A substantial research paper written by a student over an academic term or semester which accounts for a large amount of a grade and makes up much of the course
A term paper is an essay or report which a student writes on a subject that he or she has studied during a term at a school, college, or university. A lengthy piece of written work required of a student on a topic drawn from the subject matter of a course of study. a long piece of written work done by college students in the US, that is the most important piece of work in their course