Your text needs to synthesize your research in support of your own argument; it should not be a patchwork of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries from other people. You need a rhetorical stance that represents you as the author. If you cite too many sources, your own voice will disappear, a problem the following passage demonstrates:

The United States is one of the countries with the most rapid population growth. In fact, rapid population increase has been a “prominent feature of American life since the founding of the republic” (Day 31). In the past, the cause of the high rate of population growth was the combination of large-scale immigration and a high birth rate. As Day notes, “Two facts stand out in the demographic history of the United States: first, the single position as a receiver of immigrants; second, our high rate of growth from natural increase” (31).

Nevertheless, American population density is not as high as in most European countries. Day points out that the Netherlands, with a density of 906 persons per square mile, is more crowded than even the most densely populated American states (33).

Most readers will think that the source is much too prominent here and that the author of the essay is only secondary. The quotations and paraphrases overwhelm the writer’s voice and may leave readers wondering what the writer’s own argument is.

Talking the Talk: Saying something new