logical information with an emotional appeal to the reader to believe your point of view.

What is a Research Paper?

A research paper is academic writing that involves supportive evidence about a given topic. It provides a perspective on a given topic using various sources supported by qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Research papers are usually similar to essays, but they are much longer and involve in-depth research conducted independently. In addition, you must spend time investigating and evaluating multiple sources to offer an interpretation of a given text.

Since the main aim of a research paper is to develop a new argument, you must include a literature review. A literature review is a foundation and support for your research, and it is a survey of academic sources on a given topic that helps you identify theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

They are more formal as they involve rigorous and thorough research resulting in a central idea. Only when a paper meets this requirement will the instructor give a good grade. Their aim is to differentiate between opinions and facts, provide a detailed understanding of a given topic, and critique previously written work.

To effectively write a research paper, you must clearly define your research question. If your instructor has already assigned you a topic, there is no need. If not, try to choose an interesting research question.

Choose a research strategy by analyzing the materials you will use for your research. Then evaluate all the sources by focusing on their credibility and whether they support your research question.

Like essays, research papers also have paragraphs and follow the same academic writing formats, but their structure is much different. Their structure is as follows:

• Materials/methods

Acknowledgments

A title page contains all the vital information about the paper you are writing. The page is usually placed in front of the research paper. It contains your name, the name of the project, and your learning institution. Since it's the first page the reader will see, it should be well formatted. The title on the page should clearly display your thesis statement.

The abstract highlights the main points of your projects to help inform the readers what the paper is about. They are recorded along with keywords to help readers find your content more easily. The abstract should be clear and accurate.

An introduction part allows you to define the topic and establish your voice. The introduction should be interesting enough to get the reader hooked. It usually aims at:

• Presenting the problem statement, topic, and research investigation in the first part of the introduction
• Establish the aim and focus of your research in the second part
• Present the summary of your arguments in the third part

Research papers also have a thesis statement, like essays mostly found at the end of the introduction. It aims to explain what you are trying to prove and provide the main points in the research.

Materials/ Methods

The material/ methods section clearly defines what materials you used to perform your research. The aim is to direct readers to specialized materials, general procedures, and methods to weigh the value of your project. For example, these materials could be questionnaires that provide information about your paper. The materials should be specific and relevant to your field of study.

You should describe in detail how you conducted the analysis in their personal narrative and briefly list the methods used.

The results section is where you report what your findings are based on all the information you gathered with the materials you had. You should state the findings without biases or interpretation, allowing the reader to do that themselves. The findings should only be from your study, and they could be:

• Quantitative information - is data that can be measured and is presented in graphs, tables, or charts.
• Qualitative information - which is brief descriptions or explanations and is often presented as lists or essay like form

The discussion section shows the results and outcomes of your paper. It reviews and interprets the findings of the research and allows the readers to see the connection between all the parts of the paper. The discussion should include the following:

• Results you gathered from the research
• Discussion of related research
• Comparison between the research and your initial hypothesis

You must demonstrate your critical thinking skills when developing your arguments and establishing the relationship between each part the same way you would in an essay.

The conclusion section outlines why the research is important to the reader and why they should care. It summarizes all the parts mentioned in the paper and demonstrates the implications of your research. The writing should be on point to deliver your message to the readers.

The acknowledgment section appreciates all the contributors for their efforts in the research. You should mention all the contributors directly involved in your research. They could be:

• Funding Organization/ Donor
• Administrative personnel
• Your professors
• Work supervisors

The reference section is the last part of your research paper. This section shows that you have clearly and carefully conducted your research. It demonstrates that your work is credible, and readers can rely on it. You should list all the research material used. The average number of references in most research papers is 45.

Types of Research Papers

Like essays, there are different research papers, each requiring different preparation. These are argumentative and analytical research papers:

Argumentative Research Paper

When writing an argumentative research paper, you discuss your topic and then choose the stand you will be taking. The hope is to persuade the reader to take your stand.

Analytical Research Paper

You state your topic in an analytical research paper and take a neutral stance. You will then provide your arguments and facts, leaving the reader to choose their stance. The aim is not to persuade the reader but to present a well-supported analysis of a given topic.

Survey Research Paper

Survey research involves collecting data from a group of people through quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Experimental Research Paper

Based on experimental research or empirical research, this type of paper provides information about the procedures you have used in your research. It is mainly written as a scientific or empirical paper following the IMRAD format.

Definition Paper

In definition papers, you will describe an argument's facts without sharing personal emotions and only provide a list of facts without analyzing them.

What is the Aim of the Research Paper?

Learning how to write a research paper is to:

Provide Knowledge

Through research, you will gain new insights about a particular topic making you more knowledgeable.

Boost the Success, Not Business

The findings of a research paper will influence decision-makers to take positive action. For instance, if you wrote a paper about the importance of using laptops in schools, more laptops will be provided even to learners.

Enhance Public Awareness

By writing compelling research about a given headline and sharing it with the public, you give them an understanding of your ideas. Providing detailed and well-researched information will help the readers see the relevance of your conclusion.

What Are the Differences Between an Essay and a Research Paper?

After looking at each of them individually, what are the differences between them?

  They Have Different Purposes

Even though they are both academic writings, they have different purposes. When an instructor assigns you a research paper, they want to know your deep understanding of a given topic by sharing how you have come to that realization. In other words, it demonstrates your opinions and those of other scientists. On the other hand, an essay shows your opinion about something even though you will research your information, and your point of view about the topic should be unique.

  A Research Paper is More Formal

A research paper involves in-depth research from reputable sources, which you should prove in the form of references. On the other hand, an essay doesn't need in-depth research; it mainly relies on your thoughts and opinion. They are also not as complex as a research paper in terms of headings and subheadings.

  More Time and Effort Are Needed in Writing a Research Paper Than an Essay

A research paper is a long piece of academic writing that requires multiple sources and a deeper understanding of information to reach a conclusion. Since there is tons of information to find and go through, more time is taken to do the research.

So while an essay can be completed in a few hours, a research paper can take days or even weeks to complete.

  Differences in Length

Both essays and research papers are organized the same way. An essay has three parts: an introduction which includes a thesis statement, a body, and a supportive conclusion. You will need to hook your readers when writing the introduction for them to proceed with writing. The body usually has between four to five paragraphs which must be arranged systematically to make sense to the reader. Their word count ranges between 500 and 1000 words with about 5 citations.

Because research papers require in-depth research, they are much longer than essays and are usually referred to as multipage writing. A research paper typically has nine parts arranged in order with between 8 to 100 references. Regardless, both forms of academic writing follow the same organizational structure.

Here is a table that shows the similarities and differences between the two.

More differences and similarities between essays and research papers ( source )

Final Words

An essay and research paper are common types of academic writing assigned to high school, college, and university students. Essays are the shortest pieces of writing which show your understanding of a given topic during a research paper. The above difference will help you in your academic writing journey.

