WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RESEARCH PAPER AND AN IB PAPER?

The main difference between a research paper and an IB Paper is tied to the manner by which you must integrate the areas of exploration into your IB paper. While writing a standard research paper only involves presenting evidence to support the thesis that you are arguing in favor of, writing an IB paper requires that you support your thesis all the while discussing the areas of exploration. With the areas of exploration tied to the promotion of critical thinking amongst IB students, integrating the areas of exploration when writing your IB paper requires that you reflect on how and why you thought of different elements of your IB paper when you wrote it. This difference, which should be mentioned explicitly throughout the process of writing an IB paper, is the fundamental difference between an IB paper and a traditional research paper. The writing process of the IB paper is thus critically tied to the areas of interaction.