difference between research essay and paper

Essay vs Research Paper: Key Disparities

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.

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

To get to the heart of the matter of these two academic assignments, we should start by getting an essay vs research paper definition.

Definition and Overview

What is an essay.

An essay is a short piece of work, the purpose of which is to present individual thoughts regarding a chosen topic. Often, essays do not pretend to be scientific but require a defined structure. The basic requirements for an essay suggest writing a five-paragraph piece that contains an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

What makes your essay unique is your creativity and the novelty of your ideas. To easily structure your thoughts and present them clearly to the reader, you should devote time to drafting an essay . Before you start writing your essay, brainstorm the freshest ideas. Thus, even though all your classmates will use the same five-paragraph structure as you, your ideas will impress the teacher. Experiment with meaning, not form.

What Is a Research Paper?

The difference between an essay and a research paper revolves around the academic approaches. Research work is the depth of study of a selected scientific topic, which should bring scientific novelty by drawing conclusions based on existing research and experiments conducted. For students, it’s not enough to state the facts or express their point of view regarding the topic. Your task is to comprehensively study the subject of research, familiarize yourself with existing opinions, and outline the direction of the upcoming study.

Your teacher will expect you to demonstrate analytical skills, the ability to select reliable sources, and a broad theoretical base on your research topic. Research papers require creativity, erudition, and orientation in the 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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Difference Between Research Paper and Essay

October 23, 2023

Description: Comparison of research papers vs. essays, along with the explanation of the differences and similarities between the two types of academic papers. A short guide to understanding essay writing and research writing with definitions of the terms “essay” and “research paper”.

How Does Research Paper Differ From Essay?

Students often have to deal with two different types of academic writing assignments: an essay and a research paper. Writing essays and research papers can be difficult and confusing due to the many similarities they have. To avoid confusion when writing either of these, it’s important to learn their differences. Understanding the differences between an essay and a research paper is also a great way to improve your academic writing skills. This article aims to help you understand the key differences between essay and research paper writing assignments when you come across them. We’ll study their features, look for relevant academic terminology, and learn what differentiates them. To get to the bottom of the difference between these two academic assignments, we should first define essay vs research paper.

What is an Essay?

An essay is a short piece of writing that aims to express personal views on a particular topic. It should have at least three pieces of evidence to back up the argument. Essays are typically shorter in length and less complex than research writing. At the same time, essay writing has its own specifics, so using expert proofreading services is a good idea if you aren’t confident in your skills. It’s likely that you’ll write your first essay and research paper when in high school or college. Then arises the question, “Who will write my paper for me ?” A good essay should always have a creative component, so having good writing skills is a must. Essays often aren’t as scientific as research papers, yet they nevertheless need a clear structure. The basic essay writing guidelines recommend following a five-paragraph structure with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

What is a Research Paper?

A research paper is the in-depth study of a chosen scientific topic that aims to generate new scientific findings based on previous studies and experiments. It isn’t enough for students to just state the facts or give their opinion on this topic. Your professor will evaluate your ability to think critically, choose trustworthy sources, and have a solid theoretical grounding in the topic of your research. Writing a research paper takes originality, knowledge, and subject matter expertise. Compared to traditional essay writing, research work has a different objective and structure. Research papers use data from primary sources like books on the topic, academic papers, interviews, web sources, and journals. The basic research writing guidelines recommend following this pattern: introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions/recommendations. Research papers may also include acknowledgments, a brief biography of the author for some Master’s or Ph.D. works, references, endnotes, footnotes, and so on.

Key Differences Between Essay and Research Paper

The biggest difference between a research paper and an essay is that a research paper must have a strict methodology and set of study objectives. A research paper should outline a problem and the approaches that can be used to solve it effectively. Meanwhile, an essay can present a personal opinion without any references. Now let us go over other key differences between an essay and a research paper. The following comparison table outlines the key differences between essays and research papers:

Similarities Differences Between Essay and Research Paper

It makes sense that you could find it challenging to tell the difference between an essay and a research paper since there’re so many similarities between the two types of academic papers. That’s why it’s important to learn about the similarities of the two as well.

• Research: Basic research is still necessary in both. Even though you don’t need to do in-depth study for an essay, you still need to at least fact-check your information. However, for a research paper, you’ll need to cite more sources to demonstrate that you’re doing more than simply skimming the topic.
• Structure: The research paper has multiple paragraphs, much like an essay. Although the structure is a little different, the material presented in each paragraph should be in an easy-to-follow format to save the reader’s time from having to wade through irrelevant data and concepts. There should be an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion in both types of papers. When you want to conduct research, there’re some differences, but there’re also a few similarities because you need to present the topic properly.
• Thesis statement: Both types of papers should have a thesis statement that presents an opinion, an argument, or a hypothesis. Even though it isn’t always required for an essay, adding a thesis statement will make your essay sound even more scientific.
• Format and Style: Your professor might recommend a specific format for your paper depending on the topic matter and the class itself. The liberal arts and humanities normally utilize the MLA and Chicago/Turabian formats, while the social sciences typically use the APA format. Both research papers and essays must follow specific formatting guidelines for headers, footers, in-text citations, reference pages, and other elements. These forms guarantee consistency and point readers to the relevant sources.

Research papers and essays are two different types of writing. We can draw the conclusion that the key differences between essays and research papers are those relating to purpose, structure, and format. Even though these two types of papers have many things in common, essays and research papers are written for different purposes. The requirements for a research paper are stricter because it must follow the right structure, format, and methodology. However, an essay is more forgiving because it has a descriptive narrative that allows the author to express their own opinions. Please be advised that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this blog are solely that of the author or his/her sources and do not necessarily reflect those of English Forward. This includes, but is not limited to, third-party content contained on or accessible through the English Forward websites and web pages or sites displayed as search results or contained within a directory of links on the English Forward network.