Life is full of demands, and you will juggle work, home duties, family responsibilities, and social life. When you add studies and writing papers to the packed schedule, you might break down mentally.

Do you need help with a research paper or an essay ? GradeCrest is the most preferred place for students and professionals who want their research papers done. We have expert paper writers who can handle papers on various topics and almost all subjects; no subject lacks an expert or is too hard to crack for us. You can order your essay or research paper by filling out the order form on our home page.

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

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What Is The Difference Between Research Paper and Essay

Whether you are a high school or university student, it is essential to realize that academic writing involves the development of essays and research papers. The ability to compose these types of assignments is essential for academic achievement. Unfortunately, an essay and a research paper share many similarities, and the majority of students do not comprehend the differences between the two; thus, they wind up producing a research paper instead of an essay, and vice versa.

It is important to note that an essay and a research paper share qualities, such as the necessity for extensive study, writing abilities, a specified length, the requirement for citations, and the ability to construct a bibliography.

What Is An Essay Exactly?

An essay is a sort of academic writing that often consists of less than five paragraphs. Writing an essay, unlike other forms of writing, demands a significant level of imagination as well as exceptional writing abilities. Remember that a high-quality paper must be rationally organized and backed by evidence that can be verified.

A common purpose of an essay is to communicate one’s opinion on a certain issue. Your perspective is formed by how you interpret and utilize external sources. The number of citations utilized in an essay is determined by the length of the paper. For instance, the majority of instructors want at least five references for an essay of 500 words.

Essay writing is one of the most common tasks assigned to high school and college students. It is essential to note that essays are often brief writings (less than one thousand words) whose primary purpose is to allow teachers to evaluate students’ writing, reading, persuasive, and analytical abilities.

Types of Essays

The types of classifications for essays are presented below.

Academic Essays

Typically, academic essays are required at the college and university level. Remember that these papers are based on the information supplied in your coursework as well as external sources. These articles are also longer, ranging from 3000-5000 words in length. Most importantly, these tests are meant to evaluate students’ intelligence.

Descriptive Essays

The purpose of descriptive essays is to stimulate the reader’s senses by describing the characteristics of a certain topic or issue. To produce an excellent descriptive essay, you must use the appropriate devices, such as adjectives, similes, metaphors, etc.

Personal Story Essays

A narrative essay is a factual or fictitious summary of your life experiences intended to enlighten the audience. Typically, narrative essays are written in the first person to enhance the reader’s understanding of the author’s experience.

Narrative essays are written from the author’s perspective and are meant to captivate the reader with the story’s progression. To create an engaging story, you must use correct writing techniques, such as character development, setting, climax, and resolution.

Comparative Essays

A comparison essay contrasts and compares two subjects to demonstrate their similarities and differences. It is essential to keep in mind that a comparison essay is intriguing when two contrasting things, such as apples and mangoes, are compared.

The opening paragraph of a comparison essay has a thesis statement that highlights the two subjects to be contrasted. For instance, “organic bananas may be more expensive than naturally grown bananas, but they are worth the extra expense.”

Comparison essays might be organized according to topics or specific points. It is vital to remember that the order depends on the article’s purpose and readership.

Essays on Philosophy

A philosophical essay employs a logical argument to support or defend a stance. The objective of a philosophical essay is to enable you to effectively express ideas to your audience using appropriate language.

The steps to creating an excellent philosophical essay are as follows.

• Mention the claim to be shown;
• Support or offer an argument for the claim;
• Justify why the argument is acceptable;
• Demonstrate that the propositions are true;
• Consider and respond to criticism of your claim; and
• Summarize the evidence presented.

It is crucial to remember that the topic you choose will determine the quality of your philosophical essay. Consequently, ensure that the topic you select is both engaging and capable of withstanding a complete academic investigation.

What Is A Research Paper Exactly?

The research paper is described as an original piece of writing that contains the study’s findings. “Research” refers to the continual investigation of various methods to justify the central purpose statement or issue under consideration. There are typically two types of research papers: quantitative and qualitative.

For cognitively bright children, the word “research paper” elicits a flutter of excitement. This is not always the case, though. In reality, it is best to think of a research paper as an enlarged essay. In general, the framework of both types of writing is similar; however, you may be required to include a thesis question (which is not typically required for other essay types), conduct extensive research, and provide evidence to support your beliefs. It is possible that you may be expected to incorporate a number of trustworthy sources into your work, which will be listed as references. And, perhaps most importantly, focusing on the informative article will be more enjoyable if you choose a topic that you are interested in researching.

Students are encouraged to do research, but their conclusions must be supported by trustworthy sources. The normal length for a research paper is between 5 and 15 pages. After obtaining all necessary material from several sources, the student’s work will be organized into a framework for their consideration. Teachers regularly set these tasks for pupils in order to teach them how to balance their writing abilities and to encourage structural uniformity and the use of the standard format.

In addition, research papers are frequently used to gain authentic information on a particular topic, after which the student collects evidence during the exploratory phase and summarizes the results by providing a basic analysis or disposition. It is advisable that you seek free research paper samples before writing your own, as this will help you grasp the whole concept.

APA, Chicago, and MLA, to name a few, are citation formats frequently used in research articles. The text has a consistent emphasis and considerable study, and it provides precise information and an understanding of the subject while separating opinions from facts. The paper’s results and conclusions are also effective. Among other names, a research paper is sometimes known as a research project and a term paper.

Types of Research Papers

As a student, it is crucial to comprehend the many types of research papers, as each requires a unique writing strategy. The kind of articles that follow is indicated.

Research Analysis

In an analytical research report, you compile information from the findings of other researchers to draw a conclusion on a certain topic. In this essay, it is preferable to maintain objectivity and avoid expressing positive or negative opinions.

Research Paper With An Argument

In a single text, an argumentative research paper discusses two disputed topics. It is vital to remember that while writing these essays, you should provide information from several scholars to support either side of the topic, but you should favor one side over the other as you attempt to persuade the reader to your position. In addition, this type of research paper has more than one hundred great argumentative topics.

Descriptive Research Paper

A descriptive research paper delivers information without the author’s personal opinion. It is essential to use a range of sources without evaluating the content when writing this piece.

Survey Study Research Paper

A survey involves collecting data from respondents, analyzing the data, and producing a report with the findings.

Experimental Research Paper

In an experimental research paper, you discuss the procedures used in the experiment, evaluate the outcomes, and then write the report.

Comparisons of an Essay and a Research Paper

The main difference between a research paper and an essay is that research papers are often lengthier than essays, which are typically four to five paragraphs long. A research paper is a longer piece of writing than one page. In contrast to research papers, which usually involve an argument for or study of a topic, essays provide responses to questions.

