Final answer:
The academic paper designed to summarize research on a topic is a review paper or literature review. It includes an abstract, introduction, review, data and methods, results, and a conclusion that summarizes findings and proposes future research directions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The academic paper that aims to summarize the scope of a research topic or area is commonly known as a review paper or a literature review. This type of paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on a particular topic. The structure of such a paper typically includes an abstract that briefly outlines the purpose, methods, and findings of the research, followed by an introduction which presents the issue addressed and the author's thesis.
A review section follows, summarizing previous research and its significance. Next, the data and methods are described, and the significant research findings are presented in the results section. Conclusively, the conclusion section summarizes the research findings, discusses their place in the larger context of the subject area, proposes future research needs, and points out unanswered questions. Lastly, a well-compiled list of works cited or references is included to validate the credibility of the paper.