Writing Research Papers - ENG102 - First-Year Composition - LibGuides at Paradise Valley Community College

Types of Research Essays

There are multiple types of essays that everyone should be able to write or be familiar with and they are: analytical, argumentative (persuasive), cause & effect, compare & contrast, critical, definition & expository, descriptive, experimental research, interpretative, literary analysis, literature review, reports, and surveys.

Analytical

The analytical research paper often begins with the student asking a question (a.k.a. a research question) on which he has taken no stance. Such a paper is often an exercise in exploration and evaluation. This type of paper hopes to offer a well-supported critical analysis without necessarily persuading the reader to any particular way of thinking.

The kinds of instructions for an analytical assignment include: 'analyze', 'compare', 'contrast', 'relate', and 'examine'.

Example: Do later school start times increase student success?

Argumentative (Persuasive)

The argumentative research paper consists of an introduction in which the writer clearly introduces the topic and informs his audience exactly which stance he intends to take. An important goal of the argumentative research paper is persuasion, which means the topic chosen should be debatable or controversial. The kinds of instructions for a persuasive assignment include: 'argue', 'evaluate', 'discuss', and 'take a position'. Example: Self-driving cars are dangerous and should be banned from the streets.

Cause and Effect
A cause is something that produces an event or condition; an effect is what results from an event or condition. The purpose of the cause-and-effect essay is to determine how various phenomena relate in terms of origins and results. Sometimes the connection between cause and effect is clear, but often determining the exact relationship between the two is very difficult.

Compare & Contrast

This essay is needed to analyze the differences between two subjects, authors, viewpoints, leadership styles, or other criteria and it is a common assignment for subjects such as literature, philosophy, social sciences, and many other disciplines.

Critical

Critical writing is common for research, postgraduate and advanced undergraduate writing. It has all the features of persuasive writing, with the added feature of at least one other point of view. While persuasive writing requires you to have your own point of view on an issue or topic, critical writing requires you to consider at least two points of view, including your own. For example, you may explain a researcher's interpretation or argument and then evaluate the merits of the argument, or give your own alternative interpretation. Examples of critical writing assignments include a critique of a journal article or a literature review that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of existing research. The kinds of instructions for critical writing include: 'critique', 'debate', 'disagree' and 'evaluate'.

Definition
A definition essay is a short piece of writing that explains what a term or concept means. Some words have concrete and definitive meanings such as tree, book, or glass. Other terms such as love, honesty, or respect have more abstract meaning and are dependent on a person's point of view. Examples: How do we define "respect"? or Are bananas fruit? or Define the meaning of friendship or Is acting the same as pretending?

Descriptive

The simplest type of academic writing is descriptive. Its purpose is to provide facts or information. An example would be a summary of an article or a report of the results of an experiment. The kinds of instructions for a purely descriptive assignment include: 'identify', 'report', 'record', 'summarize' and 'define'.

Experimental Research

This essay is commonly written for biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and sociology papers. It is used to describe an experimental research case in detail. The student conducts the experiment, shares their results and provides data evidence and sums up the case. The paper describes your experiment with supporting data and an analysis of the experiment. Experiments are aimed to explain some causation or predict a fact or reality with certain actions.

Expository

An expository essay "exposes" the reader to a new topic; it informs the reader with descriptions or explanations of a subject. If you are writing an expository essay, your thesis statement should explain to the reader what they will learn in your essay. Example: How to lead a healthy lifestyle on a tight budget.

Interpretive

This essay requires one to use the knowledge that he or she has gained from a particular case study situation, for example, a poem or work of art, or material from business and psychology fields. This paper requires using learned theoretical knowledge to write the paper and using supporting information for the thesis statement and findings.

Literary Analysis
The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine and evaluate a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature.
Literature Review
A "literature review“ is a critical analysis of a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles” (University of Wisconsin Writing Center).

Reports

Outlines the case of a study situation. As a rule, such text includes the summary of a breakdown, situation, identification of the main issue, and recommendations, which means that it is basically a logical and detailed summary of some case study situation.