Research papers use information from various sources to support their points, whereas essays depend mostly on the author’s own opinions and experiences.

The purpose of creating a research paper is to conduct and publish a report that contains the author’s unique and exhaustive study on a particular topic. Essays are written with a specific purpose in mind: to analyze previously published content on a specified topic. When writing essays, one may express one’s own opinions on a certain topic.

A research report reveals the author’s in-depth investigation of a certain issue. This is considered “primary literature” in academic circles. There is no original research included in essays, only already published content. The term for this kind of literature is secondary literature.

Data Collection

After the creation of research questions, the acquisition of raw data, and the preparation of research papers, researchers perform studies. The author chooses a topic and provides a summary of previously published material as well as his or her own viewpoint on the subject.

The content of the research paper is based on the analysis and application of past research. The substance of the articles provides an overview and foundational knowledge of the subject.

A research paper describes each part of the investigation, including the hypothesis, literature evaluation, methods, and findings. On a certain topic, essays summarize existing research and perspectives.

? ? ?Word Count

The word count of a research paper may range between 3000 and 12000. The average length of an essay, on the other hand, is between 3000 and 5000 words.

Due to their similarities, an essay and a research report are difficult to differentiate. In order to prevent confusion when writing, it is crucial for students to comprehend these distinctions. Numerous research papers are around eight pages long, and they are often longer than essays. The length of a research paper makes its composition more challenging than that of an essay.

Frequently Asked Questions

How different are essays and research papers.

An extended essay in which you offer your own analysis, viewpoint, or argument is called a research paper. Writing an essay requires using all you know and have thought about the subject.

What are the similarities between an essay and a research report?

There is a lot of overlap between the essay structure and the research paper format. Each has an introductory and concluding paragraph. Each written assignment features a clear thesis statement or research subject at the outset, often toward the end of the introductory paragraph.

To what end does one typically write such a paper?

A research paper’s goal is not only to educate the reader on what others have said about a topic; rather, it is to intelligently give a separate position on the situation at hand by drawing on and engaging the sources. There are two primary types of research papers used for this purpose.

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The Difference between an Essay and a Research Paper

If you don't know the difference between an essay and a research paper, you are not alone. The descriptions of the two types of writing are similar, but there are key differences. Most importantly, the difference is the work involved. If you're preparing to write your first research paper, get comfortable. It's going to take time and a lot of study.

For an essay, the most important viewpoint on the topic being written about is the writer's. After an essay writer does some research on their topic, they will develop a thesis statement and write body paragraphs with topic sentences that relate back to the thesis statement in order to develop their argument. An essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes the writer's point of view on the topic.

For a research paper, the most important viewpoint is that of others who have written on the topic. A research paper presents all the findings and conclusions other researchers have drawn.

The average essay will include approximately five paragraphs: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

A research paper can get quite lengthy. Unless the topic being discussed is very new and there hasn't been a lot of prior research by other scholars, presenting all of the other conclusions reached on the topic may require many pages of writing.

Doing research for an essay is important and finding outside sources to support your argument may take some time, but research for a good research paper should be comprehensive. In other words, you'll need to know what every other scholar has argued about your topic in order to fully complete a research paper.

Essays have four basic types and structures: expository (presenting the information), descriptive (painting a picture for a reader using words), persuasive (arguing your point of view), and narrative (telling a story).

Research papers come in many different forms, but the most common are compare and contrast, argumentative, analytical, cause and effect, and interpretive. While a persuasive essay and an argumentative research paper use similar tones, a research paper must include as many of the existing arguments as possible for the writer's conclusion to be considered soundly formed.

No matter which type of writing you'll do, it's important to pick a topic that interests you. After all, you're going to be doing a lot of reading and writing about it. You'll just do a lot more reading and writing with a research paper than you will with an essay.

Major Difference Between Essay and Research Paper

Team Desklib

Published: 2023-02-01

Essay and research papers are different forms of articles that have varying styles and formats. A research paper includes a thorough search of information, facts, and evidence to support the statement of the research paper. However, an essay is a piece of writing that is often written from a personal or limited point of view. Understanding the differences between an essay and a research paper will help one to enhance their writing skills. It will also be useful to write effect essay and research paper as one can easily manage the essay vs research paper encounter.

In this blog post, we will provide you with the major differences between an essay and a research paper .

• Point of view
• Need for research
• Writer’s liberty
• Structuring rule
• Methodology

These differences will aid you to differentiate clearly between an essay and a research paper.

