What are the main formatting diffrences between a memo and an academic paper?
Uhhh… a memo in a business is usually specifically addressed to some person or group and is from a specific person (e.g. the CEO). It usually has some mandate which people are expected to follow in the company, or it provides information everyone needs to be aware of. An academic paper is just something specifically written for your instructor to meet the objectives of an assignment. Most likely only whomever grades the paper will have any interest in reading it. Its format is usually as an essay, with works cited or bibliography towards the end, possibly a table of contents at the front if it’s a long one (e.g. a dissertation).
A memo typically has a heading that clearly states to whom it is directed. Also, memos also point out directly that they are memos. An academic paper, however, has no introduction save for its thesis statement. Also, it doesn’t specifically identify itself as an academic paper. If you Google templates for both, you can see the physical differences as well.
