When I first began writing this review paper, it was quite overwhelming, to say the least. Doing an Extended Essay for the IB was a lot different from this, especially since I did an experimental EE and not a review paper. This was definitely a new experience, but one that I'm super grateful for.

There was a lot of unlearning involved. I had to unlearn how to approach research as something linear or neatly structured. With an experimental paper, you’re guided by the data you produce: you see results appear, patterns emerge, and your analysis follows. But with a review, the data is scattered across dozens of studies. The goal here wasn't to produce new findings or even necessarily corroborate existing ones, but rather to make sense of what already existed.

At first, I underestimated how hard that would be. I thought reading enough papers would eventually reveal a clear narrative. But I found myself constantly having to rewrite what I knew instead. One assumed conclusion could be shown incorrect by a new piece of evidence; another might need restructuring after realising two studies defined the same biomarker in completely different ways. It was definitely frustrating initially, but it also forced me to think more critically—to stop treating published research as the one simple truth, and to start viewing it as an ongoing process.

Somewhere in that process, I truly saw how much patience research demands. Sometimes, it feels like the information is never-ending and that you're making next to no progress, but research always rewards persistence. Synthesis is about being able to balance contradictions and discuss different conclusions or evidence to see the bigger picture emerge.

You can find my research paper here!

I truly hope that my research and review paper is able to contribute something in this ever-expanding field of study. This 10-week-long process was certainly tough, and it is with the support of my incredible mentors Dr. Kimberly Clark and Ms. Monika Rybak that I was able to push through and reach publication in a journal that accepts less than 15% of all submissions. Writing this taught me the skills involved in research, and I can definitely say it's helped me understand what science is like. Massive thank you as well to the Convergence Journal who provided a platform for this research to be published on!