• Length :  Length is one of the most important elements of a piece of writing. One of the key differences between an essay and vs research paper is the length. This is because the length of a research paper is usually long as it includes several chapters. However, in an essay, the length can be altered and is usually shorter than in a research paper. The length makes a research paper more time-consuming as it is multi-page writing. An essay can be finished within less time due to its short length. We suggest that writing a research paper would require a long length so keep adequate time in hand.
• Point of view:   The point of view of an article is extremely important as it determines the purpose of the writing. In the discussion of essay vs research paper, we can say that the point of view is different in both these writing. In an essay, the students can showcase their personal opinion through the article which needs to be backed by supporting sources. However, in a research paper, the point of view of people on a given topic is analyzed. Generally, a scientist or an organization’s perspective on a topic is considered for writing a research paper. The opinion of people that might be related to the research topic area is also included in writing the research paper.
• Need for research :  We know that an essay vs research paper has several differences among which, the requirement for research is significant. The need for conducting in-depth research is essential to writing a research paper. Types of research papers may need several kinds of research based on the nature of the research topic. While for an essay in-depth research is not mandatory. This is because in an essay individuals can opine their thoughts which may not require in-depth research. A majority portion of an essay comes from a personal viewpoint which is what makes it different from a research paper. In a research paper, a proper investigation of the research issue is required.
• Aim :  The aim of an essay vs a research paper is different due to the varying nature of the two writing styles. An essay aims to understand the writing skills and capabilities of the writer. Individuals can practice their writing capabilities by writing an essay as one enjoys the liberty of exploring personal ideas to write an essay. On the other hand, a research paper aims to analyze a matter with depth and evidence. Types of essays can differ in their approach to writing style but their aim remains focused on determining the writer's writing skills. A research paper focuses on findings that shed light on the research issue. We can state that the aim is entirely different between essay and research paper which clearly defines its differences.
• Knowledge :  Knowledge is important to write any piece article. However, the necessity to know about a topic is a key difference between an essay and vs research paper. This is because writing a research paper requires the individual to gain adequate knowledge and understanding regarding the topic. It is essential to have a proper understanding of the research matter to be able to analyze the findings efficiently. In an essay, the individual does not need to have in-depth knowledge about the essay topic. For instance, one may not be entirely familiar with the topic of the essay which is not an issue to write an essay. In the case of a research paper, individuals need to gather relevant knowledge about the topic. We suggest it is better to have basic information regarding the topic for any writing style, for an essay the need is not mandatory.
• Writer’s liberty :  Types of research papers show that in research the writer needs to abstain from sharing a personal opinion, whereas, n an essay, one has the liberty to share their personal opinion. Essay vs research paper reflects on the writer’s liberty which is significantly different in both write-ups. Essays can expose the personal preference and view of the writer as that freedom is given to the individual. Although, in the case of writing a research paper strictly staying in line with facts and evidence is advisory. We suggest that during writing a research paper keeping personal views away is highly useful as it would help individuals to make sure that the research paper is efficient.
• Structuring rule :  We understand that structuring is an important part of a writing piece. In the context of essay vs research, paper structuring becomes a major differentiating point. An essay allows an individual to play around with the structure of the essay. Usually, an introduction, main body, and conclusion are broad sections of an essay. Students have the freedom to experiment with the structure depending on the topic and its nature. A non-negotiable structure must be maintained in a research paper. This is due to the strict structuring rule of a research paper that needs to be abided by the writer. A proper introduction, chapters, and conclusion need to be given in a research paper.
• Types :  Several types of essays are present such as narrative, descriptive, comparative, academic, philosophical, and argumentative. In all these types of essays, the writer requires to write descriptive typewriting. An essay needs to maintain a narration that has a balanced tone throughout the writing. Types of research papers include argumentative and analytical writing. A research paper involves an analytical approach to writing research. The narration is different in an essay vs research paper which needs to be well maintained by the writer. We know that an essay provides with liberty to be flexible with the structure which is why the narration can be descriptive. However, in a research paper, the content has to be concise and to the point, as it is entirely evidence-based. It is essential to make the writing narrative clear right from the beginning to help the reader easily identify whether it is an essay or a research paper.
• Format :   The formatting is one of the major differences between essay vs research paper writing. The format of an essay has broader divisions into the introduction, main body, and conclusion. Although, the main body usually needs to have 3 paragraphs which can increase based on the total word count of the essay. While in a research paper, several divisions are mandatory. An introduction, body, and conclusion are also included in the research paper. However, an abstract, acknowledgment, references, and title page are important parts of a research paper. The formatting of a research paper has more divisions than an essay. The writer must maintain the formatting styles properly for an essay as well as a research paper. This is because the format reflects the article type.
• Methodology :  A methodology is a process that describes the methods and steps used to complete a research. We can say that in an essay vs a research paper, a methodology is a mandatory part of a research paper, unlike an essay. Writing a research paper needs to include a particular chapter on methodology in which the steps discussed in detail that has been used to collect data. In an essay, no such requirement is present as a methodology pattern is not maintained in an essay. An essay has a narrative pattern that does not include methodology. A specific methodology needs to be mentioned in a research paper which is not required in an essay as one specific methodology is not used.

Examples of Research Paper;

• Research Paper on Shampoo Assignment
• Research Paper on Chinese Government Censor SNS (social networking site)
• Research Paper on SAP S/4HANA Finance (pdf)
• The Process of Writing an English Research Paper
• Indian food Research Papers
• SCM Globe Research Paper

Examples of Reflective Essay; 

• Reflective Essay On Health Education To Delay Type 2 Diabetes Complication In Adults
• NURSING 3004 - Reflective Essay On Mental Health- Nursing
• Essay on Mental Health and Mental Illness
• Essay on Importance of Mental Health
• Reflective Essay - Paramedic Emergency Clinical Placement
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Essay
• ALHLT 3933 - Healthcare Issue - Case study
• Essay on “The Old Gun” by Mo Yan
• Essay on Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
• NURS1018 - Obesity in Australia - Essay

To conclude…

Essay and research papers are two different types of writing. We can conclude that the major differences between essays and research papers include the factors related to aim, structure, and format. The aim and purpose of an essay are entirely different from a research paper. An essay provides certain liberties of sharing the personal opinion and thoughts of the writer in the article. In a research paper, we know that the writer's personal opinion cannot be expressed. A research paper is stricter as it maintains a proper structure, formatting style, and methodology. While an essay is more lenient as it has a descriptive narrative in which individuals can explore their perspectives.

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Learn about the Difference Between Research Paper and Essay

Updated 30 Aug 2024

The purpose of this guide is to help you understand the difference between essay and research paper writing tasks as you encounter them. We shall study the features, see relevant academic definitions, and analyze the key elements that help set them apart. Learning about the differences and similarities, we shall identify the elements required for an essay or research paper. If you require academic writing help and the finest customer service, then the best writing service is a great option for you.

What is an Essay?

When you are a high school learner or a college student, the chances are high that you will encounter both essay writing and conducting your first research paper. That's when you start to think about who can write my college essay. The majority of essays that students encounter often have a creative element to them and require the presence of good writing skills. It's a reason why these are often seen as an easier task since research papers require a synthesis of available information and, as the title implies, researching.

Starting with the small essays that you encounter in school to persuasive college writing to help your readers choose a certain point, an essay can be defined as a piece of academic writing where the writer's opinion is presented with the use of at least three pieces of evidence to support these thoughts. They are not as complex as research writing and are usually only up to five paragraphs in length.

Speaking of the key research paper vs essay elements that help to set an essay apart from other types of writing, these are the rules to remember:

• An essay is usually a piece of writing that is up to 1,000 words or shorter. 
• Writing an essay usually relates to a particular subject or so-called 'essay prompt'. 
• In certain cases, essays are written as a response to a proposition or a question set by the college professor. 
• Essays are not complex in terms of headings and sub-headings, which are typical for research papers. 
• Essays, however, do require the use of quotes and references for anything that is not your personal opinion. 
• The use of a subjective tone is often met for this type of writing. 
• The purpose is to analyze and criticize the given topic. 
• The use of photographs and multimedia elements is not that frequent in essay writing.

In most cases, an essay’s structure will contain an introduction with a thesis statement, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion part where an author has a right to write one’s thoughts down as a reflection, analysis, or a part of the creative writing task. Unlike a typical research paper where a methodology and samples data must be used, essays do not require these elements. At the same time, writing such a type of paper has its own specifics, and using essay editing services can be your advantage.

What is a Research Paper?

Although it is technically an essay, it has a different purpose and structure when compared to classic essay writing. It's necessary to include information and synthesis based on specific data by turning to external sources that may include books on the topic, scientific articles, interviews, web sources, and first-hand surveys. Exploring the difference between research paper and essay, remember that the main purpose here is to bring a selection of the different academic views on a subject by turning to facts and concepts as you also interpret information to create an accessible, readable framework.

