What is the Difference Between Similar But Different Things, Terms, and Objects

What is the Difference between Journal, Thesis, Dissertation and Research Paper

A lot of writing material is created all over the world. Some of it is fiction, which is written just for the sake of entertainment, while some is research based and scientific in nature. Journal, thesis, dissertation and research paper are some commonly used terms in our educational institutions. However, these terms are often used interchangeably, while they all are different.