Library
Paper structures
What a research paper looks like at each level, from a middle school report to a journal article: its parts in order, who reads it, and what that reader expects.
- What it is
- Who reads it
- The parts
- What this level expects
- Common mistakes
- What varies
- Related
- Sources & further reading
School
2- 01 Middle School Research ReportThe first real research paper most students write: a question, several sources, an answer in your own words, and a list of where it came from. Here are its parts and what a teacher looks for.
- 02 High School Research PaperThe step from report to argument: a thesis someone could disagree with, evidence from stronger sources, and a fair answer to the other side. Here are its parts and what a teacher looks for.
University & graduate
5- 01 Undergraduate Research PaperThe college term paper, seminar paper or honors thesis: an argument that joins a conversation among scholars. Here are its parts, what professors look for, and how the shape changes from one discipline to the next.
- 02 Lab ReportThe write-up of an experiment you ran yourself: what you expected, what you did, what happened, and what it means. It's the training version of the scientific journal article, built on the same IMRaD shape.
- 03 Master's ThesisA long research project written under an advisor and judged by a committee. It's the first paper on the ladder that has to add something, defend its method, and show command of a literature.
- 04 PhD DissertationThe longest paper on the ladder and the first that must add something new to what the field knows. It's written as a single book-length monograph or as a set of linked articles, then defended before examiners.
- 05 Literature ReviewA survey of what's already known on a question, organized as an argument rather than a list. It appears as a chapter inside a thesis and as a published article of its own, and systematic reviews turn it into a research method with written rules.