What is the difference between a research essay and a persuasive essay?

Answer 1

A research essay would be one in which you are informing your reader about a particular topic that you have chosen. Typically, it is written to let the reader know more about that topic through the research that you have done either personally (experiments, surveys) or through other people's research (journals, dissertations).
A persuasive essay, on the other hand, is one in which you, as the writer, try and convince your reader to do something. Through various arguments and support of those arguments, you give your readers the best reasons to either buy or sell something, eat a particular brand of food, vote for a certain candidate, or, if you're really good at presenting your argument, even have them believe that cat food is a valuable nutrient.