The research paper should always contain the following elements that are not typical for general essay writing:

• Every research paper contains a methodology, which can be either qualitative or quantitative. In certain cases, it can be a mixture of both, depending on your subject. 
• There is a conceptual framework with the implementation of a school of thought, theoretical, or model-based writing. 
• An introduction part will implement at least one research question. 
• A literature review must be included to explain what kind of information you have used. 
• Your methods and objectives must be set clear. 
• It's necessary to include the results of your findings by talking about what aspects have been achieved and what has proved helpful for your take on things. 
• The conclusion part also contains the author's discussion of the outcomes and a list of possible recommendations. 
• Unlike an essay, research papers talk about limitations that have been encountered during the process of writing and researching. 
• Research papers set the problem and provide certain solutions or assumptions that may be helpful as you address a particular issue or an event. 
• The presence of good sources is essential for a successful outcome of any academic research.

In addition, research papers also use references, endnotes and footnotes, appendices for those large chunks of information, acknowledgments, and the author's short biography paragraph for some Master's or Ph.D. works. As a rule, such research papers are quite lengthy and can take up to fifty pages or even more. Since almost every research paper these days is composed independently, it usually sounds challenging for college students when it only requires a different approach and more time to get things done right. 

The Key Differences Between Essay and Research Paper

Let’s sum up the key aspects as we explore the difference between essay and paper meant for research. The table below compares things and points out the major differences that will help you understand the purpose of each academic paper type:

- What is the most important difference between a research paper and a simple essay?

Comparing research paper vs essay, the most important difference is the use of a strict methodology and research objectives that no research paper can get through without. An essay can be a personal reflection with no sources per se, yet every research paper should explain a problem and set the methods that help to address and, possibly, solve it efficiently. 

Exploring the Similarities

It's only natural to find it hard to differentiate an essay and a research paper, especially if you plan to do some research in either case. So why things are so challenging then? The truth is that both research papers and essays will require the following with a subsequent study of the given grading rubric and will have at least three points that must not be altered in any way. These are:

• Organizational structure . Both types of papers will have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion part. While there are certain differences when you are planning to conduct research, there are certain similarities as you have to introduce your subject correctly.
• The presence of a strong thesis statement that poses an opinion, an argument, or an assumption . This part will always remain relevant as your task is to provide a thesis that will be supported by the facts, real-life events, or statistical data. While it may not be obligatory for an essay, the inclusion of this part will help your essay paper sound even more confident.
• At least basic research is still required! This is where things can easily get confusing, yet the major point is the use of external information. While you may get by with an essay by just checking things, starting with a research paper, you must provide more sources to show that you are researching, not just touching upon the subject in a superficial way!

The other essay vs paper research similarities that you will find helpful include the use of a clear and concise formatting system where your grammar skills must be used to deliver the information. Turning to references and summary in the conclusion is another point that makes research paper writing similar to most essay types that are encountered these days. For example, as you learn how to write an autobiography essay, you may not use any external sources or references, which instantly sets it apart. Still, you may have to use additional statistical data or references, which can make it challenging while still remaining a type of an essay, not a research paper!

If you are still confused about the difference between essay and research paper tasks, the general rule is to look into the structure of the homework paper that you have to complete. When you see the words like “ Literature review ”, “ Methodology ” and “ Samples ” in the structural part of your grading rubric and the length goes beyond 1,500 words, it’s most likely a research paper you are dealing with! 

Get Your Academic Writing Under Control

As you are striving for the best grades, the most important is to choose your essay or research paper title correctly as it will help you to narrow things down and keep focused on your subject or research problem. Those students that take their time to explore and check things twice always win as they are able to keep their writing structured throughout by wasting no minute of their precious time! Remember to take notes, write down the list of helpful sources, and always check your grading rubric twice to ensure that you address every important point as you write! 

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Essay vs. research paper is a quite debatable topic. Although both of them are completely different from each other but possess some similarities as well. This causes the students to get confused between both of them. It can create chaos in a student's mind; they may start pondering upon questions like what is an essay paper? Or what is research essay? To be clear, let's first see the similarities and differences between essay writing and research paper?

Similarities between essay and research paper

Despite being one of their own kinds they still share some common attributes. Research papers and essays both are required at different academic levels in the form of assignments. Typically, both of them follow a quite similar structural form. However, a research paper focuses more on answering a research question, while essays often debate on a particular topic. General similarities are as follows;

• Talking about structure, essays and research papers both possess almost a similar kind of basic structure. Both of them begin with an introduction and they include body paragraphs and a conclusion.
• Essay and research papers both require some kind of research before writing.

Differences between essay and research paper

There are many differences between essay and research paper , both of them are unique in their own sense. Essay vs. research paper what is the difference? Let’s have a look one by one;

• The major difference in research paper and essay is the length. Research papers are usually longer in length, while essays are shorter and include 4 to 5 paragraphs in general.
• Research paper is included in the multi-page writing. While essays are more precise.
• The research papers generally describe the analysis of a point, while essays provide the answers to different questions.
• Research papers depend more on the knowledge of other researchers for proving the point while essays mainly depend on the personal experiences and thinking of the writer.
• Research papers are included in primary literature while essays are taken as secondary literature.
• The research paper writer starts his work from scratch. But in essays the writer picks up a topic and gets data from the work done by others.
• The research paper is based on analysis and conduction of research. On the other hand, essays are based on general overview.
• The research paper includes more steps than an essay.
• The word count of both of them has a huge difference.

Having this said, let’s have a broader look at similarities and differences between essays and research papers.

Moving with sequence, let's begin with essays. An essay is generally considered as the composition of ideas in the form of paragraphs on a particular topic. On initial levels of education students are mostly asked to write small essays. This is the starting point of preparing a student to write the long length essays later as they move to the higher classes.  

These essays let the teachers judge the students on various levels. Moreover, they exhibit the student’s writing, analyzing and reading skills.

Main parts of essay

Generally essays include three major parts that are as follows;

Introduction

The introduction is the first and most important part of the essay. As it is said that, ‘first impression is the last impression’. So, the readers get an idea of the quality of the essay by reading the first few lines. It should be captivating enough to grab the reader’s attention. Apart from being attractive it should also demonstrate the main idea of the essay.

It is the part where the actual information about the topic is written. It can be more than one paragraph according to the topic. Write all the necessary information in the body in extensive form. Demonstrate the knowledge of the topic effectively.

The last and another important part is conclusion. Conclude your essay being neutral and make sure you don’t write any sweeping statement about the topic. Be careful about the selection of words because it will leave an imprint on the reader’s mind. 

