Types of Papers

Papers (and the assignments that ask you to write them) come in many, many types, from the research paper to the paper on ethical leadership to the compare-and-contrast assignment to the policy memo to the thesis (and back). Knowing what type of paper you're being asked to write is crucial to producing a winning paper, so make sure you ask your professor when you have questions.

Also, understanding assignments and prompts is a great reason for a GWC drop-in appointment, available on a first-come, first-served basis, Monday–Friday, 1000–1400. Also, we highly recommend our "Papers and Prompts" workshop; workshops are offered in the first four weeks of each quarter. You can sign up during workshop season through WCOnline; see the whole workshop list here.
 

Types of papers links:

• The UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center's webpage has many links on "Specific Writing Assignments or Contexts" (features a ton of types)
• Handout (printable): "Comparing and Contrasting," UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center
• Video (2:33): "Comparing and Contrasting,"  UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center
• Handout (printable): "How to Write a Comparative Analysis," Harvard University Writing Center