A free essay is an essay that a student obtains without having to pay for it. Students may obtain free essays for a variety of reasons; the student may use the free essay for his or her own research, the student may use the essay for his or her academic advancement, or the student may even use the free essay as a foundation for his or her own unique essay. ...

A research paper is an academic paper that is based on a body of research. A research paper should not only address the reason for the research, but it should also discuss methods used during the research, resources, and conclusions. ...

An essay topic is a subject that a writer addresses in an essay. In an academic setting, an essay topic may address a particular field of study, subject area, idea, or piece of information that relates to coursework. Many teachers and professors assign essay topics for their students so that they can establish that their students understand a specific idea or so that they can encourage their students to research an area of study that interests the students. ...

A dissertation is a body of work that a student writes to conclude a high-level of study and is most often written as part of a Ph.D. program. A student uses the dissertation to pose a problem, research the problem, and draw conclusions based on his or her research. Some dissertations are built around a single question that the student has asked. Other dissertations are more general and philosophical. Dissertation writing, therefore, should be refined to meet the specific needs of the student as he or she addresses is or her research. ...

A term paper is an academic body of work that is used to share information derived from research. Term papers are generally one of the largest projects that students work on during a school semester and serve as the culmination of a particular course of study. Term papers are generally based on research that a student performs over the course of an entire semester and can be quite lengthy. ...