University students often come across these two terms throughout their educational life. Research paper and term paper both significantly contribute a great deal in forming the student grade and that is why are a crucial part of each student’s academic life. Paper writing services for both can be obtained through Write My Essay 4 Me but despite that, each student must understand the basic difference between the two. For this reason, we have explained the basic definitions and the differences between each to keep you from getting confused.
What Is A Research Paper?
In a research paper, experiments or observational studies are done to collect data. This data is then analyzed through different statistical tools to extract results and study outcomes. In order to support an argument on a certain topic or generate its conclusion, researchers collect information from a certain group of population.
Whereas research studies significantly vary in study designs and study populations, some similar features are found in each research. These include a thesis statement that explains the main idea on which your study claim resides. Research evidence is another important part of a research paper for which one must read as much published material on their specific topic as possible to present relevant information sources. A section explaining your personal opinions and combining studies to synthesize a comparison between the results of your studies and other published material is called an Original Discussion. These are a few important sections that should be included in each research paper.
What Is A Term Paper?
A term paper, as the name suggests is a paper that is required to be submitted at the end of a term/semester. This is a way to calculate the amount of progress the student has gained over the course of the period of one term. The term paper is a way for professors to identify the achievements and knowledge level of each of their students which markedly aids in the grading process.
A term paper can be conducted in different forms. It may be a paper that requires you to choose an option from the list of options and then uses task-specific readings as your data source. A professor may also prefer to hand you over a term paper in which you would be required to do short essays on various different topics that have already been taught in the class. Each term paper comes with a group of instructions that define the nature of a term paper. In general, a term paper is a broad term that can be research, reflection or reaction paper, a journal, an essay, or even a lab report.
Research Paper Vs. Term Paper:
The difference should be more or less clear by now. A research paper is something that can be given as an assignment at any time of the entire session whereas a term paper is given around the end of a semester. A research paper can be a lengthy experimental thesis or a minor assignment on weekly basis. On the other hand, the main purpose of a term paper is the evaluation of each student’s progress.
Can A Research Paper Be a Term Paper?
The simple answer is yes, it can be. If a research paper is taken as the main grading reference at the end of a term then it can be considered a term paper. Additionally, if a research paper shows the achievement of students throughout the semester, again it passes the criteria to be a term paper. Your teacher may give you a certain academic topic to write a research paper on and may label it as a term paper for clarification.
Cases Where Research Paper Can Not Be A Term Paper:
If a research paper serves as an end of the degree requirement and isn’t declared as a term paper by your professor, then it will not come under the term paper category. You may have to do a research paper which is a week or month-long on a class topic. You may be asked to develop a response to your week’s readings in the form of a research paper. In either of these scenarios, a research paper can not be considered a term paper unless otherwise called by your professor.
When Is Term Paper A Research Paper?
In the case where you are assigned an essay, a reaction paper, a journal entry or a lab report, you may think it’s a term paper. However, if the instructions on the assignment state it as a research project, that term paper can be considered a research paper. So you may be assigned to perform some kind of research at the end of your term and it might account for the grades of your term paper.
Conclusion:
In short, research paper and term paper both vary in definitions but are often used interchangeably by students and college staff. A term paper is a requirement in the form of a class assignment and measures the overall student gain. Whereas, a research paper acts as a detailed written paper on a topic where research is performed on a particular population. It is essential for students to understand their difference so that they can prepare their papers according to the specific requirement of each.
If you have been given an assignment that you are confused about, communicate with fellow students or visit the professor for additional guidance. Make sure that you know the nature of your assignment before you sit down to work on it. If you need more help, Write My Essay 4 Me provides a platform composed of expert and experienced writers. You can consider their term paper writing services and trust them to give you satisfactory results.