You can refer to this link for answers to questions related to reference letter http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/nail-the-challenge-of-getting-reference-letter-from-current-employer-t397796.0.html
Yes, it is the same thing in a generic sense. But considering the requirements of Express Entry, there are some things which needs to be mandatorily captured so that the application does not get rejected.