Definitions for MICUSP paper classification

Paper
category

Rhetorical
purpose

Features

Examples

Argumentative essay

demonstrates ability to
construct a coherent argument and support it with evidence/examples

- paper is thesis driven

- author’s thesis is
supported by pieces of evidence from an outside source

- may generate a new
idea/argument in the field

argumentative essay,

persuasive essay,

literary analysis essay

Creative writing

by definition, the texts in this
category do not adhere to any particular rhetorical purpose or structure

narrative writing,

poetry,

drama scripts

Critique/evaluation

presents a positive and/or negative
assessment of an outside source/project/ text

- text is driven by an
in-depth assessment of a product/policy/ procedure/text (although often
interwoven with a description or observation of the product/policy/ procedure/text)

- gauges the
effectiveness, validity, or usefulness of something

- recommendations for
improvement may be offered

evaluation of business
practices,

problem-solution,

literary critique,

operations report

Proposal

puts forth a research question, a
theory, or a model that the author feels should be explored in order to
further the understanding of a given topic

- formulates a research
question or model, or proposes a potential study

- usually does not
collect or synthesize new data, but may include projected results; any
collected data will be to support the proposal

- justifies the need for
data collection or data verification

- critiques relevant
literature and/or prior studies

research proposal,

numeric model proposal,

effective business/ management
design

Report

describes the state or gives an
account of a problem/issue/text, or describes the carrying out of a procedure
(demonstrates the ability to gather data and summarize)

- most space is devoted
to description, rather than critical assessment

- not driven by an
original thesis or research question

- author’s
opinion/evaluation may be present, but is not foregrounded and does not
appear to drive the text

lab report,

literature review,

article review,

annotated bibliography,

compare/ contrast paper

Research paper

presents original research in a
field

- entire text serves to
answer a clearly stated research question

- contains original
data, or compiles existing data for the purpose of providing a new
interpretation

- structured into
predictable sections (usually with subheadings)

- includes most of the
following: abstract, literature review, methods, results, discussion,
conclusion

research paper,

replication study

Response paper

short piece of writing responding
to a given prompt or question, although prompt may not be explicit in text

- short in length
(typically 1-2 pages)

- style tends to be
informal (e.g. expressions of emotional response; frequent references to
mental processes, such as “I was confused”, “I was surprised”)

- may lack a formal
introduction/ “jumps right in” to content of paper, because author assumes
reader’s familiarity with the given topic (shared knowledge or in-group
knowledge)

- text provokes new
questions for the author that may not be thoroughly answered

solution to a homework
problem,

personal response to a
text