A fact is verifiable and can be "proven" via evidence of some kind. This could involve numbers, dates, testimony, etc. If there is some measuring device or record or memory that can back up the data, then we can consider it a fact. But facts can be manipulated and turned around. For instance, I can saythe U.S. has a 5% unemployment rate; but I can also say, 95% of the employable population has a job. Both are true, but one sounds better than another, what we know in politics as spin.
An opinion is a judgment that is based on facts. Opinion is more than a belief, it is a reasonable conclusion drawn from factual evidence. If you say your significant other is a drunk, it may be your belief; but if he/she was convicted of 5 DUIs then you have the evidence to support that opinion. Not only must we state our opinions as such in a paper, but we also have to provide evidence as to where the information came from.
Both facts and opinions require the same thing -- evidence.
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