Okay, so I’m in the middle of drafting my research paper on the impact of urban green spaces on mental health. I have done the reading. Oh boy, have I done the reading. My Zotero library is a thing of beauty. I have PDFs highlighted in every color of the rainbow. I have a notebook full of summarized studies. 
But here’s the problem: I have absolutely no argument. My paper is currently a 3,000-word "book report" that just summarizes what Study A found and what Study B found. My advisor asked me last week, "Okay, but what’s YOUR point?" and I just sat there like a deer in the headlights.
I feel like I’m drowning in information. I can't see the forest for the trees. How do you go from having a mountain of research to actually formulating a unique, arguable thesis? I have a question, but it's too broad. I need to narrow it down, but every time I try, I feel like I'm cutting out "important" stuff.
This is my first major research paper in my master's program, and I feel like a complete imposter. Has anyone been here? What's the mental trick to move from summarizing to analyzing and arguing? SOS.
But here’s the problem: I have absolutely no argument. My paper is currently a 3,000-word "book report" that just summarizes what Study A found and what Study B found. My advisor asked me last week, "Okay, but what’s YOUR point?" and I just sat there like a deer in the headlights.
I feel like I’m drowning in information. I can't see the forest for the trees. How do you go from having a mountain of research to actually formulating a unique, arguable thesis? I have a question, but it's too broad. I need to narrow it down, but every time I try, I feel like I'm cutting out "important" stuff.
This is my first major research paper in my master's program, and I feel like a complete imposter. Has anyone been here? What's the mental trick to move from summarizing to analyzing and arguing? SOS.