Term papers and research papers are often seen as the same thing, which is unfortunate, because in truth, they are quite different entities. Term papers are not as in-depth and rigorous as are research papers. A term paper can be a biography about a famous person, but 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 former is the more common by far. It is easy to see the difference using an example. 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 illustrates the first type of research paper one can write. An example of the second kind of research paper would be if you wrote about a series of play therapy sessions you conducted yourself.

 

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. While that is true, it is also true that if they really want to do so, undergraduate students can find ways to conduct such primary research.

 

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. If you don’t, you will be very unhappy when you receive your first graded research paper back from your professor. If this happens, consider purchasing an excellent model paper, one written by a reputable academic writing and research company. Model papers can be of great assistance in learning to write your own papers.

 

 

 

 

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