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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.

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Major Difference Between Essay and Research Paper

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)
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• 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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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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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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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

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.

Key Differences Between Research Papers And Essays

By Elayna Skye

Updated on November 13, 2023

Whether you're in middle school, high school, or college, learning how to write a solid academic paper is an absolute must. Some of the most common types of homework in English classes are essays and creative writing tasks of various kinds.

You also need experience writing academic works like term papers and research papers. Research papers are often used to gather original and authentic academic material on a specific issue, following which the student must summarize the findings by providing a plain analysis or disposition. Finding free research paper samples online might help you get a feel for the overall structure of your paper before you dive in.

Ultimately, you'll be in a better position to recognize the compelling language of a text that fits in with any number of future projects if you take the time to familiarize yourself with the many writing styles.

In case you're reading this and need assistance with your homework, you can always turn to an essay writer from a trusted Best Paper Writing Services and have it done.

What Is an Essay?

Writing essays seems to be the most popular academic task, but what exactly is an essay?

Writing an essay is an excellent way for students to show what they've learned, how well they can organize their thoughts, and how well they can think critically about a particular topic.

Most academic essay guidelines recommend starting with an introduction, followed by the main body, and ending with a summary of the main points. There is a similar framework for college essays, but more depth and evidence are expected.

The different types of essays include:

- Narrative essay

- Argumentative essay

- Descriptive essay

- Philosophical essay

- Academic essay, etc.

You can make your essay stand out by improving upon a common framework or by hiring a professional essay writer to do it for you. You can find experts you can trust with your homework by checking out essay writing service reviews online.

Primary Characteristics of an Essay

- Its stated purpose is to convey your unique perspective.

- The average for a standard essay is five paragraphs (introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion).

- The vast majority of essays do not require in-depth knowledge of a single subject. Regarding creative writing, for instance, you are permitted to rely only on your own judgment.

- Essays are a great way to hone your writing skills and extensively explore a topic. Writing an essay forces you to think critically about your topic and organize your ideas in a way that adheres to standard academic formatting and logic.

- Essays can be scholarly in nature, but they can also veer off into more narrative or philosophical territory than is typical in research papers. Writing essays for school is required of college and high school students. You might be graded on your ability to write, for instance, by having to do a literature review.

Putting your ideas down on paper while paying attention to the requirements of the essay genre and thinking about who you're writing for is what writing an essay entails. You must work on your writing skills and use relevant examples.

What Is a Research Paper?

Although essays and research papers may look similar on the surface, they serve distinct informational purposes and are required in various contexts. Still, it's easy to see why students can get them mixed up.

A research paper is different from an essay in that it must follow specific guidelines about length, format, and citation. Research papers are used to evaluate students' ability to think critically and demonstrate mastery of a given topic by having them compile a wide range of sources on that subject. The claims made in the paper must be supported by evidence such as data, pictures, facts, statistics, and other forms of verified information.

A research paper has a specific format that writers must follow. This format is similar to that of an essay but has some key differences.

Primary Characteristics of a Research Paper

- It is not mandatory to use external sources.

- A good research paper focuses on investigating and examining multiple points of view, depending on the topic you set. At the same time, it also adds a personal touch and the author's voice to the ideas and concepts presented. This does not necessarily necessitate the use of external sources.

- The typical length of a research paper is eight pages. To learn everything there is to know about a topic, you need to put in some prep time studying the material first.

- The goal is to help the writer learn more about the subject.

- As a writer, you should evaluate and contrast different sections of data or publications that address your issue. Subsequently, you should present a comprehensive analysis that is easy to understand and digest.

- Standard formats for research papers incorporate the following writing modes: a comparative study, argumentation, analysis, cause-and-effect analysis, and topic-specific assignments. In most cases, focus on a specific topic can be used to identify a research report. While deciding on a topic, look into current affairs.

- Researching a topic entails gathering data, assessing its reliability, and synthesizing it into a complete piece before it can be committed to paper. Your job is to reformat and present it in light of your research philosophy and aims.

- It is essential to take advantage of a literature review.

The complexity of the research required for the various writing styles varies significantly. In contrast to other forms of writing, essays are much shorter and are meant to provide the author's viewpoint and supporting evidence.

Writing an academic research paper is a significantly more involved process that calls for extensive research into the topic with the help of a professional paper writer service.

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Is an Essay a Research Paper: The Differences from Each

essay research paper differences

An essay is a written piece that is used to present an idea, propose an argument, or initiate a debate. Essays are the most common types of academic assignments in many learning institutions because choices to write one are limitless. 

The learner through essays presents ideas in a non-fictional way.

On the other hand, a research paper is a piece of writing that explains what you have learned after a deep exploration of a topic. Information included in research papers is found from sources such as books, articles, internet sites, and ideas.

Research papers also must integrate personal opinions, knowledge, and ideas.

Is an Essay a Research Paper?

Some essays are research papers while others are not. For example, if an argumentative essay requires you to explore available sources to create a firm way to either support or oppose something then that essay is a research paper.

The same applies to descriptive essays, expository, and compare and contrast essays among others.

However, personal or narrative essays which tell personal experiences that require no further exploration of information cannot be considered research papers.

Some essays can also be considered expanded research papers. This is only applicable to those that have researched information that is evaluated and interpreted into a personal argument.

A research paper should always have a reasonable length.

To add to that, an essay can be considered to be a research paper because it requires a strong thesis statement. This helps essays sound more confident just like research papers.

The thesis statements in essays are supported by real-life events, facts, and statistical data the same way it is in research papers.

Essays just like research papers have to be referenced. Instructors expect learners to provide a reference page and intext citations to indicate the sources of information included in the essay.

