Differences Between Research Papers and Reports, Essay Example

Research papers and reports are different forms of writing that students can perform to draw light on a particular topic. Reports are basic forms of writing, typically given in high school and middle school that act as a summary of the information available on the topic. A lot of research is necessary to properly summarize all of the points regarding the topic and proper citation techniques must also be used in the paper. A research paper is different in that it takes the report to the next level.  The information and research gathered on a topic is summarized, but then also analyzed for flaws and additional analysis to gain a new holistic perspective on the topic at hand.  Research papers are more often the norm in a college or university setting because of the advanced ability that students have to analyze information and draw appropriate conclusions in their work.

Research is very important in being able to study a particular topic and learn what other academic professionals have discovered.  Research and information can come in the form of academic journals, professional web sites, magazines, newspaper articles, speeches and documentary video or recordings.  Research is most often cited in APA or MLA citation styles according to the rules and regulations that are defined by the regulating body, such as the American Psychological Association or the Modern Language Association, respectively.  The goal of citing research is to provide an account for the information that is borrowed during our attempts to gain additional information.  Plagiarism is a serious offense that can lead to individuals being tried in a court of law for the crime of stealing information or ideas from someone else and claiming them as one’s own.  Properly citing the research helps provide legitimacy to the papers and allows the reader to know that the author is an authority on the topic and the information in the paper should be read and accepted as scholarly work.

The most important aspect that separates the two types of papers is the analysis that is performed on the information.  The author must be able to take the information they have found and apply it to support or refute a hypothesis, thesis statement, or particular portion of the paper.  This task is performed by providing information from other scholarly sources and then drawing appropriate conclusions from the information to help advance or bring about a more meaningful discussion on the topic.  An author may provide additional information from external sources but without drawing conclusions to advance the discussion on the topic, the essay remains a report because it is simply summarizing the available information on the topic.  The author must make a strong effort to critically analyze the data found during the research and provide an advancement on the issue.  If this attempt is performed, then the author has written a research paper and not simply regurgitated previous information.