The Best Guide on the Types of Academic Papers

Academic writing teaches students to distinguish four main types of academic papers that are frequently assigned in college. Learn more about them and you will enhance your writing techniques without facing any difficulties.

Exposition Papers

The purpose of writing exposition papers is to inform the audience about an important issue or explain something. The most common types include:

• Compare and contrast essays
• Technical and business papers
• Response and reaction essays
• Process essays
• Research papers

Narrative Writing

The aim of a narrative paper is to inform the audience about a certain event that has already happened. Narrative writing covers the following types of papers:

• Poetry
• Personal essays
• Novels
• Short stories

Descriptive Writing

The purpose of descriptive writing is to provide a description of something by using vivid language, so that the audience could clearly imagine the place, person or process that has been illustrated in the paper. Descriptive writing usually encompasses poetry and fiction.

Persuasion Papers

Their aim is to persuade a reader in the truthfulness of a certain idea. Your task is to adopt a strong viewpoint and argue its accuracy by providing reasons, facts, data, and examples. Persuasion papers that are frequently assigned in college are called argumentative essays.

Important tips to remember about kinds of academic papers:

1. While your assignment usually falls into one category, effective writing includes techniques of several kinds of academic paper. For instance, a narrative essay is successful when an author uses descriptions.
2. Exposition and persuasion writings require extensive research. So, make sure to consult several meaningful resources if you are assigned these types of papers.
3. Narrative and descriptive writings are usually personal and emotional. They require you to incorporate your own ideas and thoughts.

Memorize these characteristics of academic papers and you will definitely make your writing look more professional.