This means that formatting methods that are used in research papers are also used in essays. This makes most essays that are encountered in academics and research papers very similar.

Differences between an Essay and a Research Paper

The following are the major points that show the difference between essays and research papers:

Essays aim to present personal opinions and point of view of the writer while research papers focus on exploring and writing about various points of view. All ideas presented in research papers must have a personal touch or the author’s voice to show the stance taken on them.

Essays are mostly short in length. Most of them range between five to nine paragraphs. These paragraphs contain the introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion . On the other hand, research papers are lengthy.

It is very rare to find a research paper that does not need a detailed explanation that requires the writer to use many pages.

On average, research papers reach up to eight pages with some extending even to twenty or more pages.

In some essays, you are not required to provide deep meaning or analysis about something. For example, when the essay is testing your creativity level then the only thing you have to do is provide your personal opinion on the topic.

Contrarily, research papers require you to extensively research a certain topic to an extent that there is little left uncovered. This is the only way that you will be able to formulate credible opinions and ideas. This is by gaining a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Essays provide you with the opportunity to improve your writing skills. This is as a result of presenting your though using writing mechanics such as logic, academic and formatting styles, and creativity.

On the other hand, research helps you to understand how to compare various chunks of data or sources on a certain topic. This enables you to present a clear cumulative and readable analysis of all the findings.

Therefore, the purpose of essays is to help the writer gain personal writing skills and know how to address a certain topic individually while the purpose of a research paper is to help the writer gain better knowledge on a particular topic.

Your task when writing essays is to put your thoughts into writing as you consider the specifics of the essay type and the audience. Therefore, examples and writing skills are important.

On the other hand, the task of a research topic is to restructure and present a topic through the lens of your methodology and research objectives. This is why information has to be compiled and evaluated before a research paper is written.

In essays, it is not always a requirement that you use external sources or strict methodology but in research papers, the use of external sources and strict methodologies such as literature reviews is a must.

Research papers show the primary literature of a topic which is genuine exploration done by the writer while essays include content already published in articles. Therefore, because the content of essays is not genuinely researched it is referred to as secondary literature.

The writer of the research formulates research questions, gathers raw data, and then conducts detailed research while an essay writer picks a topic and summarizes its already done literature while discussing the personal point of view.

Is an Essay a Term Paper?

An essay is not a term paper because it does not allow you to express the specific viewpoint of a topic while integrating personal ideas and insight. Therefore, a term paper is more of a research paper than it is an essay.

Also, term papers are very long and cannot be compared to essays. This is because they test everything that you have learned for the whole semester. Essays can only concentrate on a single topic, unlike term papers.

Extensive research is required in term papers unlike in essays where your creativity is needed to write the paper. Also, essays do not require evaluation and compilation of research like term papers.

To add to that, citations must be included in essays to note where you sourced information from something that is not a must in some essays.

With over 10 years in academia and academic assistance, Alicia Smart is the epitome of excellence in the writing industry. She is our chief editor and in charge of the writing department at Grade Bees.

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Differences Between an Essay and a Research Paper

The majority of college students will easily identify an essay by stating that it is always shorter and does not contain those complex analytical elements that are always typical for an average research paper. While it’s true to some extent, the core difference with essay writing is that you have to make your opinion and thoughts clear by supporting it with some evidence . Now the research paper will require not only your opinion but the ideas and thoughts of other people. You must present a clever synthesis of the information to show that you have done your research correctly. Without a doubt, the length will also play an important matter, but will not always be the same for every task!

• 1.1 Personal Opinion vs Data Synthesis.
• 1.2 Length And Structure.
• 1.3 The Presence of Methodology.
• 1.4 Comparison & Presentation.
• 2 The Different Types of Essay Writing & Research

The Main Differences Between an Essay & Research Paper

Personal Opinion vs Data Synthesis.

Every research paper will require a synthesis of available information and analysis while an essay can focus on what you think over some event, attitude, or subject. It is more personalized in terms of writing. It can take narrative forms while research papers will always remain within argumentative and analytical forms. If you have to research, you turn to more than one opinion! Essay writing provides more freedom to represent your thoughts as you show your writing skills.

Length And Structure.

The research paper will often be longer since it contains an abstract, an extended bibliography, the objectives of your research, the outcomes, samples, and many other scientific paragraphs. It’s what makes it longer. A classic college essay will have an introduction with a thesis, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. If it sounds confusing, consider getting cheap essay help and ensure that you share your requirements to avoid confusion. It’s essential to meet the word count and follow the structure with either task!

The Presence of Methodology.

A good research paper always implements a certain methodology or the way how you would like to achieve your scientific objectives. It can be quantitative (numeric data and variables), qualitative (sorted by category), or a mixture of both.

Comparison & Presentation.

Another important difference between essays and research papers is the use of comparison methods and the way how information is being presented. While an essay will revolve around a certain opinion and focus on structure and writing skills, a good research paper compares and analyzes different opinions. A research paper must be written according to a clear structure. If you write a perfect essay , you can have some variations, depending on your creativity, yet research paper writing will always stick to strict rules.

The Different Types of Essay Writing & Research

Remember that there are different purposes and types of research papers, which is also true for most college essays. In the majority of cases, your research paper will be subject-based with deep exposure to a certain topic with the statement of opinions and your analysis. Dealing with an essay, you can write a narrative or philosophical essay among other things where the purpose is to show your writing skills and an ability to summarize, analyze, and clarify what has been chosen in your opinion. It does not mean that essay writing is always easier, yet when you are dealing with an essay, there is more freedom to state your opinion and work depending on what essay type has been requested.

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

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Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

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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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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Research Paper vs. Research Article: What’s the Difference?