Types of essays

Essays can be of different types and styles depending upon the goals of the writer. There are four basic types of essays that are as follows;

• Narrative essays: This type is more like storytelling. The writer may explain a real-life story or experience. Story telling may sound simple and easy to attempt but in reality it is time taking and challenging. The writer has to think and write about real life events. Moreover, it has to be engaging and the writer should try to make the storyline as vivid as possible.
• Descriptive essays: These essays paint a picture in readers mind by describing the subject in detail. The writer has an ocean of choices in this type. The subject could be a person, place, object, or even a memory of a special event. In a descriptive essay the writer strives to communicate an in-depth meaning. Highly evocative descriptive essays can be helpful to intrigue the reader’s sentiments.
• Expository essays: These are informative type essays that express a balanced scrutiny of a topic. The writer explains the topic by using facts, statistics, and examples. They encompass a broad range of variations, for example comparison and contrast, cause and effect and the “how to” or the process essay. Because they are based on facts and not fiction, the writers don’t reveal their sentiments.
• Persuasive essays: This type of essay convinces the readers to receive the writer’s perspective. The writer has to create the essay by using facts and logic. Moreover, the essay must include examples, expert opinion, and sound reasoning. The writer should demonstrate all sides of the argument, but the representation should be clear.

In addition, essays can be formal or informal depending upon the context and purpose of writing. Formal essays are more for serious purpose, include dignity, are organized and usually have specific length. While informal essays consist of more personal elements and can be rambling sometimes because they do not follow any specific stylometry.  

Research paper

Unlike essays, a research paper is a more extended form of writing. It is a written and published form of work that describes the original outcome of a research and showcases the findings of the researcher. It should focus on the main idea supported by information provided by you.

For writing a research paper the key factor is the “Research” people have to conduct a proper research only then they can write a research paper. It cannot include random paragraphs hence it has to be more specified.

Embrace paraphrasing and summarizing that should include facts and ideas. Use different and suitable words and sentence structures to present your idea and leave out the unnecessary details. Add relatable quotations, when you quote even a short phrase. Make sure to copy the exact words and enclose them in quotation marks.  

Don’t forget to cite the author’s name and provide proper reference. The purpose of the citation is to give credit to the original writer. It is a rule as well as it makes your work more strong and authenticates that the information has taken from reliable sources.

Steps to write a research paper

As writing a research paper is a lengthy task that’s why it is better to write it step by step so that you don’t miss any information. You can follow the steps mentioned below to organize your paper;

Select a title

Do research, narrow the research.

Choose a suitable title for your research paper according to your area of research. The title must represent the idea of the research and should be precise. You can get help from your instructor to select the title.

Conduct a proper and original research on your selected topic. Read books and other research papers on the same topic as well to get guidance. Books will give you a broad perspective and recent articles will provide you the updated information.

When you choose the main topic which you want to research it will contain extensive information and will be diversified. Narrow your research by selecting one specific question about the diverse main topic to make your research brief.

Plan  

Plan your research components before writing. Make an outline to create the final product in a logical and organized order.

Write  

Write your research paper in small parts to write every part efficiently. Don’t write it all at once to avoid mistakes.  

Once you are done writing the draft revise it again and again to improve and organize the data. Get a revision from someone else to take others' perspective. Edit it if you find any flaw or error.

Documentation is very important in research writing . It means to mention the citations that you write in paragraphs in the form of references. Make a heading of references and write all the references in elaborated form in the form of a list at the end. Use one documentation style for all the references.

Read the final paper carefully and check the errors and mistakes. Rectify them and make sure your paper follows the proper format. Use software's to check plagiarism and other errors. Then recheck it to make sure it is free from flaws.

Structure of a research paper

Research papers have a basic structural form regardless of the topic. The structural components of a research paper are as follows;

Methodology/Experiment

Results and discussion.

• Conclusion’

Acknowledgement

Supporting information.

Compose a title that describes what the research is about precisely. The title fulfills three parameters, it should be simple, attractive and accurate.

The abstract is the short demonstration of the detailed research. The first few sentences should reflect what the study is about. It should be simple and include major findings so that the reader can easily understand the idea. Keep it short, effective, creative and most important full of curiosity for the reader.

Give a general background of the topic in the starting couple of sentences. Address previous works done on that topic and introduce the issues in the present work.

This is the section where you will write the major work that you have done. You can divide this section into different sub headings like, materials & methods, measurements, characterization and data analysis.

Results and discussion can be divided into two different sections or they can be combined. Describe the obtained results in detailed form and write detailed discussion. The facts and figures should be according to the theme and not like how they were actually conducted.

Compare and contrast your data with previous works and enhance the scope of discussion by including photographs. Avoid unnecessary information and excessive citation.

Conclude your research with major findings and brief discussion. Do not rewrite the abstract; these are two different things. Abstract is written before doing research and conclusion is written after the research.

Don’t forget to thank the funding agency, colleagues, instructor and other people who helped you complete it successfully.  

Add references about the citations. The style of writing references may vary for different journals.  

Write supporting information if there any like analysis, blank experiments and additional data.

Crux of the matter

Hence it can be clearly seen that both of them possess different characteristics and are used for different purposes. Yet they have few things in common.  

In addition, if you want to learn more about essays and research papers or you need professional assistance in any of the academic writings and want to pay for a research paper , you can check out our website essay48 . You can get help from experts in your academics online and order as well.

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Is there a difference between an APA essay format and APA research paper?

An APA paper (essay, research paper, or something else) all follow the same rules for formatting . You can read about the formatting rules on the  APA Help  guide (especially the Formatting Guide ).

As for the difference between an Essay and a Research Paper, it depends on what your instructor assigned.

• A Research Paper will obviously contain research sources with citations.
• An Essay may or may not contain research, depending on what the assignment indicates. Ask the instructor if an assigned essay should contain research and citations.

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• Last Updated Mar 02, 2021
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• Comparing and contrasting in an essay | Tips & examples

Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay | Tips & Examples

Published on August 6, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

Comparing and contrasting is an important skill in academic writing . It involves taking two or more subjects and analyzing the differences and similarities between them.

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Table of contents

When should i compare and contrast, making effective comparisons, comparing and contrasting as a brainstorming tool, structuring your comparisons, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about comparing and contrasting.

Many assignments will invite you to make comparisons quite explicitly, as in these prompts.

• Compare the treatment of the theme of beauty in the poetry of William Wordsworth and John Keats.
• Compare and contrast in-class and distance learning. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach?

Some other prompts may not directly ask you to compare and contrast, but present you with a topic where comparing and contrasting could be a good approach.

One way to approach this essay might be to contrast the situation before the Great Depression with the situation during it, to highlight how large a difference it made.

Comparing and contrasting is also used in all kinds of academic contexts where it’s not explicitly prompted. For example, a literature review involves comparing and contrasting different studies on your topic, and an argumentative essay may involve weighing up the pros and cons of different arguments.

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As the name suggests, comparing and contrasting is about identifying both similarities and differences. You might focus on contrasting quite different subjects or comparing subjects with a lot in common—but there must be some grounds for comparison in the first place.

For example, you might contrast French society before and after the French Revolution; you’d likely find many differences, but there would be a valid basis for comparison. However, if you contrasted pre-revolutionary France with Han-dynasty China, your reader might wonder why you chose to compare these two societies.

