When you’re working on a research paper, think about the different types available and choose the one that best fits your point. I’ll explain the various options and help you decide which one suits your goals.

First, it’s important to know that there are different writing standards you need to follow. These standards, like APA, Chicago, and others, are explained in more detail in other articles on this site and the internet. I won’t go into defining them here. Once you’ve chosen the format for your paper, the next step is to determine what it’s about.

Analytical Paper

This type of paper thoroughly looks into the topic from different angles while staying neutral throughout. In simpler terms, it involves talking about the subject from various perspectives with the main goal of giving the reader detailed information. It’s likely that this type of research report is quite common because it includes the most straightforward data. A Definition paper belongs to analytic papers, where you provide a detailed definition of a subject and elaborate on it.

Argumentative Paper

This paper is completely different from an analytical paper. Choose a topic and try to present arguments from one point of view, aiming to convince the reader that the advocated approach is the correct one compared to the opposing viewpoint. Staying neutral can be challenging, but it’s essential for academic writing. While including personal anecdotes is helpful, make sure they don’t overshadow your objective standpoint.

Compare and Contrast Research Paper

Explores different perspectives in a fair way. When comparing and contrasting, the focus is usually on two or three subjects. The goal is to inform the reader about the good aspects, truths, and advantages of a subject while also pointing out its flaws. After that, the aim is to argue which subject makes more sense considering all the information presented.

There are some less common paper types, like interpretive papers, cause-and-effect papers, and assignments given by professors. Usually, the rarer the paper type, the clearer the professor’s guidance on what they expect from your writing. Regardless of the paper type, aim to be objective and informative.

Cause and effect paper

Cause and effect papers are often the first research assignments for high school and college students. They look into the expected results of a particular activity, exploring the key questions of “Why?” and “What?”, related to causes and consequences.

These papers are valuable in both business and education as they help examine the potential outcomes of a specific activity or event.

Interpretative paper

Writing an interpretative paper requires you to use what you’ve learned from a specific case study, like a legal issue from your law studies. You need to write the article using a well-known theoretical framework and solid supporting evidence to support your argument and conclusion.

Experimental research paper

This form of research paper primarily delves into a singular experiment, offering a comprehensive exploration. It holds significance in disciplines like:

• Biology.
• Chemistry.
• Physics.

Experiments aim to elucidate a particular result or phenomenon through designated activities. It is essential to delineate your experiment and furnish corroborative data prior to conducting an in-depth analysis.

Survey research paper

This research paper needs a survey to be done, where people are asked questions. The person doing the survey then collects and looks at all the survey information before showing it in the study report.