Research papers and research articles are two different forms of academic writing, with distinct characteristics. Although they share some similarities in terms of format and purpose, there are important distinctions between the two types that should be understood by students who wish to write either form effectively. This article will explain the differences between a research paper and a research article, outlining their unique features and applications. Furthermore, it will offer guidance on how best to approach each type when crafting an effective piece for scholarly consumption.

I. Introduction to Research Paper vs. Research Article

Ii. defining a research paper and a research article, iii. comparative analysis of structure, content, and writing styles between the two types of scholarly documents, iv. pros & cons of conducting either a formal or an informal study, v. concluding remarks: how to choose between the different approaches when completing academic assignments, vi. limitations in comparing these texts as distinct forms of scholarly outputs, vii. future directions for understanding similarities & differences across all kinds of academic writings.

Research Paper vs. Research Article

The academic world is full of a variety of different writing styles, each with its own unique purpose and goals. Two particularly important forms are the research paper and the research article. Each has their own distinct features that make them uniquely suited to certain tasks within academia – let’s take a closer look at what sets them apart from one another!

A research paper , as you might expect, presents in-depth analysis on an issue or topic using evidence gathered through primary sources such as field work, laboratory experiments, surveys, interviews etc., whereas a research article , typically published in scholarly journals or online publications like websites & blogs addresses specific findings derived from secondary sources like books or other papers related to said subject matter. The former requires more effort & dedication from the author due to it being time consuming & involving careful structuring along with rigorous citation format adherence; while the latter focuses mainly on providing succinct yet comprehensive overviews regarding topics which have already been extensively discussed by experts in depth previously elsewhere – taking into account present day developments/breakthroughs if necessary before finally offering opinionated conclusions pertaining to said subjects.

Exploring the Characteristics of a Research Paper and Article

• Research paper:
• Research article:

A research paper is an extended form of writing that presents and supports an argument on a particular topic. It provides evidence for the opinion or idea in the form of facts, data, analysis, opinions from authorities in specific fields etc. The objective is to make original claims based on careful evaluation of information available on a given subject. It requires significant effort as one needs to be able to distill complex topics into concisely articulated points that are supported by solid evidence.

On the other hand, a research article is usually written for publication either online or printed through journals or magazines. These articles have been peer-reviewed which means they follow certain academic standards established within their discipline while presenting factual conclusions related to ongoing debates and arguments raised by preceding works. They generally provide new insight into existing knowledge rather than build upon it using more primary sources such as surveys and experiments conducted independently by authors themselves.

Comparison of Structure, Content and Writing Styles between Research Papers and Articles For the purpose of scholarly communication, both research papers and articles play a vital role. Though there is no hard-and-fast rule that distinguishes them from each other in terms of structure or content, they usually differ significantly in their style. In comparison to research papers, articles typically have a much smaller length requirement. They can range anywhere from 1 page to as many as 30 pages depending on the journal guidelines – making them more accessible for readers who are seeking concise summaries with quick insights into topics. On the contrary, research papers tend to be longer documents that delve deeper into an issue by providing extensive background information; detailed analysis; arguments bolstered by sources such as peer-reviewed journals or interviews; conclusion sections tying up any loose ends etc.

• Research Papers: Longer documents which provide extensive coverage about an issue.
• Articles: Short pieces covering high level overviews without going too deep.

When it comes down to writing styles used for these two types of documents – Authors generally follow formal academic language while creating research paper whereas article writers tend to use more casual tones in order to appeal wider audience groups. Additionally authors will often adopt conversational elements like anecdotes when crafting articles so that readers can get better understanding about specific points being discussed within context.

Formal vs. Informal Study: A Critical Analysis The choice between conducting a formal or informal study may be difficult for researchers due to the advantages and drawbacks of each approach. Depending on their research topic, scientists must carefully weigh up the pros and cons before deciding which course of action is most suitable for them.

A formal study , as conducted in many research papers and articles, often requires more time-consuming effort from researchers than an informal one because it involves using specific methodologies such as surveys, interviews, experiments etc., gathering quantitative data that needs to be statistically analyzed by employing reliable statistical methods. On the other hand, a formal investigation allows researchers to obtain objective information from well-defined populations about predetermined variables through systematic procedures that can yield precise results with larger external validity – making it possible to make generalizations beyond those studied in this particular case.

Conversely, an informal study , also known as participant observation or field work requires less structured approaches where collecting qualitative data is usually achieved via conversations with informants instead of strict instrumentations; thus allowing greater interaction between researcher and subjects resulting in increased understanding of contextually situated phenomena within its natural setting rather than artificially created ones used in laboratories’ studies – leading to deeper insights into complex social processes . Also noteworthy is its lower financial cost when compared against highly expensive equipment needed for undertaking large scale scientific investigations.. However despite yielding valuable first person accounts which might not have been obtained elsewhere , such observations are sometimes criticized due challenges related accuracy given reliance on subjective interpretations while generating evidence without significant use of control variables .

Selecting the Optimal Approach for Academic Assignments When it comes to completing academic assignments, there are various approaches one can take. In order to ensure success and optimal results, it is important that students consider all of their options carefully before making a choice.

Research papers often require extensive research and careful consideration when selecting an approach. Using primary sources such as books or peer-reviewed articles may be more reliable in comparison to secondary sources such as websites or blogs which are usually less credible due to lack of credibility checks by professionals within the field. Additionally, data analysis can help strengthen arguments while also adding clarity to any work produced during the course of completion; however, understanding how best utilize this analytical tool effectively requires additional practice and experience on behalf of the student undertaking it. For research articles, detailed knowledge about particular topics may lead towards better outcomes but general familiarity with content areas is sufficient enough for success here too. The key lies in being able identify appropriate methods quickly through use critical thinking skills coupled with clear objectives pertaining specifically each assignment itself at hand prior its execution – this way mistakes are avoided thus delivering quality results each time..

