ADVANCED WRITING: A GLOSSARY OF TEXT TYPES

• Admission Essay Admission essay is a type of short academic essay that one writes when applying for a university or college program. There are various types of admission essays: statement of purpose, personal statement, letter of intent, etc.
• Annotated Bibliography Samples Annotated bibliography is a list of references that includes books, articles, and documents, each accompanied by a brief descriptive paragraph of around 150 words that describe and explain the reference and how it will be used. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.
• Application Letter Application letter is a business document, part of the important correspondence between applicant and organization, firm or company, institution or various boards and committees. An application letter is usually written when a person would like to enroll for courses at a college or university, or is applying for a job vacancy, or would like to receive a certain grant. 
• Article Article is generally defined as a short piece of writing of a non-fiction nature. Articles are widely used in journalism, creative writing, publishing, and online. Articles are used to sell, to persuade, to inform, to furnish details, and to entertain. The tone of an article can be casual, academic, or technical.
• Article Review Article review, also sometimes referred to as ‘article summary’ or ‘article critique’, is a type of literary criticism that should include an evaluation of the article and analysis of it's main points. Depending on the type of article at target, article reviews can be informal, formal and semi-formal. 
• Autobiography Autobiography is a story of one's life written by oneself. Autobiography can cover a specific life period or life as a whole. There is no set pattern or plan to writing an autobiography: the story can take any form, as long as it is written expressively and in an informative or entertaining way
• Book A book is a big project of over 50,000 words. Books can be fiction or non-fiction. Fiction is writing that is based on a story or stories composed and invented by the writer, intended mainly for entertainment purposes. Non-fiction is necessarily based on some topic, and is usually less story-based. Narrative non-fiction is the telling of true stories in a way that makes facts and real events seem entertaining.
• Book Review Book review is a type of review that provides a short description of a book and includes the author’s opinion about it. A book review is meant to provide critical evaluation of the content it is dedicated to and include specific examples to support author's idea.
• Business Letter Business letters are used for correspondence between organizations, firms and companies, institutions and various boards and committees. They are documents frequently used in all levels of government. Covering letters, application letters, letters of acceptance, confirmation letters, letters of introduction, letters of appointment, and cancellation letters are various different types of business letter.
• Business Plan Business plan is a formal document created with the purpose of defining specific goals related to starting or developing a certain business or project, and creating a plan or set of steps to achieving each goal along with a budget for its realization. Business plan is usually created for a newly launching enterprise or one that is planning a fundamental change.
• Capstone Project Capstone project is an extensive academic paper some students are required to write during the last term of studies, which must propose and solve a distinctive problem. A valid capstone project should aggregate all the skills learned from a number of different topics and subjects, and result in a final product that demonstrates everything a student has understood and taken on during the degree program. 
• Case Study A case study is a type of academic or scientific paper, which is carried out to examine qualitative performance in research, and field studies in the case of naturalistic or scientific inquiries. The main thrust of any case study is investigative. This implies that the person carrying out the study must observe, read, examine, test, investigate, and write a report about the process and its results.
• Compare and Contrast Essay A compare and contrast essay is a form of academic writing that is built around comparing two or more items. Depending on the emphasis that the writer puts on either the similarities or the differences of the items, the paper can be more of a comparison essay, or more of a contrast essay.
• Coursework Coursework is the general name for academic work carried out separately from specific academic assignments for a certain class and from final exams. Coursework is generally a research paper on the subject of one's major or minor specialty, that is aimed to demonstrate student's ability to conduct and analyze concrete scientific research, both empirically and theoretically. 
• Cover Letter Cover letter is a type of document that an applicant sends along with their resume when applying for a position or inquiring about one. It is normally no more than a page long, and is aimed at presenting oneself in the best possible way, without repeating the information provided in the resume or CV.
• Critical Essay Сritical essay is a piece of academic writing, usually in the form of a classic composition, with an introduction, full body, and a summarizing conclusion. It provides interpretation and analysis of a set text. Although frequently confused with a review, a critical essay is more similar to a formal essay. It should incorporate scholarly observations, with all facts correctly referenced.
• Descriptive Essay Descriptive essay is a form of academic writing that is built around a detailed description of a person, building, place, situation, notion, etc. The main purpose of a descriptive essay is to describe something in a vivid and particular manner, so that the readers can easily picture a specific object, person or state, in their mind.
• Dissertation Dissertation is a document submitted in support of one’s candidacy for a degree or professional qualification, presenting the author's research and findings. It is a lengthy academic paper that normally involves extensive research, from both primary and secondary sources, and the ability to critically assess the findings based on student’s skills, creative approach to thinking, and specific knowledge acquired throughout their academic career.
• Essay Essay is a literary genre of laconic prosaic writing of a specific purpose that is normally not more than 2-3 pages long. Essay is a common academic assignment that usually consists of three main parts: introduction, main body and conclusion. 
• Expository Essay Expository essay is a piece of scholarly writing, used mainly for academic purposes, which: describes or examines a process of some kind in a comprehensive way; analyzes a concept, describes and explores a written work or an event; or sets out and explains detailed instructions or a description of a method or procedure.
• Grant Application Grant application, sometimes referred to as a grant proposal, is the type of document one writes to receive funding for a project, business idea, or production renovation. The aim of a good grant application is to prove that your project is better than other projects competing for the same grant. 
•  Hardship Letter A hardship letter, or letter of hardship, is a personal letter one writes to explain the financial, or any other type of reason, that makes one eligible to qualify for a benefit, excuse an overdue loan or force one to request a job transfer. 
