Difference Between Thesis and Research Paper (with Comparison Chart)

While both thesis and research papers are academic writings, there is a difference between the two. A thesis refers to a scholarly research report that a scholar writes and submits for fulfilling academic requirements and obtaining a higher degree. It opens up various lines of enquiry into a range of possibilities like an antithesis.

On the other hand, a research paper is analytical, argumentative and interpretative in nature. It involves the pursuit of knowledge and intelligent analysis of the information collected. It contains the idea of the author, often supported by expert opinions, research and information available in this regard.

Whether you are writing a thesis or research paper, they are equally challenging and take a lot of time to prepare. In this post, we will update you on all the points of difference between thesis and research paper.

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Thesis	Research Paper
Meaning	Thesis refers to an original, non-plagiarised, written scholastic paper acting as a final project prepared and submitted for obtaining a university degree.	Research Paper is an original, non-plagiarised, elongated form of an essay highlighting the interpretation, evaluation or argument submitted by a researcher.
What is it?	Final Project	Expanded essay on research findings
Length	Around 20,000 to 80,000 words.	Proportional to study
Contains	The central question that leads to the research.	Central argument
Objective	To obtain a degree or professional qualification or to showcase your knowledge in the concerned field of study.	To prove credibility and contribute knowledge in the concerned field.
Audience	Educational Committees or Professors	Scientist or Researcher
Guide	Written under supervision of the guide	Not written under the supervision of the guide.
Description of Subject Matter	Narrow	Broad
Usage	Not much used.	Used for further studies.

What is Thesis?

The thesis is a document containing the research and findings that students submit to get the professional qualification or degree. It has to be argumentative, which proposes a debatable point with which people could either agree or disagree. In short, it is a research report in writing that contains a problem which is yet to be dealt with.

In a thesis, the researcher puts forth his/her conclusion. The researcher also gives evidence in support of the conclusion.

Submission of the thesis is a mandatory requirement of a postgraduate course and PhD degree. In this, the primary focus is on the novelty of research along with the research methodology.

It is all about possibilities, by introducing several anti-thesis. Also, it ends up all the possibilities by nullifying all these anti-thesis.

Key Elements of Thesis

Proposition: The thesis propagates an idea, hypothesis or recommendation.
Argument: Gives reasons for accepting the proposition instead of just asserting a point of view.
Maintenance of argument: The argument should be made cogent enough by providing suitable logic and adequate evidence.

Features of An Ideal Thesis

An Ideal thesis is expected to add fresh knowledge to the existing theory.
It communicates the central idea of the research in a clear and concise manner.
An effective thesis is more than a simple statement, fact or question.
It answers why and how questions concerned with the topic.
To avoid confusion, it is worded carefully.
It outlines the direction and scope of your essay.
It gives reasons to the reader to continue reading.

Also Read: Difference Between Thesis and Dissertation

What is Thesis Statement?

A thesis statement is a sentence of one line, usually written at the end of your first paragraph. It presents the argument to the reader.

It is a blueprint of your thesis that directs the writer while writing the thesis and guides the reader through it.

What is Research Paper?

Research Paper is a form of academic writing. It is prepared on the basis of the original research conducted by the author on a specific topic, along with its analysis and interpretation of the findings.

An author generally starts writing a research paper on the basis of what he knows about the topic and seeks to find out what experts know. Further, it involves thorough and systematic research on a particular subject to extract the maximum information.

In short, a research paper is a written and published report containing the results of scientific research or a review of published scientific papers. Here, the scientific research is the primary research article, while the review of a published scientific paper is the review article.

In case of the primary research article, the author of the research paper provides important information about the research. This enables the scientific community members to:

Evaluate it
Reproduce the experiments
Assess the reasoning and conclusions drawn

On the other hand, a review article is written to analyze, summarize and synthesize the research carried out previously.

When a research work is published in a scientific journal, it conveys the knowledge to a larger group of people and also makes people aware of the scientific work. Research work published as a research paper passes on knowledge and information to many people. The research paper provides relevant information about the disease and the treatment options at hand.

How to start a research paper?

To start writing a research paper, one should always go for a topic that is interesting and a bit challenging too. Here, the key to choosing the topic is to pick the one that you can manage. So, you could avoid such topics which are very technical or specialized and also those topics for which data is not easily available. Also, do not go for any controversial topic.

The researcher’s approach and attitude towards the topic will decide the amount of effort and enthusiasm.

Steps for writing Research Paper

Research Paper writing is in itself a very challenging task that requires both effective organization and focus of mind. It has four main steps:

Sections

The total number of pages included in a Research Paper relies upon the research topic. It may include 8 to 10 pages, which are:

Abstract
Introduction
Review of Literature
Objectives
Methodology
Research Analysis
Findings
Recommendations
Conclusion
References

Also Read: Difference Between Research Proposal and Research Report

Key Differences Between Thesis and Research Paper

A thesis implies an original, plagiarism-free, written academic document that acts as a final project for a university degree of a higher level. But, Research Paper is a novel, plagiarism-free long essay. It portrays the interpretation, evaluation or argument submitted by a researcher.
The thesis acts as a final project. Whereas a research paper is a kind of research manual of journals.
The length of the thesis is around 20,000 to 80,000 words. On the contrary, the length of the research paper is relative to the study.
The thesis focuses on the central question or statement of an intellectual argument that entails further research. On the contrary, the research paper is concerned with proving the central argument.
The purpose of submitting the thesis is to get the degree or professional qualification. It also presents the knowledge of the candidate in the respective field. Conversely, the aim of publishing research papers is to prove credibility and contribute knowledge in the respective field.
While the student submits the thesis to the educational committee or panel of professors who review it. In contrast, scientists and other researchers read and review the research paper.
Preparation and completion of thesis is always under the guidance of a supervisor. For submission of the thesis, the university assigns a supervisor to each student, under whose guidance the thesis must be completed. As against, no supervisor is appointed as a guide in case of a research paper.
The thesis contains a broader description of the subject matter. In contrast, the research paper contains a narrow description of the subject matter.

Conclusion

Once the research paper is published, it increases the fellowship and job opportunities for new researchers. On the other hand, thesis writing will enable the students to get the desired degree at the end of the course they have opted.