The Different Types of Academic Papers

Analytical Essay

According to LiteraryDevices.net, "Analytical implies the breaking down of something into parts, or the discussion of something in a way that it becomes a dissection of the whole. An analytical type of essay differs from other types of essays in that its primary goal is to explain something bit by bit to enhance understanding. Most of the times, an analytical essay is written about the analysis of a text, or a process, or an idea. In literature, however, it is a critical analysis of some literary text which is done to enhance its understanding."¹

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

According to North Carolina State University, "A rhetorical analysis requires you to apply your critical reading skills in order to 'break down' a text. In essence, you break off the 'parts' from the 'whole' of the piece you’re analyzing. The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to articulate how the author writes, rather than what they actually wrote. To do this, you will analyze the strategies the author uses to achieve his or her goal or purpose of writing their piece. Keep in mind that writers of different disciplines often use varying writing strategies in order to achieve their goals. So, it is okay to analyze a scientific article a different way than you would a humanities writer. These authors have very different goals in mind, and thus will use different writing strategies."² These papers will sometimes use rhetorical terminology, such as pathos (emotion), logos (logic), and ethos (ethics).

Argumentative Essay

According to LiteraryDevices.net, "An argumentative essay is a type of essay that presents arguments about both sides of an issue. It could be that both sides are presented equally balanced, or it could be that one side is presented more forcefully than the other. It all depends on the writer, and what side he supports the most."³ (The general structure of an argumentative essay follows the setup from our Breaking Down the Essay, which can be found above.)

Comparative Essay

According to the University of Waterloo, "Writing a comparison usually requires that you assess the similarities and differences between two or more theories, procedures, or processes. You explain to your reader what insights can be gained from the comparison, or judge whether one thing is better than another according to established criteria."⁴

General Essay Resources

1. "Analytical Essay." Literary Devices, literarydevices.net, https://literarydevices.net/4243-2/. Accessed 26 May 2020.
2. "What in the world is a rhetorical analysis?" Writing & Speaking Tutorial Services, North Carolina State University, https://tutorial.dasa.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2015/06/RhetoricalAnalysis.pdf. Accessed 26 May 2020.
3. "Argumentative Essay." Literary Devices, literarydevices,net, https://literarydevices.net/argumentative-essay/. Accessed 26 May 2020.
4. "Comparative essays." Writing and Communication Centre, University of Waterloo, https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/resources-comparative-essays. Accessed 26 May 2020.