Research and Writing Process Video SuiteThis video suite, created through a collaboration between the USC Libraries and the USC Writing Center, is a series of connected videos intended to provide guidance for how to approach common challenges you may face as a student when writing papers using research. Each video breaks down a specific element of the research process, offers a new way to think about the process drawn from research in critical thinking and learning theory, and outlines practical solutions to help you in your research and writing. Video 1: How to Get Started On a Research Paper Many students report that getting started is the hardest part of the research and writing process. This video outlines “divergent thinking” as a practical strategy to help you think critically and creatively when brainstorming topics of potential interest for a research assignment. By thinking divergently and using your imagination to think freely and spontaneously about many possible solutions, you’ll be able to come up with lots of fun and interesting ideas that will help you get started on your project. Video 2: How to Make an Argument Students are often asked to make strong arguments in their writing using research evidence to support the claims they make in their work. But what does your instructor mean when they say you need to “make an argument?” What does a strong argument actually look like in your writing? This video draws on strategies from philosophy, critical thinking, and learning theory to help you use research to make successful arguments in your writing. Video 3: How to Read Critically Instructors often ask students to engage more deeply, or think more critically, about the sources they use in their research and writing assignments. What does it actually look like to deeply and critically engage with a source? How can you show that you’ve actually done so in your writing? This video draws on educational psychology, instructional design, and critical thinking research to help you ask “Essential Questions” about the sources you read. Asking these questions will help you think critically about the sources you engage with and help you demonstrate your understanding to your professors in your work. Video 4: How to Manage Your Time You’ve probably heard a thousand times about how managing your time effectively is an important part of college success. Time management is also important when thinking about research and writing. One reason for this is that the research process is actually quite messy, no matter how experienced a researcher you are: we have to do lots of searches, re-trace our steps, and new information seems to keep coming up even when we think we’re done. This video helps explain why this is by outlining research as a “recursive process.” This nuanced understanding of the research process can help you manage your time better, which can also help ensure that you use information ethically.