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. ...

Thesis writing is a type of writing that requires a student to prepare a lengthy body of work that is based on his or her research. In some cases, the word "thesis" is used synonymously with the word "dissertation," so it is important to understand exactly what is expected from the thesis prior to beginning work. In circumstances where there is a distinction between a thesis and a dissertation, the writing process and format are still generally the same. ...

An essay is a written work that expresses an opinion or shares information. Essays are written for many purposes and are often used in academic settings so that students can communicate their research and opinions. An essay can follow many formats depending on the nature of the essay, the level of academic study, the required format that a professor assigns, personal preference, and more. Therefore, an essay can be a rather flexible written work. ...

A literature review is an extensive survey of scholarly research on a single topic. A literature review may be one part of a larger text, such as a dissertation or journal article, or it may be a single text in itself. Though literature reviews are focused on presenting research, literature reviews should not be confused with research papers. A research paper presents scholarly studies to make a point or argument; a literature review objectively presents an overview of research on a particular topic in order to suggest the scope and depth of scholarly opinion on that topic. ...

Creative writing is writing that seeks to entertain, express, or render. In this, it differs from most types of academic writing, which seeks primarily to inform, explain, or argue. There are four primary genres of creative writing: fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction. ...