Is a Research Paper An Essay?
Writing is still a predominant tool that is used in academics to gauge the level of learning among students. In writing, essays and research papers are two of the most commonly used formats of writing.
One requires a personal voice to describe or narrate a noun (a place, an event, a thing, or a person) while the other could be something purely academic with a discourse containing an abstract, acknowledgments, and references along with the necessary body and arguments.
An essay and a research paper both use similar techniques up to a point but they are very much different in their outlook and character. Essay writing is mostly used in English Studies while research papers can be written in any discipline.
In this article, we will explore the details of the two and try to answer the following questions:
- 1️⃣ Is a research paper an essay?
- 2️⃣ What are the differences between essays and research papers?
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Research Papers: Definition And Purpose
Let us start with the research paper.
Definition
A research paper is a piece of academic writing that is designed to assess the analytical and research skills of a student. Research papers are written with a rigid structure where researchers provide relevant information in the form of tested facts, statistics, data, and other forms of infographics.
One thing that sets a research paper completely apart from any other form of writing is having a clear and concise research statement or thesis question. This is the anchor of all the research.
Purpose
The purpose of a research paper is to check whether a student understands the gravity of the given topic or thesis statement and elaborate on it through logical prose.
Students need to be judgmental or critical while writing a research paper. It is their duty and purpose of writing a research paper to get to the bottom of the problem.
Personal pronouns are not to be used in the research paper but students can prick the interest of the readers through well-crafted and well-placed paragraphs.
Structuring and designing a research paper in such a way that every fact is clearly-stated and every figure is easy to understand allows readers to follow it with no trouble at all.
Key Elements of a Research Paper
After going through the definition and purpose of a research paper, it is clear what a research paper is and why it is written. Now, let us take a look at its structure and how it should be written.
There are many ways students can adjust and tweak these paragraphs to streamline the flow of information, but the key elements of a research paper are not almost universally accepted.
Here is a basic structure of a typical research paper which also highlights a basic difference between essays and research papers:
- 🔸 Abstract
- 🔸 Introduction
- 🔸 Methods
- 🔸 Results
- 🔸 Discussion
- 🔸 References
Abstract
An abstract in a research paper is similar to the introduction part in an essay, which we will get to later on. It is a section where students state objectives and their relevant details.
Introduction
The introduction part while writing a research paper is about why students are writing on that topic and why it is important. This section needs to be eye-catching and attention-grabbing because this is where readers decide whether they want to continue reading or not.
Methods
Methods serve as litmus tests to gauge the extent of validity and authenticity of the research and experiments involved in writing that research paper. Students must give details along with the reasons why they chose those experiments or procedures.
Results
After explaining the rationale and process of experiments and research, students must provide the results they obtained from those procedures. This section must state all the findings in a logical sequence with no bias or interpretation at all.
Discussion
In this section, students are allowed and must elaborate on the results stated in the previous section through narration, analysis, or interpretation.
References
This is the last section of a research paper. It enlists all the resources that students might have used in writing their research papers.
What is an Essay?
The essay is one of the oldest and most widely used forms of writing in academia and elsewhere. With a clear and flexible structure, there are many ways to write answers to an essay question.
Essays are of different types, which we will get to later on, and each type requires students to employ different tools to complement their needs.
One of the important goals of writing academic essays is to engage the readers through exemplary writing and end the essay with an explanation or an opinion formation.
Types of Essays
Even though essays have some flexibility in their structure, writers still follow clear guidelines to convey their message through academic papers or essays. Depending on the type and topic of an essay, there are different types.
Here is the rundown of some of the most common ones:
Argumentative Essay
Argumentative essays are about a certain point or issue that students must back with well-researched facts and figures. In the end, they need to convince the readers to understand the reasons behind that issue.
In an argumentative “research paper versus essay” debate, the argumentative essay shows how they are different because a research paper is about a specific point whereas an essay can be as broad as a writer wants it to be.
