Defining a Research Paper

The question of defining a research paper is a serious one for many students because if they are not aware of the methods and ways of developing a research paper they may have difficulties with their studies. And every college and university requires its students to write decent research papers in order to proceed in their studies and obtain the necessary level of knowledge and skills.

Generally, a research paper may be defined as a paper written for college or university in a certain subject in order to study a certain topic. As well, this type of a paper includes information obtained by a student from a variety of sources of expertise as well as the student’s personal opinions and thoughts concerning the same topic. Thus, it is understandable that a research paper cannot only expose the thoughts of authors of sources – books, journal and magazine articles, and publications on the web. It is required for the student to be able to grasp the main idea of each source and to represent one’s interpretation of the data in the research paper. Offering a simple review of all sources is not enough for a research paper; it is rather its part devoted to describing the sources used. But analyzing, offering arguments for or against the important points, making conclusions and expressing own opinions – these are the activities which are performed in the process of developing a research paper.
There are certain types of research papers which can be distinguished in order for every student to understand how exactly the research process for the paper is conducted.

Among others, there is such type of a research paper as analytical research paper. In the course of working on this paper a student is supposed to study the necessary literature in order to offer analysis of the data available and to develop one’s own opinions concerning the issue under discussion. It is possible to divide the research paper into several parts in order to stress upon different questions of the issue and to develop a seamless paper. Analysis of each part together with personal opinions concerning each part and the topic in general will make a good analytical research paper.
Another type of a research paper is an argumentative paper. This paper is written with the help of deductive method of research. The student has a certain opinion – a point – concerning the topic and uses evidence to prove the statement. This type of a research paper differs from analytical research for in the latter analysis uses evidence to support the perspective, and in the former – to support the opinion.

Finally, one form of a research paper is an essay. This is a creative type of a research paper which allows students to study available sources and to develop thesis in order to answer the question of the research paper. In order to develop the thesis, a student is supposed to use one’s experiences and opinions and support them with available information from the resources considered.

In general, writing research papers is a necessary skill for every college and university student, which one will learn in the process of studying.