Comparative Analyses of Scholarly Outputs

• Scholarly output, such as research papers and articles, are subject to scrutiny when attempting to make comparisons.
• Due to the differences between these two types of outputs, it can be difficult or impossible to achieve a true comparison.

Comparing scholarly outputs is not always possible due to their distinct forms. Research papers typically have more depth than an article on the same topic which may mean that even though both documents might discuss similar topics in some aspects they will differ greatly in others. Furthermore, the format of each type of document contributes further complexities; for example, a research paper is often much longer and requires extensive background information before any conclusions can be drawn while articles tend towards presenting results with little room left for interpretation. The style used by authors also adds difficulty; many times research papers include complex jargon necessary for understanding specific points whereas an article strives for simplicity so its target audience can comprehend all material without excessive effort. These limitations prevent proper analysis from being done since one piece could provide certain details while another provides only bits related thereto leading readers into confusion if attempting to compare them directly despite intentions otherwise. It then becomes clear that academic pieces should instead remain separate entities rather than compared against each other since doing so would lead only too frustration given current constraints therein found.

Exploring the Similarities and Differences Between Academic Writings

As our understanding of academic writings continues to evolve, so too must our appreciation for both their similarities and differences. From research papers to research articles, it is important to consider how each one contributes unique insight into a given topic or issue.

The research paper and research article may look similar on the surface, but upon closer inspection one can see significant differences in their format, purpose, and audience. The key distinctions between these two forms of written work are scope of content covered, type of analysis used to draw conclusions or develop knowledge from data or evidence presented, and intended readership. Ultimately, understanding the essential characteristics that distinguish a research paper from a research article is beneficial for anyone who produces such texts as it will help them craft an effective product that aligns with its desired purposes.

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Types of research papers

Analytical research paper

Argumentative or persuasive paper, definition paper, compare and contrast paper, cause and effect paper, interpretative paper, experimental research paper, survey research paper, frequently asked questions about the different types of research papers, related articles.

There are multiple different types of research papers. It is important to know which type of research paper is required for your assignment, as each type of research paper requires different preparation. Below is a list of the most common types of research papers.

➡️ Read more:  What is a research paper?

In an analytical research paper you:

• pose a question
• collect relevant data from other researchers
• analyze their different viewpoints

You focus on the findings and conclusions of other researchers and then make a personal conclusion about the topic. It is important to stay neutral and not show your own negative or positive position on the matter.

The argumentative paper presents two sides of a controversial issue in one paper. It is aimed at getting the reader on the side of your point of view.

You should include and cite findings and arguments of different researchers on both sides of the issue, but then favor one side over the other and try to persuade the reader of your side. Your arguments should not be too emotional though, they still need to be supported with logical facts and statistical data.

Tip: Avoid expressing too much emotion in a persuasive paper.

The definition paper solely describes facts or objective arguments without using any personal emotion or opinion of the author. Its only purpose is to provide information. You should include facts from a variety of sources, but leave those facts unanalyzed.

Compare and contrast papers are used to analyze the difference between two:

Make sure to sufficiently describe both sides in the paper, and then move on to comparing and contrasting both thesis and supporting one.

Cause and effect papers are usually the first types of research papers that high school and college students write. They trace probable or expected results from a specific action and answer the main questions "Why?" and "What?", which reflect effects and causes.

In business and education fields, cause and effect papers will help trace a range of results that could arise from a particular action or situation.

An interpretative paper requires you to use knowledge that you have gained from a particular case study, for example a legal situation in law studies. You need to write the paper based on an established theoretical framework and use valid supporting data to back up your statement and conclusion.

This type of research paper basically describes a particular experiment in detail. It is common in fields like:

Experiments are aimed to explain a certain outcome or phenomenon with certain actions. You need to describe your experiment with supporting data and then analyze it sufficiently.

This research paper demands the conduction of a survey that includes asking questions to respondents. The conductor of the survey then collects all the information from the survey and analyzes it to present it in the research paper.

➡️ Ready to start your research paper? Take a look at our guide on how to start a research paper .

In an analytical research paper, you pose a question and then collect relevant data from other researchers to analyze their different viewpoints. You focus on the findings and conclusions of other researchers and then make a personal conclusion about the topic.

The definition paper solely describes facts or objective arguments without using any personal emotion or opinion of the author. Its only purpose is to provide information.

Cause and effect papers are usually the first types of research papers that high school and college students are confronted with. The answer questions like "Why?" and "What?", which reflect effects and causes. In business and education fields, cause and effect papers will help trace a range of results that could arise from a particular action or situation.

This type of research paper describes a particular experiment in detail. It is common in fields like biology, chemistry or physics. Experiments are aimed to explain a certain outcome or phenomenon with certain actions.

Difference Between an Essay & a Paper

Jennifer brozak.

Whether you’re in middle school, high school or toiling away at college, paper writing is a fundamental facet of schooling. While essays and other forms of creative writing are common in English classes, you’ll also need to understand how to write informative pieces, such as research or term papers. By understanding the difference between the various types of writing styles, you’ll be able to draft compelling prose that is appropriate for any given assignment.

Explore this article

• What Is an Essay?
• What Is a Research Paper?
• What Is the Difference Between a Research Paper and Term Paper?
• Avoid Getting a Free Essay Writer

1 What Is an Essay?

One of the most common forms of writing is the essay. Starting in your later elementary school years and into middle school, you’ll likely be exposed to the five-paragraph essay, which is a fundamental starting point for creating longer-length writing assignments as you move upward through the higher grades. While they’re typically shorter pieces of writing (often under 1,000 words), they allow teachers to evaluate students on different writing, reading and analysis skills, including the art of persuasion and exposition.

