Discussions

Term paper and research paper are two academic writing assignments that are often used interchangeably. However, they are not the same. People generally define any paper where even the slightest research is involved. Hence, a term paper is often called a research paper in academic circles. The following are the main differences between both:

A term paper is assigned at the end of a semester or term to assess students’ knowledge gained during this period.
A research paper is a more research intensive assignment where deep analysis, critical thinking, and original contributions to the field are made. Plus, it could be assigned at any time by professors.

A term paper involves limited external sources and relies on course material and existing studies.
A research paper heavily relies on primary data sources extracted through experimentations, surveys, etc. The data goes through analysis using various means.

The length of the term paper is shorter and focuses on summarizing the information.
Whereas a research paper is longer with proper data collection, methodology, analysis, and discussions.

In term papers, students follow the standard essay structure, including intro, body, and conclusion.
On the other hand, a research paper writer follows a detailed structure that includes an abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion.