Penguin Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I would like to know how you see the differences between an essay and a research paper. My initial thoughts: Both have a thesis. Essays are typically shorter. Essays may or may not require research - although they almost always do. Of course, research papers always do. An essay can weave in a narrative component. Research papers never do. Agree? Disagree? What else? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I would say that an essay is 5-10 paragraphs and is a statement supported by referring to examples. It may have some research behind it such as looking up examples in Jane Eyre to discuss symbolism in the work. But it may not have multiple works cited and could be written all from commonly known or personal examples. A research paper is far longer. My son wrote one last year that was about 10 pages. He's working on another that has a 8-12 page requirement. The paper requires multiple sources. In his case most sources will be secondary history books with a few primary sources. There will be citations and a works cited page or bibliography. The paper still has a thesis that he is supporting, but it is supported in far more detail. I remember someone on the science side objecting to the term research paper for something that didn't describe original research. However I've seen this term used in history and English classes for years to refer to a paper about a topic that requires library research. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 29, 2018 Share Posted May 29, 2018 spam reported 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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