Essays can take on many forms: They can be narrative, or tell a story; expository, or require investigation and evidential support; descriptive, in which a student is required to describe, creatively, a person, place or object; and finally, persuasive, in which a student is asked to argue a specific position on a particular topic.

As a whole, paper essay writing typically allows for more creativity than more formal writing styles, such as research papers.

2 What Is a Research Paper?

The phrase “research paper” can conjure anxiety in even the most adequate student writers. However, this need not be the case. In fact, it’s helpful to think of a research paper as an inflated essay. The structure will basically be the same, but you’ll need a thesis statement (which is not required in some forms of essay writing), significant research and evidence to support your ideas. You’ll also be required to include several credible sources in your paper, which will be listed on a reference page. And consider this: If you choose a subject you’re interested in researching, writing an informative paper can actually be quite a rewarding experience.

3 What Is the Difference Between a Research Paper and Term Paper?

Teachers, especially college professors, sometimes refer to longer research papers as “term papers,” which are similar in their structure and format. They’re expanded essays that will require evidence and credible sources to support your ideas. The difference lies in the subject matter. Research papers may allow you to cover a topic outside of the general subject matter (such as writing a persuasive research paper about global warming in an English class), while term papers will focus solely on the subject matter discussed in the course. High-quality research and term paper examples can be found on numerous sites, such as the Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

4 Avoid Getting a Free Essay Writer

A note of caution about submitting any writing assignment: While the Internet abounds with sources to help you in your quest to write the perfect paper, avoid using “essay generators” or hiring a free essay writer or buying papers from a database. Even if you’re procrastinating and panicking about finishing your assignment, it’s always better to turn in your own work. Not only do many teachers utilize online plagiarism checkers, but they also learn to recognize a student’s specific writing style over the course of an academic year. While it’s perfectly fine to use a term paper example as a guideline, it’s always better to submit your own paper or essay with minor errors than to attempt to pass off someone else’s writing as your own.

• 1 SUNY Empire State College: Research Writing: Elements and Steps
• 2 Enago Academy: How to Avoid Plagiarism in Research Papers (Part1 )

About the Author

Jennifer Brozak earned her state teaching certificate in Secondary English and Communications from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., and her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Pittsburgh. A former high school English teacher, Jennifer enjoys writing articles about parenting and education and has contributed to Reader's Digest, Mamapedia, Shmoop and more.

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Paraphrasing for Better Research Papers: A Step-by-Step Guide

Research papers rely on other people’s writing as a foundation to create new ideas, but you can’t just use someone else’s words. That’s why paraphrasing is an essential writing technique for academic writing .

Paraphrasing rewrites another person’s ideas, evidence, or opinions in your own words. With proper attribution, paraphrasing helps you expand on another’s work and back up your own ideas with information from other sources while retaining your own writing style and tone.

Work smarter with Grammarly The AI writing partner for anyone with work to do Get Grammarly

In this guide to paraphrasing, we explain how to strengthen your research papers through the art and craft of paraphrasing. We discuss the rules of ethical paraphrasing and share paraphrasing tips to help you get started. We even provide a few paraphrasing examples to illustrate how to do it yourself.

Why should you paraphrase in a research paper?

There are a few reasons research writers rely on paraphrasing in their papers:

• It shows comprehension. Paraphrasing requires you to understand ideas well enough to write them in your own words, so it not only helps you pass on information but also can help you learn and retain it.
• Paraphrasing other research or another writer’s work allows you to make valuable connections between ideas. Crediting your sources ethically and according to standards shows professional collaboration and respect.
• Paraphrasing can transform dense academic language into clearer or more modern text. Research writers employ it to make important information more understandable to a wider audience.
• Paraphrasing can increase the readability of your paper and make impactful direct quotes stand out.

When should paraphrasing be used in a research paper?

Paraphrasing is best used in concert with other research writing techniques, such as direct quotes and summaries. Here are instances when paraphrasing is appropriate for your research paper:

• Opt for paraphrasing when you can explain the same concept in plainer language or with less jargon.
• Paraphrasing works best when you need to share background information. Save direct quotes for striking statements and opinions. Rely on your own words to set the stage or provide context.
• Similarly, methodology from published studies generally doesn’t require direct quotes. Consider rewriting this contextual information in your own words.
• Paraphrasing also works well when you’re reporting key results from other research. You might restate the results by paraphrasing the main findings and then use a direct quote to share opinions about the value gleaned from the research.

Paraphrasing vs. quoting and summarizing

Unlike summarizing, paraphrasing uses roughly the same amount of detail as the original work but adjusts the language to demonstrate comprehension or make the text more understandable. Summarizing, in contrast, shortens the information to only the most important points.

While paraphrasing uses your own phrasing, quoting transcribes someone else’s words exactly, placing them in quotation marks so the reader knows someone else said them.

Direct quotes work best when you’re dealing with striking statements or opinions or when you want the tone of the original work to shine. Opt for paraphrasing when you can convey the same information in plain language. Sometimes, placing a direct quote in a sentence would lead to an error in subject-verb agreement or pronoun agreement, so paraphrasing works better in that case. Paraphrasing can also help modernize outdated wording, such as gendered language.

Generally, your writing will have the most readability and engagement if you strike a balance between paraphrasing and direct quotes.

Common paraphrasing mistakes

Writers risk committing plagiarism or losing clarity when they commit the following common paraphrasing mistakes:

• Substituting synonyms but not otherwise changing the phrasing
• Altering the original meaning
• Failing to add citations within the text and in the bibliography

Tips for paraphrasing successfully in your research paper

Try to rewrite from memory.

It can be difficult to reword a passage when you’re staring at it. Sometimes it can help to jot down notes about a passage and then try to rewrite the same sentiment from scratch. This forces your brain to think creatively because you can’t just copy the passage verbatim.

