the fast, easy way for students to find great academic information resources.

Term Papers and Research Papers

Students often mistakenly assume that term papers and research papers are the same thing when they are really quite different.  Although, to be sure, both term papers and research papers are common writing assignments and you can expect to have to write both types while you are a college student.   This post will briefly describe term papers and research papers so that you will know the difference between them when it comes time to write one.

First, term papers:  The focus of a term paper is on the ideas, content, information etc., learned in a course during an entire semester.  It is usually due at the end of the semester or term (hence the name ‘term paper’) and is also usually several pages long.  These papers present a detailed discussion of the topic and demonstrate what the student has learned from the course.

Now, the research paper: The research paper, as the name implies, requires more in-depth investigation and analysis than the term paper and its focus, in contrast to the term paper, is not on the ideas and principles presented in your class.  Rather, the purpose of the research paper is to go beyond what you have just learned in class and uncover, learn about, and contribute new ideas and concepts on the topic.  Thus, the term paper demonstrates that you have mastered the material presented in the class while the research paper demonstrates that you have gained and mastered a topic related to your course but goes beyond what was covered in the class.

As we discussed in previous posts about analytical essays, pro-con essays, argumentative essays and all essays, both term papers and research papers must follow the basic essay structure. This means that your papers must include an introduction with a thesis statement, the main body of the paper, which consists of several paragraphs that develop, examine, and discuss the thesis, and a conclusion, which summarizes the main points that were made in the body of the paper, but does not introduce new points.  Also, both essays require proper and thorough citation.  Make sure you organize your sources and follow the citation rules, whichever citation style you use.  Don’t forget to make use of the great academic resources available online too and to check out sites that have examples of papers that you can use to help you get started.