You don’t need to be a scholar to know the types of academic papers and journal articles. All it takes is to become a student. Whether you like it or not, academic research will enter your Internet pages as soon as you open the college doors. Even art students can’t avoid writing papers. Regardless of your faculty, college papers will be everywhere you step in college life. The best you can do is at least learn how they differ.
Our experts are here to familiarize you with the most common types of academic assignments. Let’s start!
#1: Essay
Essays come in various forms. They can be analytical, reflection papers, compare-and-contrast, narrative, and others. Because essays are such a flexible form of writing, it is the most common type of academic assignment. If you ever browsed the Internet for Paper Writing Service on PaperWriter, you know that writing a college essay can be tough.
How do essays differ from other academic papers?
- They usually vary between 1-6 pages;
- Have a rigid structure: Introduction with a Thesis Statement; Body (3-4 paragraphs), and Conclusion;
- Don’t require extensive academic research;
- Don’t require long Bibliographies (compared to a research paper, for instance).
#2: Research Paper
As simple as it sounds, this academic assignment requires tons of research before the actual writing happens. Going to the college library is advisable. Or use academic databases like Jstor and Sci-Hub to find relevant peer-reviewed sources.
A research paper requires strong argumentation and critical thinking skills. Sure, you must analyze the resources and compare the info. But you also must evaluate the ideas and suggest your conclusion of the topic.
Things to pay attention to when writing a research paper:
- Narrow down your topic as much as possible. For instance, you want to write a paper on feminism. Focusing on feminism is great, but you might want to explore the particular wave, like the 1920s or 1950s;
- State the problem clearly. The research paper should be analytical rather than descriptive. Instead of talking about the whole 1960s feminism, explore how the movement excluded ethnic minorities;
- Find solutions. How could women from minorities be included in the 1960s feminist wave?
#3: Summary
Students write summaries pretty rarely compared to other assignments. A summary is as easy as in sounds. You write an introduction presenting the main article details to the reader. Then, you continue by summarizing each part of the research. Summaries seldom demand a separate conclusion.
While crafting a summary for an article, be as less personal as you can. Don’t use ‘I’ and ‘We’ pronouns, and avoid stating your own opinion.
#4: Book Review
The most common academic paper for art and humanity students. Book reviews tell the instructor whether the student has familiarized themselves with the home reading. Review’s structure and demands remind one of a reflective and analytical essay combined.
Most book reviews allow the writer to use the ‘I’ pronoun. The whole writing is less rigid and welcomes creativity. Just don’t forget to focus on the reading analysis more than its description.
How to write a book review effectively:
- Remember to mention the basic details like the date of publication and the author’s name;
- Use in-citations to prove your ideas and show your primary work with the text;
- Follow the traditional essay structure. This means don’t forget about the thesis statement when writing the introductory part;
- You can use some secondary sources to compare and contrast the reading to other works of the author.
#5: Journal Entry
Don’t mistake it for a journal article! Journal entries are a type of free writing with no rules. They are the funniest tasks to do when studying. Professors will give you these assignments, so you can reflect on the material.
For instance, you read a few articles and watched a documentary on feminism. You might write down your emotions and the ideas you liked or disliked. Then, you may continue with the questions you’ve got and your personal experience. Just use this open-ended type to put everything that pops up in your head on paper.
#6: Original Research Article
This type of journal article implies the author has done all the research from scratch. Sure, the published research will have a synthesis of other case studies or researches. However, the biggest chunk of the research will be done by the author themselves. We advise you to choose original research articles as a part of your Bibliography when writing a research paper.
#7: Review Article
A review article is a journal article in which the author explores and criticizes particular research. Professors might encourage Master’s students to write such articles in order to be published later. If you want to apply for a Ph.D. program, we advise you to focus on a review article.
#8: Case Study
As a Bachelor’s or Master’s student, you may write original research and review articles. The primary goal of a journal article is to be published. However, instructors often encourage students to learn to write journal articles as a part of their educational experience.
A case study is often presented as a group project. It includes variables and has a purpose. Case studies differ depending on the aim. They can be descriptional, explanatory, and instrumental, among others.
#9: Perspective or Opinion Article
Both perspective and opinion articles are thought-provoking pieces. They spark ongoing conversations in the scientific community on topical problems.
A perspective is a critique of the existing research, methods, and problem solutions. It contains new data and includes the author’s personal opinion.
Unlike a perspective, an opinion article is a critique of a hypothesis or a specific theory. Opinion articles do not contain new data and are shorter than perspectives.
Final Thoughts
It’s better to conquer the world of essays and research papers than to stay afraid of them. We advise you to pay special attention to English 101. This is a subject aiming to teach you all technicalities of academic writing. Be patient and write as many assignments as possible. Practice makes perfect!
We hope the article helped you grasp the main papers and journal articles you’ll encounter. Good luck!