Focus on meaning, not just vocabulary

Paraphrasing is more than just swapping out words for their synonyms; you need to completely rewrite a sentence in your own style. Pay close attention to what the original author is trying to say as a whole, rather than focusing on the individual words. You may find yourself changing phrases or clauses. You may even come up with a way to restate the whole idea in a clearer or more concise way.

Change or update the language

Use synonyms to replace the essential words of an original passage with other words that mean the same thing, such as using “scientist” for “researcher,” or “seniors” for “the elderly.” You can also pay special attention to modernizing and broadening the language, such as for more gender inclusivity. This is a common approach to paraphrasing, although it’s not sufficient on its own.

Edit the sentence structure

Editing the sentence structure by rearranging the order of certain phrases and clauses or combining or breaking apart sentences is another strategy for paraphrasing. But if you do this, be careful not to overuse the passive voice.

Sometimes, you can rephrase a sentence by changing the parts of speech, such as converting a gerund into an operative verb or turning an adjective into an adverb . This strategy depends on the wording of the original passage, so you may not always have the opportunity.

Often, using only one of these techniques is not enough to differentiate your paraphrase from the source material. Try combining a few of these techniques on the same passage to set it apart.

Use transition phrasing

Some introductory and transitional phrases let your reader know you’re about to paraphrase an existing work. This tactic has the added benefit of helping you rewrite key findings by recasting the sentence structure with a new subject. Here are a few examples:

• Research shows that . . .
• A recent study found that . . .
• According to [author]’s analysis . . .
• Thanks to [source], we now know that . . .

Avoid patchwriting

If you don’t change enough of the original, it leaves “patches” of the source text that are easily identifiable to anyone who’s read it. This is known as patchwriting , and it’s a big problem with paraphrasing. Double-check to see if your paraphrase is unique enough with our free plagiarism checker .

Use ethical paraphrasing tools

Use Grammarly’s free paraphrasing tool to quickly paraphrase text with the help of generative AI. Paste the text into Grammarly to get options for how to paraphrase it instantly, then use our citations generator to get the proper attribution.

Learn about other aspects of research paper writing by browsing Grammarly’s research paper guides and resources .

Paraphrasing examples

Paraphrasing a research paper to avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarism refers to claiming another person’s ideas or words as your own. Paraphrasing alone is not enough to avoid plagiarism—if the words are different but the ideas are the same, you have to do more. That’s why citing paraphrases is not just morally right, it’s also a mandatory part of how to write a research paper , regardless of the research paper topic .

In academic writing, paraphrases typically use parenthetical citations , a type of in-text citation that places the author’s last name in parentheses, along with the year of publication or page number. Parenthetical citations are placed at the end of a passage, before the ending punctuation.

Additionally, you need to include a full citation for any source you use in the bibliography section at the end of the research paper. A full citation includes all the necessary details the reader needs to track down the source, such as the full title, the publication year, and the name of the publisher.

The information to include in both parenthetical and full citations depends on which formatting style you’re using: APA , MLA , or Chicago . Refer to our guides to learn more about how to properly cite your paraphrasing in whatever style you prefer.

If you’re still having trouble citing paraphrases, you can use our free citation generator to save time.

How to paraphrase for a research paper FAQs

When should you use paraphrasing in research writing.

If you want to use someone else’s ideas in your research paper, you can either paraphrase or quote them. Paraphrasing works best when the original wording has room for improvement or doesn’t fit in with the rest of your paper. Quoting is best when the original wording is already perfect.

What techniques can you use for paraphrasing practice?

The most common paraphrasing technique is using synonyms to replace some of the original words. That only gets you so far, though; also consider rearranging the sentence structure, adding/removing parts of the original, or changing some of the parts of speech (like turning a verb into a noun).

Do research paper paraphrasing rules change for different citation styles?

The rules for paraphrasing are always the same—but the rules for citations change a lot between styles. Review the citation guidelines for the formatting style you’re using, whether APA, MLA, or Chicago.

Can I paraphrase sources with no named author, like websites?

Yes, you can paraphrase websites, but ensure they are reputable. And you still need to cite the source according to the citation guidelines.

What’s the best way to integrate paraphrased information smoothly in my paper’s flow?

Transitional phrases can help you introduce paraphrased information. Try using language such as:

Use paraphrasing alongside other writing devices, such as direct quotes or summaries, to help your paper flow naturally.

Is it acceptable to paraphrase content from my own previous papers?

Yes, you can paraphrase your other content, unless your academic institution has a policy against it. You should still cite the original source material, even though it is your own work.

1. Introduction

3. results and discussion, 4. conclusions and outlook.

research papers \(\def\hfill{\hskip 5em}\def\hfil{\hskip 3em}\def\eqno#1{\hfil {#1}}\)

Linking solid-state phenomena via energy differences in `archetype crystal structures'

a Novartis Campus, Novartis Pharma AG, Postfach, Basel CH-4002, Switzerland, and b Mathematisch Naturwiss. Fakultät, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland * Correspondence e-mail: [email protected]

This article is part of a collection of articles from the IUCr 2023 Congress in Melbourne, Australia, and commemorates the 75th anniversary of the IUCr.

