You aren’t the only one afraid of hearing “research paper” from your professors. Writing research papers is the most daunting task after the thesis manuscript. Research means long hours scouring the web and the library for relevant citations, endless attempts to jam disjointed facts into something resembling coherence, and nights spent trying to put all your thoughts on paper. And that’s before you realize there’s more than one way to write a research paper and try to frantically adjust it to fit the required category.
To help you make sense of their differences, today, we’ll walk you through eight types of research papers, including common analytical and argumentative genres. By the end of this post, you’ll know the purpose and peculiarities of different types of research papers and what classes they get assigned in.
Analytical research paper
An analytical research paper is one of the two major categories, alongside argumentative pieces. Such a research paper aims to provide a complete picture of the topic by citing reliable, objective reference data. Its outline depends on the subgenre and topic but generally follows the common layout, including introduction, literature analysis, methodology, results and discussion, followed by the conclusion and bibliography.
Analytical research papers are common for postgraduate and PhD programs across most majors, ranging from Medicine and Humanities to hard sciences and STEM. At the same time, Law and Business students are more likely to work on argumentative research papers.
Argumentative research paper
Just like an argumentative essay, an argumentative research paper should present a debatable thesis statement with a strong viewpoint on the issue. Reference data and your analysis should be strong enough to convince the readers to share your position. Persuasive research papers typically don’t require first-hand experiments or surveys, so their layout resembles essays. Aside from the introduction and conclusion, the main body should present the strongest arguments with supporting evidence.
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Professors can assign such research papers to undergrads and postgrads, especially in Literature, History, and Social Studies classes. Other soft sciences also use argumentative writing assignments, and so do Business and Law professors.
Experimental research paper
As the name implies, an experimental research paper covers an experiment. Following the standard layout, you should discuss the current state of the problem and highlight its relevance. Next, explain your experiment design and focus on specific methods. Finally, present the experiment results and discuss your findings. The conclusion can cover the limitations of your study, as well as potential future research.
Most postgrads and PhD students in hard sciences and STEM fields have to deal with experimental research papers. They are best suited for hands-on research types, though they can also work for Medicine and Psychology.
Survey research paper
A survey research paper is similar to an experimental one. But instead of designing an experiment, you need to run a survey. Once you complete it, you can use the same structure used by experimental research papers to present your results. Remember to add a section to cover ethical considerations since you work with human subjects.
Survey-based research is typical for postgrads and PhD students in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, and other humanities, including Education. Like different types of research papers, survey analysis can also be useful for Medical, Law, and Business students.
Compare and contrast research paper
Compare and contrast research papers can be both analytical and argumentative. The goal of this research paper type is to highlight the similarities and differences of two or more subjects. The research paper structure reflects this purpose. Each section can either be devoted to a single difference or similarity or highlight both.
Unlike most research paper types, compare and contrast assignments are more common across undergraduate schools than advanced programs. They can be useful for students in most fields, including soft and hard sciences, Business, and Medicine.
Cause and effect research paper
It’s another subgenre of both argumentative and analytical research paper types. It identifies the relationships between factors and outcomes. Depending on the research paper topics, your cause-and-effect piece may include several causes for a single outcome or vice versa. You’ll need to adjust the paper outline accordingly to make your reasoning readable and understandable.
Like compare and contrast research papers, cause and effect pieces are typical for Bachelor-track students. They are common for Humanities and STEM classes, as well as Business and Management courses.
Review research paper
As the name suggests, a review research paper is basically a literature review but not a critique. It can be a part of a future research proposal, capstone project, or thesis. The goal is a synthesis of the current state of the problem and an evaluation of the gaps in knowledge and inconsistencies that require further study.
It’s another common type of research paper for undergrads since it doesn’t require hands-on experiments or field experience. Professors across soft and hard science departments, as well as Business and Medicine schools, love to assign review research papers. Since it’s one of the most common research paper formats, many writing companies deliver excellent results. Check out our EssayMarket review to learn more.
Definition research paper
It’s one of the least common types of research papers that requires you to define the subject of significance. Like other research papers, it requires extensive use of references, but you won’t need to conduct experiments or surveys, and the scope will be pretty limited.
Considering the relatively easy requirements (compared to different research paper formats), definition papers are typical for undergraduate students across most majors, from Business and Law to Medicine and STEM.
Ready to tackle research papers, or will you trust writing services?
Hopefully, you can now make sense of different types of research papers and their requirements. Unfortunately, it’s only the first step on the long-winded road to completing the assignment. So, if you’re too exhausted to deal with a research paper on your own, take a peek at our top essay writing reviews by professional reviewers and choose a reliable service to entrust with your homework.
FAQs
Different types of research papers include analytical and argumentative pieces. The former can be experimental or survey papers, as well as compare and contrast or cause and effect pieces. A review or definition research paper also falls into the analytical category. Argumentative research papers can lean towards the persuasive genre if you use emotional arguments along with hard evidence.
The two major research paper categories are argumentative and analytical. In argumentative pieces, you try to persuade the readers to share your opinion on the topic. In analytical papers, the main goal is to cover the topic in full and present objective scholarly information without introducing personal bias.
Analytical research paper type calls for objective reference data analysis. You need to present all sides of the issue without prioritizing your take or trying to convince the readers to your side.
