Research notes often arrive in a draft wearing the shape of the source. Even when the words change, the explanation may follow someone else’s sentence step by step. A small separation between reading and drafting can help you see what you actually understand.
Close the source for the first attempt
After reading a manageable section, write one sentence stating the point you need for your piece. Then explain it as if answering a specific reader’s question. Use your own example only when it accurately fits the source and label it as an illustration.
Do not invent missing details to make the explanation smoother. Mark uncertainties in the draft so they remain visible when you return to the material.
Reopen and verify
Check names, quantities, qualifications, and the limits of the claim. Your clearer wording must not become a stronger claim than the evidence supports. Add attribution or a link where the reader needs to know whose finding or explanation you are using.
Compare sentence structure as well as vocabulary. If the draft still follows the source closely, reconsider what your paragraph is trying to explain. The goal is an accurate account shaped around your reader’s needs, with a traceable source, rather than a disguised copy of another writer’s path through the subject.