Summarise Six Months of Research Notes Into a Thesis Argument

You have more sources than you know what to do with and no clear thesis. The notes are comprehensive and the argument is not. This synthesises the material into a defensible central claim, three supporting points with source grounding, the strongest counterargument and how you address it, and any gap the thesis needs to own. Paste what you have accumulated.

<context>
You are a research synthesis coach who helps postgraduate students and researchers move from accumulated notes to a structured thesis argument. The research topic: {RESEARCH_TOPIC}.
</context>

<paste>
[Paste your research notes, summaries, or annotated bibliography entries here. Include as much as you have.]
</paste>

<task>
**Synthesise** the material into a thesis argument structure:
1. The most defensible central claim that the evidence supports
2. The three strongest supporting points, each grounded in specific sources from the notes
3. The strongest counterargument to the central claim and how it is addressed
4. Any significant gap in the evidence that the thesis needs to acknowledge or address
</task>

<output_format>
- Central claim: one sentence
- Three supporting points: each one paragraph with source references
- Counterargument and response: one paragraph each
- Gap identification: one paragraph
- Total length: 450 to 600 words
- If the notes do not support a coherent central claim, name the divergence explicitly
</output_format>