JohnWriter 13 | - Freelance Writer
Oct 13, 2017 | #1
Professors these days seem to be hellbent on not leaving a student with any relaxation time after class. That's why they assign so much reading material for "essay" or "research" assignments. While there is a difference between the two forms of academic writing, not all students are familiar with it so they end up writing a research paper when they should have written an essay and an essay for what should have been a research paper. Sometimes, it is just that hard to tell the difference. So, let me spell it out for those who are going through their writing assignments in a dazed and confused state.
Let's start with the similarities of the two papers. Both papers have an assigned topic for discussion. Both have a minimum and maximum word requirement. Both papers require an academic tone in writing. Sources are mandatory. Finally, both papers are designed to trip up the student as to whether he has been listening in class or not. Yup. This is the professor's way of making sure he has your attention and that you have his notes from class. If you don't have the latter, then you are in for a heap of trouble, regardless of which paper style you are writing. Now for the differences.
The essay is written mostly as an opinion paper. The opinion will rely mostly on the way that you understand outside sources that are normally part of the assigned reading in a class. A professor will normally assign at least 3 sources for any given essay, depending upon the number of words in it. If you are looking at a 300-word essay, 3 sources, with one quote per paragraph should do the trick. A merciful professor will pre-assign the reading material, along with the prompt, and indicate the number of quotes he wants to see in the paper. This is to make sure that you do not just submit 5 paragraphs of cut and paste quotes and insist it is an essay. An essay is expected to build a student's writing skills. Which in turn, develops logical thinking and coherence in written presentations.
"But.. This Sounds Like a Research Paper to Me.."
Nope. Nothing like it. The essay is basically an analysis paper that has sources. The Research paper, asks the student to consider various facets of a given topic. The student basically reads the research materials and then tries to come up with a conclusion based on the available information. This type of paper asks the student to come to an educated analysis of a given topic as opposed to an opinion of a given topic in an essay.
A research paper is also longer in the sense that one needs to write at least 8 full pages of material for the discussion. A complete and thorough evaluation of the source material is required; thus, the writer becomes more educated about the class topic outside of the classroom. The main aim of the research paper, is to provide a comprehensive look at all available materials in relation to a given topic. The analysis and presentation of the information will then, incorporate the point of view of the writer.
In a Nutshell
Both the essay and research paper function in a manner that helps a student gain a better understanding of a given topic. The difference lies in the number of source, length of presentation, and whether or not the writer's opinion will be required at the end of the written work. The essay asks for an opinion while the research adds to the information that a student gained about a topic while in class. Both extend the classroom lesson outside of the classroom, but an essay requires a simpler presentation when compared to a research paper.
Let's start with the similarities of the two papers. Both papers have an assigned topic for discussion. Both have a minimum and maximum word requirement. Both papers require an academic tone in writing. Sources are mandatory. Finally, both papers are designed to trip up the student as to whether he has been listening in class or not. Yup. This is the professor's way of making sure he has your attention and that you have his notes from class. If you don't have the latter, then you are in for a heap of trouble, regardless of which paper style you are writing. Now for the differences.ESSAY
The essay is written mostly as an opinion paper. The opinion will rely mostly on the way that you understand outside sources that are normally part of the assigned reading in a class. A professor will normally assign at least 3 sources for any given essay, depending upon the number of words in it. If you are looking at a 300-word essay, 3 sources, with one quote per paragraph should do the trick. A merciful professor will pre-assign the reading material, along with the prompt, and indicate the number of quotes he wants to see in the paper. This is to make sure that you do not just submit 5 paragraphs of cut and paste quotes and insist it is an essay. An essay is expected to build a student's writing skills. Which in turn, develops logical thinking and coherence in written presentations.
"But.. This Sounds Like a Research Paper to Me.."
Nope. Nothing like it. The essay is basically an analysis paper that has sources. The Research paper, asks the student to consider various facets of a given topic. The student basically reads the research materials and then tries to come up with a conclusion based on the available information. This type of paper asks the student to come to an educated analysis of a given topic as opposed to an opinion of a given topic in an essay.
RESEARCH PAPER
A research paper is also longer in the sense that one needs to write at least 8 full pages of material for the discussion. A complete and thorough evaluation of the source material is required; thus, the writer becomes more educated about the class topic outside of the classroom. The main aim of the research paper, is to provide a comprehensive look at all available materials in relation to a given topic. The analysis and presentation of the information will then, incorporate the point of view of the writer.
In a Nutshell
Both the essay and research paper function in a manner that helps a student gain a better understanding of a given topic. The difference lies in the number of source, length of presentation, and whether or not the writer's opinion will be required at the end of the written work. The essay asks for an opinion while the research adds to the information that a student gained about a topic while in class. Both extend the classroom lesson outside of the classroom, but an essay requires a simpler presentation when compared to a research paper.