Why are Research Papers Different from Term Papers?
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Term papers and research papers are often seen as the same thing, which is unfortunate, because in truth, they are quite different entities. The level of scholarship necessary is lower for term papers than for research papers. While a term paper can be biographical in nature, a research paper cannot. No: a research paper would need to go far beyond the biography level and move into areas such as interpreting the major works of the person highlighted in the paper, how those works relate to today’s society, and other such examples of higher-level analysis.
In short, term papers can be based upon not too many rigorous sources, and written without heavy-duty scholarship, but a research paper should not be so. This is why term papers are far more common in high school, whereas research papers really come into their own in college and university.
There are two main types of research papers: those based upon the scholarly work of others, and those which detail research done by the writer him or herself. The second kind of research paper is a lot less common than the first. An examination of an example will show the difference. In psychology class, one could conduct a meta-analysis of studies concerning the benefits of play therapy for children who are victims of violence. This exemplifies the first type of research paper. Alternatively, you can write about a six-month stint in which you conducted play therapy sessions with disturbed children, as the second kind of research paper.
It is clear, then, why the first type of research paper is far more common among college students; such high-level research is typically far beyond the ability of most undergraduate students to conduct. That may be true; but undergraduate students can still conduct primary research if they truly want to.
Either way, it is critical for students to know the difference between the two types of papers introduced in the beginning of this article; namely, term papers and research papers. Otherwise, you will be very disappointed with the grade on your college research paper. If this happens, consider purchasing an excellent model paper, one written by a reputable academic writing and research company. A model paper will help you learn how to write your own research papers and term papers, and understand the difference between the two.
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