Understanding an academic paper: what is a research paper?

A research paper is a scientific writing of experiments to improve and obtain new knowledge. It involves establishing laws that manifest in nature and society, testing scientific hypotheses, and confirming projects through science. An entire research paper is based on a writer’s thoughts and prior knowledge of a topic and the analysis of the acquired data. Not many students like these types of papers because it requires in-depth studying, reporting, and data analysis.

However, appreciated or not, a research paper is important because it benefits both the students and the world. On the one hand, it equips students with proper research and analytical skills, providing valuable knowledge for societal developments.

What are the types of research papers?

While there are many types of research papers, only a few are characterized as the “main” types. Each of these major types of studies requires an unconventional approach to writing them. Here is an overview of the types of research papers to help you differentiate between them.

Argumentative research paper

An argumentative research paper is also a persuasive paper; it presents two sides of a controversial matter. The goals of research in this type of academic writing are to make readers see things from your perspective. In this paper, you will include the arguments of the different researchers you’re studying, but you’ll favor one side over the other. Your arguments will try to persuade the reader of your side, supported with statistical data and facts, and not too emotional.

Analytical research paper

Analytical research papers aren’t as complicated as they sound; it is a form of writing that involves questions. First, you pose a question and collect relevant data from other authors with different viewpoints, focusing on their findings and conclusions. Then, you will make a personal conclusion about the topic, remaining neutral and refraining from approving or disapproving either side. There are many types of research questions available that you can draw inspiration from to come up with yours.

Interpretive research paper

Interpretive research papers require that you use the knowledge gained from a case study to do my paper. It involves writing your paper using an established theoretical framework and backing your statement and conclusion with sufficient data. Students in social science and literature are often tasked with writing these types of papers.

Definition research paper

This research paper type is a highly informative text type, requiring only bare objective arguments and facts. A definition research paper comprises unanalyzed facts from various sources. This type of research paper describes objective arguments and facts without including personal opinions and perspectives.

Cause and effect research paper

These types of research papers are the first high school, and college students have to write. It involves tracing expected results from a specific action and answering the “Why” and “What” questions. These papers are used to track probable results from an action in a clear and understandable logical progression. Business and education fields often use this method; it outlines predicted and expected results depending on certain conditions.

Compare and contrast research paper

This research paper analyzes the differences between two criteria, including subjects, authors, leadership styles, and viewpoints. It is a common assignment for literature, social science, and several other study fields. However, it requires sufficient information to describe both sides in the paper, comparing and contrasting both but supporting one.

Reports research paper

Reports research paper outlines the case of a study; it includes the breakdown summary, among other things. In addition, this research paper type includes identifying a central issue and recommendations; it is basically a detailed and logical summary of a case study situation.

Conclusion

There are several other types of research papers; these seven are considered the main types. With this, you can differentiate between the types of essays and cope well with your writing assignments. Understanding a research paper type is paramount because they follow different writing structures and formats. Once you know what type of research paper you’re writing, you will learn how to direct your reading and writing.

There are many other words that people misuse all the time. Take a look at this listing and see if you have been misusing these words. Odds are you might begin to question whether you even understand the English language at all.

1. Acute and Chronic

Acute and chronic are often misused when it comes to discussing illnesses. Acute means sharp and fast. An acute illness is one that increasingly becomes worse and reaches a breaking point. Chronic means that a severe illness is lasting for a long period of time and won’t go away easily.

For instance, when a person has an acute asthma attack, it is an attack that gets worse very quickly and potentially requires hospitalization. Chronic asthma is when a person experiences symptoms of the condition on and off over the course of several years.

2. Bemused

When you are amused, you become interested in something. When you are bemused, you are confused. Many people use “bemused” when they are supposed to say “amused.”

3. Disinterested

People often say they are disinterested when they are not interested in something. When you say you aren’t interested, you should say that you are uninterested instead.

When you are disinterested, you do not hold a bias. This means that you don’t side with one specific party. You could have an interest but you’re not entrenched in one’s camp. You are not concerned about something when you are disinterested. This is different from being uninterested where you really have no interest in something at all.

4. Enervate

Enervate means to weaken something. It is the opposite of energize. When you say that something is enervating, you mean that it drains your energy.

5. Guarantee and Guaranty

A guaranty is an assurance of the performance of a product or service. It is often a security to fulfill something of value.

A guarantee is a person who benefits from such a guaranty. In other words, when you hear something talk about a “money-back guarantee,” that entity is supposed to say that it is a “money-back guaranty” and that you are a “guarantee” who could benefit from it.

6. Irony

Irony is the opposite of something that is expected or appropriate. For instance, a center for helping people to recover from overeating might be in the same building as some restaurant that offers lots of dangerously fatty foods. This is an example of irony. It would be more appropriate for such a building to have a restaurant that serves heart-healthy foods.

7. Travesty

Many people think that a travesty is a mockery of something. In reality, a travesty refers to a tragic event or some other extremely unfortunate event.

8. Ultimate

People often believe that ultimate refers to the best of something. However, ultimate actually means the last item on a numbered or organized list.

For instance, the term “refute” on this listing of misused words is the ultimate item. That doesn’t mean that “refute” is the most important of the misused words. It is just the last of the misused words listed on this report.

9. Literally

Many people use the word literally to explain something figurative. However, literally refers to something that actually happens. In other words, you cannot say that you literally did something unless you actually did that thing you mentioned.

10. Parcel and Partial

A parcel is a division of land or an item that has been wrapped to be shipped out. A partial is a part of something. In many cases the misuse of words here relates to how the two words sound and look alike. In addition, they are only divided by a few letters in the middle.

11. Reluctant and Reticent

When you are reluctant, you are not willing to do something. When you are reticent, you are quiet and not willing to be verbal. In other words, reticent relates to being silent while reluctant relates to total inactivity beyond what you say.

12. Peruse

You often think that when you peruse something, you are leaving through something and browsing to find it. You might say that you are perusing through your wallet to find a card.

The truth about the word is that when you peruse something, you are observing something with extreme care. For instance, when you look through your wallet, you are browsing. When you are identifying the individual things on your credit cards including codes and terms, you are perusing. This is because you are going in-depth on all the very specific items featured on the inside.

13. Compelled

You are not feeling like you want to do something when you are compelled to do it. You are actually being compelled to do something when you are being forced into doing it or you feel an extreme sense of obligation to do it. You might not want to do it but you have to because someone is forcing or compelling you to do it. This is not the case when you voluntarily have a desire for doing something.

14. Refute

When you refute something, you are proving that something is wrong. You are not trying to allege that someone is wrong. Rather, you are simply stating that something is wrong. Refute comes from the Latin for a word relating to pushing back. It is similar to rebut, a word that also comes from the Latin for pushing back. However, rebut refers to a blow that knocks one back. Refute relates to the process of proving something wrong.

Conclusion

You must watch for how you use the English language. Take a careful look at how you use words and what they mean so you clearly understand what you are doing with it no matter what you write.