Analytical Essay
Analytical essays focus on the “how” of issues and points that a student wants to make in the essay. It is never about summarizing or explaining how something was done, but rather about showing a step in the whole process.
When comparing essays vs research papers, an analytical essay is different from an analytical research paper because the main portion of essays is dedicated to analyzing the issue or a problem.
Critical Essay
A critical essay, as the name indicates, is an academic paper that critiques any other text. Mostly, it is written in English Studies where students have to evaluate and interpret stories and texts from other writers.
A research paper is different from an essay because a research paper stresses new findings and procedures rather than breaking down or explaining the already existing ones.
Narrative Essay
Narrative essays are all about using literary techniques to tell a story. Students can utilize tools such as imagery, alliteration, and allegory to add layers to their ideas throughout the essay.
Whereas a research paper is about explaining new findings or evidence with no interpretation or bias, narrative essays are often biased or emotional.
Descriptive Essay
As the name explains, descriptive essays are about describing an idea, a thought, an experience, or a person. This type of essay stresses details and information to tickle the fancy of readers.
An important difference between essays and research papers is that research papers never use the length of the paper to attract or grab attention from the readers, apart from the introduction.
The Standard Structure of Essay
After explaining the types of essays, let’s take a look at the standard structure of essays.
Following are some essential parts of an essay.
Introduction
This is the opening of an essay. It gives readers a glimpse of what to expect in the body as well as the reasons for choosing the topic.
Body Paragraph
Right after the introduction, the first part or paragraph of the body of an essay starts. This is dedicated to setting the page by adding rhetoric or providing background details about the topic or regarding the stance of the writer.
Counter-Arguments
Logically, it is best to present counter-arguments first in the essay and then writers should present their arguments. This way, they will stick in the minds of the readers when they are done reading the essay.
Arguments
In this section, writers should present their arguments about supporting a motion or an issue concisely and understandably. The evidence provided should be empirical with a clear identity and reference to the source.
Conclusion
Like the introduction, the conclusion is one of the hooks and most important parts of an essay. Its function is to summarize what was discussed in the essay and nothing more.
Most Important Differences Between A Research Paper And A Simple Essay
After shedding ample light on what is an essay and what is a research paper, it is time to compare the two by highlighting key differences between them.
- ❗ Subject
- ❗ Length
- ❗ Depth
- ❗ Rationale
- ❗ Material
Subject
The subject of an essay is about expressing the writer’s thoughts and ideas about a certain topic or issue.
On the other side, a research paper is about researching and finding what others have to say about the same topic and then deduce own insights and ideas.
Length
Essays have no set length but they are more flexible. An average essay is about 5 paragraphs long but it can be stretched as much as a writer wants to make his point.
A research paper, contrarily, is about 8 pages long at least can be extended depending on the research and requirements of the thesis question.
Depth
Essays do not require students to be adept in a certain topic or an issue before they set to write an essay.
Research papers do need the writers to develop and test their understanding and critical thinking skills before attempting to write.
Rationale
The rationale behind essay writing is about evaluating the writing skills of a student.
A persuasive research paper is evaluated based on the research and analytical skills of a student.
Material
In an essay, students usually put their thoughts and ideas and logically present them.
In a research paper, students need to research a topic and then analyze the extracted information to present their point of view.
| Research Paper | Essay |
| Researching others’ findings and POV | Expressing own thoughts and POV |
| At least 8 pages long | Average 5 paragraphs, no upper limit |
| Comprehensive understanding of the topic | No need to be adept at a certain topic or idea |
| To check the research skills of writers | To check writing skills |
| In-depth research and analysis of the idea | Logical presentation of own idea |
Conclusion
Writing skills are of utmost importance, whether someone is going through high school, college, or a professional career. It is necessary to understand the differences between essays and research papers. In this article, we have elaborated on the natures and purposes of essays and research papers with different types and their respective structures. It will help them in understanding the requirements of each type of paper writing to score higher in school or to enhance their professional career.