lauranc Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 I feel totally dense. Do research papers need a thesis? Something the writer is trying to 'prove'? I didn't think they did, but after reading through some of the threads here and other websites, I'm getting conflicting info. :confused: Help! (thanks) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 Usually there are two basic categories, one being a descriptive paper and one being an argumentative paper. For the former one, you don't need a thesis - you just need a topic you've researched well, you know clearly what's your focus and how you're going to present what you have to say. For the letter one, you do indeed need a thesis, as you're arguing certain point, i.e. not just presenting the topic you deal with, but also dealing with it critically, taking a stance with regards to what you're doing. It would depend on your specific topic, though. One can often deal with the same topic in both ways, while sometimes one way is preferred or even necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauranc Posted October 28, 2010 Author Share Posted October 28, 2010 Thank you. I guess I never called the argumentative papers I wrote "research papers"-- that was confusing me! Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 I like what Michael Clay Thompson has to say about this. It might help you mesh what you're hearing here and what you "used to hear." You'll notice that he calls both styles "research papers." Click on #10, About Research Papers," and then scroll down to read page 3: http://www.rfwp.com/downloads.php#10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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