Draft the research paper in labeled sections, synthesizing two or more sources within a paragraph rather than devoting one paragraph to each source.
A research paper is organized into labeled sections with headers -- background, one or more analysis sections built around the specific angle, and a conclusion -- rather than one continuous flow. Inside each section, the real skill is synthesis: blending information from two or more sources on the same point, instead of the "source dump" pattern of "Source A says X. Source B says Y."
A synthesized sentence combines a statistic from one source with a firsthand quote or detail from another, connected by the writer's own analytical framing -- showing the writer thinking across sources, not just reporting them side by side.
Mastery looks like: They draft a multi-section paper with clear headers, synthesizing two or more sources within individual paragraphs rather than listing sources one by one.
Common stumbles: Writing a "source dump" -- one paragraph per source with no synthesis connecting them.
See it visually
Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.