• Informal Letter Informal letter is a type of document used for correspondence in an informal or semi-formal manner. Informal letters can be written on various occasions and for different purposes, yet there are specific language peculiarities that distinguish this kind of document from other types of letters.
• Job Application Letter Job application letter is a type of document one writes aiming to apply for a desired position. A good job application letter addresses all the points stated in the job advertisement or vacancy notification and presents the applicant for a position in the best manner. A job application letter, along with the resume and/or a cover letter, alerts recruiters and employers to one's capacity, level of education, personal traits, and professionalism.
• Movie Review Movie review is a type of review that provides a short description of a movie along with the analysis by the author and their personal opinion or recommendation. It can be both formal or informal, and normally includes information about the year of production or premiere date, main cast and crew, and critical perception.
• Narrative Essay Narrative essay is a form of academic writing that is built around a narration of a certain event or situation. Basically, a narrative essay is a concise form of a narrative novel and can just lightly differ from a short story. The main objective of a narrative essay is to tell a story, so that it is both engaging and interesting for the reader.
• Personal Statement Personal statement is a short document of usually under a thousand words, which contains a subjective testimonial about oneself couched in expressive but flawless language. A personal statement is written to inform universities and colleges to which one applies for a placement, of one's objectives, goals and motivation for studying. 
• Persuasive Essay Persuasive essay is a form of academic writing that is built around a certain argument. Persuasive essays are thus also called argumentative essays. In this type of academic paper, the writer aims to persuade the reader to accept the writer’s point of view, using certain persuasive techniques to prove the point and convince the reader. 
• Poetry Analysis Poetry analysis, also sometimes referred to as a poem review, is a reflection of a poem that involves analyzing the poetic instruments, discussing the language and the figures used by the author, as well as sharing ones personal position on the poem.
• Presentation Presentation is an effective practice of demonstrating and explaining certain material using specific visual tools and equipment. Presentation is usually accompanied by a speech and can be both formal and informal. 
• Recommendation Letter Recommendation letter, also known as a letter of recommendation, is a document which is a testimonial: that is, it is written to recommend or support a person’s skills and attributes, or to recommend a person’s suitability for a specific position, vacancy, or business role.
• Reference Letter Reference letter is an official document that serves as a business tool, which is provided by an applicant to prove that skills shown on a resume or CV are real. A reference letter can support claims about skills and experience. It can also be confirmation by an employer that the bearer of the reference letter has worked in their organization. A reference letter by a professor or instructor can support an applicant’s academic claims. A support letter by an employer can prove that an applicant has a set of skills required in a specific field of endeavor.
• Research Paper Research paper is a type of academic assignment that requires a student to conduct theoretical or empirical research (can be both) on a certain specific topic. Research papers vary in size - it can be a college level term paper of 15-20 pages, or a thesis or dissertation paper in support of one's candidature for a degree, in which case it is an extensive academic paper that is written over a long period of time.
• Research Proposal Research proposal is a concise document written to outline and justify the necessity of conducting research on a certain specific topic. The justification can be based on lack of information on the subject, inconsistency of previous research or arousal of new questions as a result of earlier findings. 
• Resume Resume is the type of document an applicant has to provide when applying for a position or inquiring about vacancies. It has to present concise information about educational and professional experience, as well as contain relevant information about personal traits, additional skills and interests of the applicant. It is also most often accompanied by a cover letter or a motivational letter.
•  Review A review is a short description or summary of a book, movie, play, article, etc. The main objective of a review is to give your readers a good idea about the piece of work you are reviewing, enriching it with your personal opinion on the matter, as well as possibly with the opinion of some critics.
• Scholarship Essay Scholarship essay is an academic document written to receive a scholarship to complete certain studies. Any scholarship essay is aimed at impressing the recruitment officers of the college or university of your choice that you are worthy of consideration, are highly motivated to excel in studying as well as to significantly contribute to college life and development. 
• Screenplay Screenplay is a creative piece of writing upon which a movie, television show or film are based. The screenplay carries all the words spoken by the actors, all the details about the scenario, and all the necessary set directions. The dialog, actions, expressions, and movements of the actors are all detailed in a screenplay.
• Short Story A short story is a genre of prose, normally composed in a narrative manner, which is smaller than a novel and usually has only one storyline. Like a narrative essay, it usually has a limited number of characters and, unlike a novelette or a novel, it evolves around one major problem, conflict or event. However, unlike a narrative essay, a short story can develop such an event, problem or conflict into a variety of directions, or show it from different perspectives as seen by the characters in the story.
• Speech Speech is a short monologue dedicated to a certain specific topic that is usually aimed at persuading or motivating the audience towards a particular aim. Speeches can be formal (for a lecture, project presentation, school assignment, etc.) and informal (for one's birthday, engagement, retirement or any other occasion). 
• Statement of Purpose A statement of purpose is a short essay that a college or university entrant has to compose in order to introduce themselves to the admission committee. A statement of purpose needs to show one's previous education, work experience, career and academic goals, as well as what factors have influenced one's choice of a profession or major. 
• Term Paper Term paper is a type of academic assignment which usually comes down to a small research paper built around the material covered over an academic term: that is, a semester, or a whole academic year. It is used by examiners and instructors to estimate how well a student has understood, researched and incorporated the set material and activities associated with the course.
• Thesis Thesis is an extensive academic paper required for completion at the end of one's undergraduate or Master's program (in the USA) or a postgraduate year (in the UK). A thesis is written in support of one's candidature for a certain degree, and it usually contains a hypothesis, which the student develops during an entire course of study. 
  
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