This is why it’s important to clarify the point of your comparisons by writing a focused thesis statement . Every element of an essay should serve your central argument in some way. Consider what you’re trying to accomplish with any comparisons you make, and be sure to make this clear to the reader.

Comparing and contrasting can be a useful tool to help organize your thoughts before you begin writing any type of academic text. You might use it to compare different theories and approaches you’ve encountered in your preliminary research, for example.

Let’s say your research involves the competing psychological approaches of behaviorism and cognitive psychology. You might make a table to summarize the key differences between them.

Or say you’re writing about the major global conflicts of the twentieth century. You might visualize the key similarities and differences in a Venn diagram.

These visualizations wouldn’t make it into your actual writing, so they don’t have to be very formal in terms of phrasing or presentation. The point of comparing and contrasting at this stage is to help you organize and shape your ideas to aid you in structuring your arguments.

When comparing and contrasting in an essay, there are two main ways to structure your comparisons: the alternating method and the block method.

The alternating method

In the alternating method, you structure your text according to what aspect you’re comparing. You cover both your subjects side by side in terms of a specific point of comparison. Your text is structured like this:

Mouse over the example paragraph below to see how this approach works.

One challenge teachers face is identifying and assisting students who are struggling without disrupting the rest of the class. In a traditional classroom environment, the teacher can easily identify when a student is struggling based on their demeanor in class or simply by regularly checking on students during exercises. They can then offer assistance quietly during the exercise or discuss it further after class. Meanwhile, in a Zoom-based class, the lack of physical presence makes it more difficult to pay attention to individual students’ responses and notice frustrations, and there is less flexibility to speak with students privately to offer assistance. In this case, therefore, the traditional classroom environment holds the advantage, although it appears likely that aiding students in a virtual classroom environment will become easier as the technology, and teachers’ familiarity with it, improves.

The block method

In the block method, you cover each of the overall subjects you’re comparing in a block. You say everything you have to say about your first subject, then discuss your second subject, making comparisons and contrasts back to the things you’ve already said about the first. Your text is structured like this:

• Point of comparison A
• Point of comparison B

The most commonly cited advantage of distance learning is the flexibility and accessibility it offers. Rather than being required to travel to a specific location every week (and to live near enough to feasibly do so), students can participate from anywhere with an internet connection. This allows not only for a wider geographical spread of students but for the possibility of studying while travelling. However, distance learning presents its own accessibility challenges; not all students have a stable internet connection and a computer or other device with which to participate in online classes, and less technologically literate students and teachers may struggle with the technical aspects of class participation. Furthermore, discomfort and distractions can hinder an individual student’s ability to engage with the class from home, creating divergent learning experiences for different students. Distance learning, then, seems to improve accessibility in some ways while representing a step backwards in others.

Note that these two methods can be combined; these two example paragraphs could both be part of the same essay, but it’s wise to use an essay outline to plan out which approach you’re taking in each paragraph.

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If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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Some essay prompts include the keywords “compare” and/or “contrast.” In these cases, an essay structured around comparing and contrasting is the appropriate response.

Comparing and contrasting is also a useful approach in all kinds of academic writing : You might compare different studies in a literature review , weigh up different arguments in an argumentative essay , or consider different theoretical approaches in a theoretical framework .

Your subjects might be very different or quite similar, but it’s important that there be meaningful grounds for comparison . You can probably describe many differences between a cat and a bicycle, but there isn’t really any connection between them to justify the comparison.

You’ll have to write a thesis statement explaining the central point you want to make in your essay , so be sure to know in advance what connects your subjects and makes them worth comparing.

Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways:

• The alternating method, where you compare your subjects side by side according to one specific aspect at a time.
• The block method, where you cover each subject separately in its entirety.

It’s also possible to combine both methods, for example by writing a full paragraph on each of your topics and then a final paragraph contrasting the two according to a specific metric.

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Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay | Tips & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/compare-and-contrast/

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What is a research paper?

A research paper is a paper that makes an argument about a topic based on research and analysis.

Any paper requiring the writer to research a particular topic is a research paper. Unlike essays, which are often based largely on opinion and are written from the author's point of view, research papers are based in fact.

A research paper requires you to form an opinion on a topic, research and gain expert knowledge on that topic, and then back up your own opinions and assertions with facts found through your thorough research.

➡️ Read more about  different types of research papers .

What is the difference between a research paper and a thesis?

A thesis is a large paper, or multi-chapter work, based on a topic relating to your field of study.

A thesis is a document students of higher education write to obtain an academic degree or qualification. Usually, it is longer than a research paper and takes multiple years to complete.

Generally associated with graduate/postgraduate studies, it is carried out under the supervision of a professor or other academic of the university.

A major difference between a research paper and a thesis is that:

• a research paper presents certain facts that have already been researched and explained by others
• a thesis starts with a certain scholarly question or statement, which then leads to further research and new findings

This means that a thesis requires the author to input original work and their own findings in a certain field, whereas the research paper can be completed with extensive research only.

➡️ Getting ready to start a research paper or thesis? Take a look at our guides on how to start a research paper or how to come up with a topic for your thesis .

Frequently Asked Questions about research papers

Take a look at this list of the top 21 Free Online Journal and Research Databases , such as ScienceOpen , Directory of Open Access Journals , ERIC , and many more.

Mason Porter, Professor at UCLA, explains in this forum post the main reasons to write a research paper:

• To create new knowledge and disseminate it.
• To teach science and how to write about it in an academic style.
• Some practical benefits: prestige, establishing credentials, requirements for grants or to help one get a future grant proposal, and so on.

Generally, people involved in the academia. Research papers are mostly written by higher education students and professional researchers.

Yes, a research paper is the same as a scientific paper. Both papers have the same purpose and format.

A major difference between a research paper and a thesis is that the former presents certain facts that have already been researched and explained by others, whereas the latter starts with a certain scholarly question or statement, which then leads to further research and new findings.

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What a Thesis Paper is and How to Write One

From choosing a topic and conducting research to crafting a strong argument, writing a thesis paper can be a rewarding experience.

It can also be a challenging experience. If you've never written a thesis paper before, you may not know where to start. You may not even be sure exactly what a thesis paper is. But don't worry; the right support and resources can help you navigate this writing process.

What is a Thesis Paper?

A thesis paper is a type of academic essay that you might write as a graduation requirement for certain bachelor's, master's or honors programs. Thesis papers present your own original research or analysis on a specific topic related to your field.

“In some ways, a thesis paper can look a lot like a novella,” said Shana Chartier , director of information literacy at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). “It’s too short to be a full-length novel, but with the standard size of 40-60 pages (for a bachelor’s) and 60-100 pages (for a master’s), it is a robust exploration of a topic, explaining one’s understanding of a topic based on personal research.”

