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The Ultimate Guide to Academic Papers

What are Essays, Research Papers, Dissertations, and Other Types of Papers?

Throughout your educational career, you’ll be asked to write many types of papers. While each assignment is unique, if you have a clear idea of the types of papers, you’ll be able to turn in the type of work that your teacher or professor expects.

Each type of paper requires a different approach and often different formatting, language, style, and more. Read on to learn about the types of essays, research papers, and other types of papers so you’ll be prepared for upcoming assignments.

Types of Essays

An essay is a short paper focused on a single idea. The idea is usually presented using an introduction, a body with several points backed up by evidence, and a conclusion. There are several different types of essays.

– Argumentative Essay

In an argumentative essay, the writer takes a stance on a certain point and uses evidence and rhetoric to convince their reader. Argumentative essays can be written for almost any class, but are typically used in humanities courses, like history, literature, politics, philosophy, etc. You don’t always have to present your own opinion in an argumentative essay since most of the argument is evidence-based.

– Definition Essay

For a definition essay, the writer will define a particular word, idea, or broader concept. The paper may start with a basic definition like you’d find in a dictionary but will then expand to cover the topic in much more detail. The definition may also put the subject into a particular context. 

– Descriptive Essay

Descriptive essays require the writer to give a complete description of something or someone. The subject can be a physical object, living thing, idea, or concept. The writer should use descriptive language so that the reader can picture the subject in their mind.

While definition and descriptive essays seem similar, there are some subtle differences between the two. A definition essay aims to help the reader understand a topic and is objective. A descriptive essay attempts to help the reader picture a topic and can vary based on the author’s unique perspective.

– Choice Essay

When writing a choice essay, you’re asked to make a choice or take a position on a topic. The topic is usually something controversial or a topic that requires deeper thought, such as your stance on the death penalty or human cloning.

You’ll then need to argue your choice, listing both personal and research-based evidence. You should also take time to rebut the other side of the issue.

– Classification Essay

A classification essay requires the writer to classify objects, ideas, concepts, or people into categories based on traits. You’ll need to look at a set of items and make generalizations in order to form categories. 

In some situations, the assignment will include the categories, while other times you’ll have to create the categories on your own. Be sure to explain the criteria for each category. 

– Compare and Contrast Essay

A compare and contrast essay asks you to take two (sometimes more) objects, concepts, or people and look for similarities and differences between them. You’ll usually structure the essay by starting with an introduction to your subjects. The body will consist of paragraphs comparing and contrasting the subjects.

– Evaluation Essay

For an evaluation essay, you’ll be asked to evaluate your topic. Before evaluating your given topic, you’ll often need to set the criteria for the evaluation. Next, you’ll see how the topic measures up against your criteria. In some cases, the paper focuses on whether the subject is good or bad, but it can also just determine if it meets a certain set of criteria.

– Explanation Essay

The main point of an explanation essay is to give a thorough explanation of a topic or concept. The explanation is usually backed up by facts and research. The goal of an explanation essay is to give readers a thorough understanding of a topic.

– Expository Essay

An expository essay is similar to an explanation essay, but it goes a little further. It includes a deeper dive into the topic with more research. It also includes a position on the topic. The essay uses an explanation to support the writer’s position.

– Sequence Essay

A sequence essay focuses on the order in which something happens or happened. It may focus on a description of events in chronological order or the order of steps in a process. You’ll need to research the topic to give a thorough explanation of each step. 

– Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is written in story form but is based on real events. You’ll begin with a moment in your life – a narrative essay is meant to tell about one event in your life, not your entire life story like an autobiography. Try to choose an interesting moment, such as when something funny happened or when you learned something important.

You’ll take that moment and write it out as if it was a story. Don’t exaggerate the details too much, but use vivid descriptions to make your essay read like fiction.

Research Paper

Research papers are longer, more in-depth essays. You’ll begin with a topic and then do a deep dive into the research surrounding it. You’ll need to look at books, journals, websites, and more on the topic.

Next, you’ll compile and organize all of your research to compose a paper culminating in your findings. Research papers are typically longer than essays. Most range from five to ten pages but can be much longer.

Other Types of Papers

Beyond essays and research papers, there are quite a few other types of papers you may be required to do for your classes.

– Coursework

Coursework is all of the work you do for a particular class. It can include answering questions about reading, writing summaries, and more. Coursework is usually listed on the class syllabus along with instructions for how to complete each assignment.

– Case Study

A case study takes one subject, such as a person, a group of people, a business, or some event, and gives a thorough report on it. Case studies can be written for a variety of subjects, but you’ll typically see them in science and history courses.

The purpose of a case study is to take a specific subject and use analysis to see if any generalizations can be made about a broader subject.

– Critical Thinking / Review

Critical thinking or review writing is similar to an evaluation essay. You’ll take a topic and assess it based on a set of criteria. You’re required to use critical thinking, which means that you’ll have to dig below the surface of a topic. You’ll need to analyze it closely before evaluating it.

– Dissertation / Thesis

In some places, the terms dissertation and thesis can be used interchangeably, while in others there are some differences between the two. Both are longer research-based papers that posit a theory or hypothesis. The rest of the paper uses evidence to back up the author’s claim.

In some areas, the terms dissertation is reserved for the paper that culminates an undergraduate or post-graduate degree.

– Presentation or Speech

For a presentation, you’ll usually prepare a slideshow or some other type of visual on a topic. You’ll then present the topic. There will be some writing on the visual, but you’ll also expand on it.

For a speech, you’ll typically explain a topic or argue a point of view. You’ll write the speech like an essay and then speak it in front of your class. 

– Article Review

An article review paper requires you to read an article and then write about it. You may start with a brief summary of the article, but the majority of your review should be an analysis and evaluation of the article.

– Research Proposal

In science, history, and other research-based classes, you’ll often be asked to write a research proposal before beginning a research project. The proposal should include your plan for how you’ll conduct your research or experiment. Next, you’ll justify why the research is valid and significant to your field of study.

– Homework Assignments

Homework assignments are part of your regular coursework and can cover an array of assignments. You may be asked to write short essays in response to reading, answer a set of questions, or give a quick analysis on a topic.

– Discussion Board Post (DBP)

Some classes have a discussion board for students to discuss various topics in the class. These boards are different than other forums you may participate in online. Your teacher will usually require you to post on the board a certain number of times and respond to others. These posts will need to be more formal than a board you participate in for fun.

– Lab Report

In your science labs, you’ll have to write lab reports. These are written after you conduct an experiment. Sometimes you’ll conduct a given experiment while other times you may develop your own experiment. The report details you question and hypothesis and then outlines your experiment. Finally, it includes your results and conclusions drawn based on the outcome.

Final Thoughts

Each type of paper has a particular focus and format. When you’re given an assignment, the first step is to figure out exactly what the type of paper requires. Once you’ve done that, it’ll be much easier to write your paper and get a good grade.