Types of Research Papers
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Writing a research paper requires a special approach, depending on its type. Students associate completing this type of academic assignment with spending long hours on difficult writing. But writing academic work can be less challenging if you know how to distinguish different paper types. You will better understand what aspect to emphasize and how to present the information the right way. The paper type determines the tone of your work.
Let’s find what popular research work types and their main features to make your academic writing journey captivating and flawless are.
What Is a Research Paper?
Before moving to paper-type details, let’s find out what research work is and how it differs from other written assignments. A research article is a form of academic writing providing analysis, evaluation, or interpretation of a topic based on empirical evidence. Research papers use statistical data and a strict code for citations. The structure of a research paper depends on assignment requirements. However, generally, it consists of:
- Title page
- Abstract
- Outline
- Introduction
- Literature review
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Recommendations
- Limitations
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Figures and Tables
- Appendix
The language of your article should be formal, objective, hedged, and responsible. Plan and organize your writing carefully and precisely. It is required to use complex sentence structures and impersonal pronouns. When writing your research work, avoid wordiness, a vague thesis statement, informal language, description without analysis, and not citing sources. Use one style manual (MLA, APA, or Chicago) to cite them consistently.
Features of research articles are clear focus established by the thesis statement, straightforward structure, statements supported by evidence, and impersonal tone. The length of a research paper ranges from 4,000 to 6,000 words. However, depending on the assignment, your work can be 2,000 words or even 10,000 words. Your academic level and the assignment complexity influence the essay length.
Simple Steps for Writing Different Types of Research Papers
There are nine simple steps you should follow if you wonder: “how can I write my research paper?”
- Carefully read the assignment guidelines.
- Select an engaging article topic.
- Do early research.
- Create a powerful thesis statement.
- Find reliable sources.
- Write a paper outline.
- Create an essay draft.
- Follow citation and formatting rules.
- Thoroughly edit and proofread your work.
When you need research paper help for some reason, you can find a lot of professional writing services and buy research work.
Different Types of Research Article
There are seven main research work types. Explore them to know what approach to take to create a high-quality paper in the future. Here you can find each type’s specifics and differences to prepare for your assignment the best way. If you have some issues with task completion, choose a reliable service and buy a research paper.
#1 Argumentative Research Papers
Creating an argumentative paper requires a writer to present arguments related to the topic from different points of view. They should analyze the two sides and propose their pros and cons. After that, an author should choose one viewpoint and prove its correctness using evidence from primary sources. There is a special argumentative paper structure that is aimed at persuading the reader to support the writer’s opinion. Thus, describe the problem from two different viewpoints, suggest their pros and cons, and give preference to one.
#2 Analytical Research Papers
It may seem challenging to write an analytical work, but once you find its features, structure, and guidelines, there’s nothing to worry about. A writer should analyze in their paper ideas, facts, events, or issues. It requires an objective analysis and critical thinking to provide strong arguments. You should not take any viewpoint and neutrally describe every point supporting them with relevant information. The analytical paper is based on describing multiple points of view, analyzing all points, and drawing a general conclusion.
#3 Cause and Effect Research Papers
These papers are created to find what is the cause of the expected result. Students without much writing experience are generally assigned to complete such research works. In their papers, they have to describe a situation, present effects, and causes, and draw a conclusion. But this paper type is not as simple as it seems at first sight. Depending on your academic level and subject, a professor may ask you to determine the possible result if conditions change.
#4 Problem-Solution Research Papers
Dealing with this paper type, a writer should describe the problem, present their solution to it, and prove why it is correct. Your task is to find a relevant issue that will be interesting to solve and to engage the readers to explore your solution. Provide reliable data to support your opinion. Consider adding some examples, statistics, and data.
#5 Experimental Research Papers
If you study biology, physics, chemistry, or sociology, this paper type is right for you. When creating an experimental work, a writer should describe their experimental process. This paper provides useful experience and relevant data. Conclude the paper proving that your experiment makes a great contribution to the field.
#6 Report Research Papers
A report paper provides a logical and detailed summary of a case study. A researcher outlines what has been done for the research. The paper includes information, data characteristics, and necessary facts to summarize the findings.
#7 An Interpretive Essay
Such essays are assigned to social science and literature students to show their theoretical knowledge of the subject. Interpret someone’s piece of writing and identify their methods. It is required to support the thesis statement and findings with relevant data.
Types of a Research Article
Research articles are often associated with research articles, and there is no difference between them. Some scholars suggest that works are longer and more detailed. So let’s see what six types of research articles are:
- The original research article is a manuscript for a journal.
- A review article is a comprehensive research summary consisting of a systematic review, literature review, and meta-analysis.
- Short communications are a type of research article that provides a summary of research data.
- A book chapter is a separate section of a book.
- The book review is a brief report of a book consisting of an introduction, author profile, book format, and content.
- Conference materials are article types that can be presented as conference abstracts, posters, and presentation extracts.
Research Paper Styles
If you need research work help, check out the main research article styles. Educational institutions worldwide require their students to adhere to one of the following paper formats or styles:
American Medical Association (AMA) Style
AMA style is commonly used in medical publications. It has a special citation format with in-text references cited numerically in consecutive order using Arabic numerals. Double-space and 12-point font are preferable.
Associated Press Style
The AP style is used mainly for writing news. It’s characterized by consistency, logic, and brevity. Writers avoid offensive and stereotypical language in their works. This style is essential for print journalism.
Chicago Manual of Style
Chicago format style is used in history, physical, natural, and social sciences by many writers and scientists. It is crucial to know about this style that the note numbers are placed within the text, and the sources are found at the end of the chapter.
American Psychological Association (APA) Style
This format is one of the most widely used in academic writing. Students benefit from the APA style frequently in the social sciences. It is also easy to read due to its 12-point font. There are many features of this style, but you should remember that it differs by a left-aligned running header with the title of your study on each page.
Modern Language Association (MLA) Style
MLA style is one of two of the most popular article formats. It is widely used for writing papers on humanities, literature, and English. This style is simple and easy; just use double-spaced throughout the paper and a 12-point font.
Can Research Papers Have Opinions?
Giving your opinion on the issue presupposes subjective evaluation, and in the article, we found that a research paper should be written in an impersonal, objective tone. That’s a controversial question, and we’ll try to handle it.
You can include opinions of prominent scholars in the field and give citations and references to their works. An author should show in their work that they have a personal view on the question and can substantiate it by research and literature. Persuade readers in your paper that your opinion is worth considering using arguments.
Besides, there is an opinion research paper type that aims at presenting the writer’s opinion on a specific topic. Here you are welcome to express your viewpoint but support it with reliable sources and documents.
Conclusion
Writing a research paper seems an insurmountable task with many aspects to consider. Determine your paper type, and your writing process will be much easier as you will have special guidelines.
Contact a research paper writer if you require academic assistance.