Chartier has worked in academia for over 13 years and at SNHU for nearly eight. In her role as an instructor and director, Chartier has helped to guide students through the writing process, like editing and providing resources.

Chartier has written and published academic papers such as "Augmented Reality Gamifies the Library: A Ride Through the Technological Frontier" and "Going Beyond the One-Shot: Spiraling Information Literacy Across Four Years." Both of these academic papers required Chartier to have hands-on experience with the subject matter. Like a thesis paper, they also involved hypothesizing and doing original research to come to a conclusion.

“When writing a thesis paper, the importance of staying organized cannot be overstated,” said Chartier. “Mapping out each step of the way, making firm and soft deadlines... and having other pairs of eyes on your work to ensure academic accuracy and clean editing are crucial to writing a successful paper.”

How Do I Choose a Topic For My Thesis Paper?

What your thesis paper is for will determine some of the specific requirements and steps you might take, but the first step is usually the same: Choosing a topic.

“Choosing a topic can be daunting," said Rochelle Attari , a peer tutor at SNHU. "But if (you) stick with a subject (you're) interested in... choosing a topic is much more manageable.”

Similar to a thesis, Attari recently finished the capstone  for her bachelor’s in psychology . Her bachelor’s concentration is in forensics, and her capstone focused on the topic of using a combined therapy model for inmates who experience substance abuse issues to reduce recidivism.

“The hardest part was deciding what I wanted to focus on,” Attari said. “But once I nailed down my topic, each milestone was more straightforward.”

In her own writing experience, Attari said brainstorming was an important step when choosing her topic. She recommends writing down different ideas on a piece of paper and doing some preliminary research on what’s already been written on your topic.

By doing this exercise, you can narrow or broaden your ideas until you’ve found a topic you’re excited about. " Brainstorming is essential when writing a paper and is not a last-minute activity,” Attari said.

How Do I Structure My Thesis Paper?

Thesis papers tend to have a standard format with common sections as the building blocks.

While the structure Attari describes below will work for many theses, it’s important to double-check with your program to see if there are any specific requirements. Writing a thesis for a Master of Fine Arts, for example, might actually look more like a fiction novel.

According to Attari, a thesis paper is often structured with the following major sections:

Introduction

• Literature review
• Methods, results

Now, let’s take a closer look at what each different section should include.

Your introduction is your opportunity to present the topic of your thesis paper. In this section, you can explain why that topic is important. The introduction is also the place to include your thesis statement, which shows your stance in the paper.

Attari said that writing an introduction can be tricky, especially when you're trying to capture your reader’s attention and state your argument.

“I have found that starting with a statement of truth about a topic that pertains to an issue I am writing about typically does the trick,” Attari said. She demonstrated this advice in an example introduction she wrote for a paper on the effects of daylight in Alaska:

In the continental United States, we can always count on the sun rising and setting around the same time each day, but in Alaska, during certain times of the year, the sun rises and does not set for weeks. Research has shown that the sun provides vitamin D and is an essential part of our health, but little is known about how daylight twenty-four hours a day affects the circadian rhythm and sleep.

In the example Attari wrote, she introduces the topic and informs the reader what the paper will cover. Somewhere in her intro, she said she would also include her thesis statement, which might be:

Twenty-four hours of daylight over an extended period does not affect sleep patterns in humans and is not the cause of daytime fatigue in northern Alaska .

Literature Review

In the literature review, you'll look at what information is already out there about your topic. “This is where scholarly articles  about your topic are essential,” said Attari. “These articles will help you find the gap in research that you have identified and will also support your thesis statement."

Telling your reader what research has already been done will help them see how your research fits into the larger conversation. Most university libraries offer databases of scholarly/peer-reviewed articles that can be helpful in your search.

In the methods section of your thesis paper, you get to explain how you learned what you learned. This might include what experiment you conducted as a part of your independent research.

“For instance,” Attari said, “if you are a psychology major and have identified a gap in research on which therapies are effective for anxiety, your methods section would consist of the number of participants, the type of experiment and any other particulars you would use for that experiment.”

In this section, you'll explain the results of your study. For example, building on the psychology example Attari outlined, you might share self-reported anxiety levels for participants trying different kinds of therapies. To help you communicate your results clearly, you might include data, charts, tables or other visualizations.

The discussion section of your thesis paper is where you will analyze and interpret the results you presented in the previous section. This is where you can discuss what your findings really mean or compare them to the research you found in your literature review.

The discussion section is your chance to show why the data you collected matters and how it fits into bigger conversations in your field.

The conclusion of your thesis paper is your opportunity to sum up your argument and leave your reader thinking about why your research matters.

Attari breaks the conclusion down into simple parts. “You restate the original issue and thesis statement, explain the experiment's results and discuss possible next steps for further research,” she said.

Find Your Program

Resources to help write your thesis paper.

While your thesis paper may be based on your independent research, writing it doesn’t have to be a solitary process. Asking for help and using the resources that are available to you can make the process easier.

If you're writing a thesis paper, some resources Chartier encourages you to use are:

• Citation Handbooks: An online citation guide or handbook can help you ensure your citations are correct. APA , MLA and Chicago styles have all published their own guides.
• Citation Generators: There are many citation generator tools that help you to create citations. Some — like RefWorks — even let you directly import citations from library databases as you research.
• Your Library's Website: Many academic and public libraries allow patrons to access resources like databases or FAQs. Some FAQs at the SNHU library that might be helpful in your thesis writing process include “ How do I read a scholarly article? ” or “ What is a research question and how do I develop one? ”

It can also be helpful to check out what coaching or tutoring options are available through your school. At SNHU, for example, the Academic Support Center offers writing and grammar workshops , and students can access 24/7 tutoring and 1:1 sessions with peer tutors, like Attari.

"Students can even submit their papers and receive written feedback... like revisions and editing suggestions," she said.

If you are writing a thesis paper, there are many resources available to you. It's a long paper, but with the right mindset and support, you can successfully navigate the process.

“Pace yourself,” said Chartier. “This is a marathon, not a sprint. Setting smaller goals to get to the big finish line can make the process seem less daunting, and remember to be proud of yourself and celebrate your accomplishment once you’re done. Writing a thesis is no small task, and it’s important work for the scholarly community.”

A degree can change your life. Choose your program  from 200+ SNHU degrees that can take you where you want to go.

Meg Palmer ’18 is a writer and scholar by trade who loves reading, riding her bike and singing in a barbershop quartet. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English, language and literature at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and her master’s degree in writing, rhetoric and discourse at DePaul University (’20). While attending SNHU, she served as the editor-in-chief of the campus student newspaper, The Penmen Press, where she deepened her passion for writing. Meg is an adjunct professor at Johnson and Wales University, where she teaches first year writing, honors composition, and public speaking. Connect with her on LinkedIn .

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