Categorization underlies understanding. Conceptualizing solid-state structures of organic molecules with `archetype crystal structures' bridges established categories of disorder, polymorphism and solid solutions and is herein extended to special position and high- Z ′ structures. The concept was developed in the context of disorder modelling [Dittrich, B. (2021). IUCrJ , 8 , 305–318] and relies on adding quantum chemical energy differences between disorder components to other criteria as an explanation as to why disorder – and disappearing disorder – occurs in an average structure. Part of the concept is that disorder, as probed by diffraction, affects entire molecules, rather than just the parts of a molecule with differing conformations, and the finding that an R·T energy difference between disorder archetypes is usually not exceeded. An illustrative example combining disorder and special positions is the crystal structure of oestradiol hemihydrate analysed here, where its space-group/subgroup relationship is required to explain its disorder of hydrogen-bonded hydrogen atoms. In addition, we show how high- Z ′ structures can also be analysed energetically and understood via archetypes: high- Z ′ structures occur when an energy gain from combining different rather than overall alike conformations in a crystal significantly exceeds R·T , and this finding is discussed in the context of earlier explanations in the literature. Twinning is not related to archetype structures since it involves macroscopic domains of the same crystal structure. Archetype crystal structures are distinguished from crystal structure prediction trial structures in that an experimental reference structure is required for them. Categorization into archetype structures also has practical relevance, leading to a new practice of disorder modelling in experimental least-squares refinement alluded to in the above-mentioned publication.

Keywords: quantum crystallography ; archetype crystal structures ; structure-specific restraints ; quantum chemical energy differences ; twinning .

1.1. Archetypes, high- Z ′, disordered, polymorphic structures and solid solutions/cocrystals

Here we are interested in extending applicability of archetypes to other complex phenomena encountered in crystal structure elucidation, 1 refinement and computation. First, we look at structures with atoms of partial molecules residing on crystallographic special positions, where the rest of the asymmetric unit (ASU) atoms/ions/molecules do not appear to be disordered. Then we include high- Z ′ structures, where archetype structures can contribute to their description and understanding.

1.2. Archetypes and structures with atoms on special positions

1.3. extending application: archetype structures extracted from high- z ′ structures.

Rather than qualitative descriptions, the recipe of calculating the Z ′ adjustment energy gains can quantitatively show how unfavourable and destabilizing it can be to maintain only one rather than two or several conformations, explaining why increasing structural complexity can stabilize crystal packing.

1.4. Archetype structures and twinning

2.1. data retrieval of structures studied, 2.2. computational tools and procedures, 3.1. archetypes structures with atoms on special positions, 3.1.1. 1,4-dioxane clathrate (nifedipine) in p 1, 3.1.2. debrisoquinium sulfate in c 2/ c.

For the crystal structure of CSD refcode JUKWAN, debrisoquinium sulfate or bis­[3,4-di­hydro-2(1 H )-iso­quinoline­carboxamidinium] sulfate, there is initially one main positively charged molecule and half a sulfate dianion on a special position in the CCDC deposition. Computation of the structure requires an SG change from C 2/ c to P 2 1 / n . Like for nifedipine, the structure is not disordered, and we can consider it being composed of two archetypes that overlay within the resolution of the experiment to give an average structure of higher symmetry. Lowering symmetry as for nifedipine generates a structure with three ions in the ASU that was again MIC optimized. The E(MPIE) plot (not shown) is dominated by ionic interactions. Just considering symmetry we would expect the energy of the two now independent molecules to be the same. This is confirmed by the ONIOM computation, where with 3.4 kJ mol −1 R·T with T = 298 K is slightly exceeded. This is probably because we use a distance cut-off in the cluster; for the predominantly ionic interactions in this structure, a gas-phase calculation of a cluster is probably not best suited to capture these interactions. Increasing the cluster size was not attempted, since the 3.75 A shortest atom–atom threshold including whole molecules already led to a reasonable cluster size. Trying an additional PCM continuous solvent environment of this cluster led to a slightly larger energy difference. Still, we consider this energy difference being in the right ballpark concerning R·T . There are numerous other examples in the CSD of structures like nifedipine or debrisoquinium sulfate with ions or solvent on special positions, and we think that providing computational details for two of them, while not statistically significant, is sufficient to explain them. A statistical analysis using the DFT-D level of theory, while being out of scope, would be desirable to further support energetic findings.

3.1.3. β -Oestradiol in P 2 1 2 1 2

3.2. solid solutions, 3.3. high- z ′ structures, 3.3.1. fluconazole in pbca, 3.3.2. 4-hy­droxy­biphenyl in p 2 1 2 1 2 1, 3.3.3. 1 z ,2 r ,4 r ,7 s ,11 s -3,3,7,11-tetramethyl­tri­cyclo­[6.3.0.0 2,4 ]undec-1(8)-en-4-ol in p 2 1 2 1 2 1.

2 For two-layer ONIOM with force-field embedding, bigger basis sets can be used, but can lead to BSSE (not quantified). For our APFD/6-31G(d,p):APFD/3-21G MO/MO computation the CPU time is significantly larger than for FF treatment of the low layer. The use of Pople bases in comparing relative energy differences is therefore merited.

3 It is good advice to be sceptical about the energy accuracy of semi-empirical DFT-B and also two-layer DFT-D ONIOM computations; in the text two significant figures are provided.

4 Changing the crystallization temperature can shift the 6 R·T cut-off significantly. Given that some compounds crystallize in the same form at 20, 0 and −80°C, whereas others change form at lower or higher T , 6 R·T provides guidance of the importance or limitations of changing T (or p ) to obtain different forms. e.g. we haven't seen de-stabilizing E(MPIE) exceeding + 6 R·T in structures containing neutral molecules so far.

5 When only the hydrogen bonding differs but the molecular conformation is the same, one still has two possibilities to generate archetypes. When molecular conformations differ considerably, so that a pair forms the entity to crystallize together as in refcode CEKBAV, for example, the reverse archetype analysis strategy obviously fails.

6 There are obviously many other functionals to choose from. PBE was chosen since it was used extensively and successfully in crystal structure prediction blind tests.

Acknowledgements

We thank Henrik Moebitz and Trixie Wager for support, Monica Kosa for help using GFN1-xTB in CP2K , and John Helliwell for helpful discussions.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) Licence , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are cited.