International students with low English proficiency are often confused and frustrated during their studies, especially when faced with the complexity and variety of dissertation arrangements.
This article will help you understand the three main types of academic essay formats: Essay, Paper and Dissertation.
Firstly, Essay usually consists of more than a thousand words and most of them are undergraduate coursework or examination items.
It is relatively short and concise, discusses only a specific topic, and does not involve the exploration of independent data.
In study abroad, Essay is usually used to write small essays or course papers in the scale of a few thousand words, and the content is usually limited to literature review and critical analysis. If data support is needed, it can be dealt with briefly;
Similarly, no full referencing or documentation is acceptable.
It is worth noting that ESSAY is more common in American English, whereas in a British English context it usually represents an undergraduate dissertation.
ESSAY is also explained in the Oxford Dictionary in a variety of meanings such as short essay, argumentative essay, and essay.
Second, Paper has a wider scope.
Generally, this type of paper includes articles published in various academic journals, but does not include bachelor’s thesis.
Paper is common in both the United Kingdom and the United States, especially suitable for the undergraduate stage.
Compared to an essay, the word count of a Paper may be increased due to journal requirements, but it usually does not exceed 20,000 words.
This is done to emphasise the widely used nature of the Paper and the types of essays it includes.
Third, the Dissertation usually exceeds 10,000 words and requires specific research methods and in-depth data analysis.
In contrast, Dissertation is more difficult to write as it requires more comprehensive professional knowledge and practical skills from the writer.
As a Master’s level academic paper, it is somewhat similar to the final research results of PhD graduates, both of which are very important documents in academia.
In general, the word “paper” comes from American English, and “essay” is commonly used in British English.
They are both, to some extent, related to undergraduate conference papers in related disciplines. The word “thesis” is often associated with a doctoral thesis, while “dissertation” refers specifically to a master’s thesis. However, there are differences and disagreements in the rules for the use of these words.
Although essay is one of the most commonly used words in the study abroad community, in the study abroad environment it is actually just one of several types of research papers. Depending on the research needs and purposes, there are different types and specifications for academic papers, such as Paper and Dissertation, etc. Although they are somewhat similar to essay, which is the main focus of this article, they are still very different in terms of specifications and areas of application.
