A research paper is a paper written on a previously unstudied topic and is meant to educate the reader about said topic. This education includes facts, data, and statistics that can be used as evidence for or against an argument. The purpose of a research article is to share information with other experts in the field so they may use this new information to further their own studies and develop new ideas. A research paper should not contain any personal opinions of the writer but rather support its claims with facts and reliable sources. Many technical topics rely on extensive research papers for describing different concepts relevant to the field. For example, electricity must first be defined so people understand what it means to conduct it before discussing how it. Research papers are typically formatted in the same way. They begin with an abstract, which describes the goal of the paper and any relevant information about its development. Then, they include a thesis statement where the writer states what their main point is or what they intend to prove based on the research they conducted. After this, all their supporting evidence should be listed in order from most reliable to least reliable sources for each claim made. Finally, there should be a conclusion that summarizes the main points of the article but does not introduce anything new.
The term paper is very similar to a research paper because it also requires extensive research on a previously unstudied topic. However, because it deals with topics already covered by other studies, there are no new facts or data brought to light in a term paper. Instead, a term paper should focus on adding a new perspective or analysis to the topic that hasn’t been seen before. The goal of a term paper is not to educate readers about the topic but rather convince them to think differently about it by using evidence from previous studies and interviews with experts in the field. This type of research often requires more thought and creativity because unlike a research paper, there are no facts required for support. Thus, many people believe that writing a term paper is actually harder than writing a research article even though both require extensive knowledge and resources to complete successfully. The format of both articles is slightly different as well: they start with an introduction that describes what information will be included in the body and why it is important, followed by data organized in descending order for easier reference. The body should include several different perspectives on the topic before reaching a conclusion about which one is most accurate or relevant to the research question being asked.
A thesis is very similar to a term paper in terms of how it requires extensive research and writing, however, there are some significant differences between them:
- Thesis statements must be included in the introduction section while term papers do not require any sort of formal statement until near the end when all main points have been debated and explained thoroughly.
- The purpose of a term paper is to add a new perspective, views, and analysis to an already studied topic while the goal of a thesis is to prove something that has never been proven before such as a theory, hypothesis, or even a previously unstudied phenomenon.
- Term papers follow a strict format in terms of referencing and citation while thesis do not need to rely on data from other sources if they are proving something new because it can be compared to precedence in literature or previous experiments that were unsuccessful.
However, some research fields require students to complete both kinds of papers as part of their education unless they are doing independent studies; social science is one example of this type of field.
When completing projects for a class such as term papers or thesis, it is important to think critically about what has already been written before beginning work on your own project so you know what information still needs to be covered and how your piece can stand out from previous studies. Large projects such as these should be broken into smaller sections that can help writers remain organized and focused throughout the entire process of research, writing, and revision. Rather than trying to complete a paper in one night, it is recommended to spread your time and energy over several days by completing only one section (introduction, body, conclusion) per day or even an hour until you’ve finished everything needed for a quality project that will earn you an excellent grade.
In short, a thesis must have new information brought to light while term papers need not rely on any brand-new facts but instead provide a different perspective on topics that many people may already consider settled science. A thesis allows its writer the freedom to write about whatever they choose without having to stick entirely to a specific topic whereas term papers must be written about an exact and narrow subject and generally require several pages worth of opening and supporting paragraphs.