Research Paper Vs. Personal Essay: A Professionally Written Manual


There are various kinds of writing that you will subjected to in your academic journey. Contact this agency for a complete manual on the writing styles that you are likely to encounter. The professors have to test your understanding of the concepts and this can be done by subjecting you to various tasks and challenges. You have to be a shining start when it comes to matters concerning your line of knowledge and this what the professors are trying to achieve.

Research papers and personal essays are very confusing styles of writing. Many students fall victim to this confusion since they do not bother to focus on the task at hand and distinguishing it from a previous one. They use a single approach to tackle these different types of tasks and this eventually leads to failure.

You have to know what is expected of you before commencing any task. You should not be reprimanded for simple issues such as the format. This article is focused on highlighting the differences between a research paper and a personal essay. Go through it carefully and draw a clear line between the two tasks.

Research paper

This is an academic writing that is aimed at scrutinizing your analytical knowledge and skills. It requires a lot of reading and research, just as the name implies, to carry it out successfully. The information has to be researched and properly cited for the work to be successful. The student should be aimed at solving a certain problem or filling a certain knowledge gap on a certain issue.

A research paper requires good mastery of knowledge and the ability to derive ideas and solutions from the existing knowledge available. It is always a good forum for showing your brilliance in a certain subject matter and it greatly improves your employment prospects. Well it is written once or twice in an individual’s lifetime therefore it has to be perfect.

Personal Essay

This is a type of writing that begins early in your academic journey and continues almost throughout your education. Essays can be written to shed some light on a certain issue, to describe a particular subject or persuade people to believe a certain idea.

A personal essay can enlighten people on a certain topic but rarely takes a research approach. They are much shorter than research papers and are straight to the point. Research papers may take a longer route to put the point across.

Personal essay vs. Research paper

A personal essay is a short piece of writing that can even be 5 paragraphs long. A research paper on the other hand can be as long as 10,000 words. An essay is straightforward therefore it does not have to be very long.

A research paper needs facts, figures and information from various sources and the incorporation of your own ideas to fill the knowledge gap. A personal essay is not as demanding. You can be writing for various reasons to achieve a certain purpose.


These are the differences between these two styles of writing. You will be faced with these two tasks and this article provides you with the basics that will help you to tackle them properly.