Academic and Research Skills Report

This report provides a comprehensive guide to personal development for academic and research success. It covers self-audit, SMART objectives, note-taking strategies, research methods, and a personal development plan.

Academic and Research Skills

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................2
TASK 3 ...........................................................................................................................................4
TASK 5 ...........................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Personal development is a process of improvement in which an individual enhance their
interpersonal skill through several working areas. Main objective of this procedure is to attain
success on the basis of personal evolution (Borich, 2016). This is a lifelong process that assist in
determining aims of life and path of success in order to enhance potential skills easily. For this, a
learner needs to identify several areas that can be improve on the basis of training and
development activities. Self audit assist in the process of analysing their own capabilities and
potentials for performing in appropriate way. This report determine own strength and
weaknesses, SMART objectives and Note taking approaches by using different sources. At last it
represent, research and projection method as well as personal development plan.
TASK 1
For an individual, it is require to implement personal development plan in order to
analyse and improve their personalized and professional skills. These are the career development
procedure which are required to adhere by individuals in improvement of their own personality.
For me, it is required to implement self audit plan in order to analyse my strength and
weaknesses for future improvement and development. All these activities helps me to make
appropriate changes to attain future objectives and goals. Therefore, an individual require to
understand their skills and capabilities that can be beneficial for academic and research process.
There are my own strength and weaknesses are determine below-
Strength
I am a fast learner which is my interpersonal skill that helps me to adopt several ideas
from practical working approaches. This skills helps me in personal as well as professional
development procedure. Some of my major strengths are leadership, risk taking, communication
and decision making skills. As I am good in some personal approaches but I need to improve my
professional working skills that helps me to move one step closer to future success.
Weaknesses
For me, it is required to improve my professional skill in order to attain target objectives
and goals easily. Some of my major weaknesses are Research skill, presentation approaches and
technological skill that requires to improve properly. These inappropriate working activities can
make a gap between my future objectives and success.
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Smart objective
SMART objective is a specific procedure that helps me to identify future goals, clear
ideas to make them possible and identification of own efforts that aid to achieving what I want
from my life. These process make my future objectives clear and provide a appropriate direction
to achieve them easily. According to this theory goals should needed to be specific, measurable,
achievable, relevant and time bound. SMART objectives of my professional process are -
 To Improve research skill in 1 year.
 To develop Presentation approaches in 10 Months.
 To improve technological skills within 7 Months.
Short term targets
On the basis of my self audit plan, I identify that I needs to improve several areas of skills
for professional development procedure. These melioration areas are based on short as well as
long term targets. Major short term objectives are improvement of technical skills and
enhancement of my presentation approaches. These activities assist me in professional
development plan.
Long term targets
On the basis of SMART objectives plan, I identified some of the major areas of my skills
are required improvement and enhancement. In this process, I discover that there are many target
objectives which takes a long period of time in development of research skill. It is based on
determining my own opinion and views on particular topic by grabbing authenticate information
for research project.
All these activities and planning are based on my personal and professional development
process. On the basis of this, I can easily discover areas of improvement to getting long term
benefits and advantages.
TASK 2
Note taking is an individual skill that uses to kept records and data on permanent basis for
long term of period. This process require improvement of skills to analyse information from
several sources. Main objective of this process is to reduce bothering of memorised vast
information at a time. Therefore, individual can record them through short notes by grabbing
appropriate information easily. This process will help me to enhance my presentation and
research skill on the basis of note taking approaches. For this, I can use different sources as -
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Noted key points of information from a variety of sources using active listening skills-
 Conferences and seminars – In this procedure, I can easily take maximum information
from conferences and seminar. This is a most specific platform on which seniors and
professional express their ideas and views for a specific topic. By attaining theses
seminars, I can easily improve my research skills for future development . In this process,
note taking approaches play a most important in order to record desirable and needful
data for additional research.
 Classroom lectures – This is a direct interaction, in which I can easily grab proper
information by listening skills. In classroom lecture, professional guide about specific
topic to resolve issues and doubts of learners. These are the helpful activities that assist
me to kept proper record for a long term of duration. I always used to attend these
classroom lectures in order to enhance my research skills easily.
 Conversation and inquisitive with professionals - This process is also known as face
to face conversation in which I can easily resolve my issues and conflicts by taking
proper information to seniors and professional. After resolving my doubts, I can record
them in summarised format. Professionals always helps me to provide appropriate
direction for my research activities. For this, I need to improve my listening power to
memorised proper information for note taking process.
Noted key points of information from a variety of sources using reading strategies –
 Article and research of several writers – For reading strategies, I can use articles and
research papers of different authors who provide their own opinion and view particular
topic. These activities not only assist me in note taking but also guide me for research
inactivities. Through this, I can easily save time as well as additional cost to
accomplishing my future objectives and goals. This reading tool will provide me
authenticate information as well as data on specific topic.
 Newspaper and Journals – Noted key point of relevant information from different
sources is a most important process that assist me to analyse values and enhance my
interpersonal skills. Newspaper and journals are also a authenticate source that aid to
provide specific information on the bases of individual's requirement. Through this, I can
easily noted major points that are related to my research approaches.
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 Aptitude test – Now a days, each and every individual uses several sources to examine
and enhance their interpersonal skills on the bases of aptitude test. Through this, I can
easily note major point that are commonly asked in such abilities examination process. It
will also helps me to improve own personality by taking part in such advance activities.
Through this, I can easily grab several information that are related to my professional
development plan.
TASK 3
Research is refers as creative and systematic work required to undertake for improvement
of knowledge. The different type of aspects regarding which information is gathered with the
help of research activity includes human, culture and society which helps to devise new
applications. All the information which is gathered is required to analyse through the application
of statistical tools which provide reliable and authenticate results. This will provides the
opportunity to the researcher is to accomplish their goals within stipulated period of time.
Basically, two methods are used to conduct research which are known as primary and secondary.
Primary method refers as the process which includes gathering of information directly from the
respondents about the research topic. Such kind of information is more reliable and provides true
information which is unbiased in nature. On the other hand, Secondary method in not much
relevant for research and mainly used in the situation when there is lac of time and cost. This is
refers as the process where information is collected from the already published sources such
articles, journals, newspapers etc.
Research plan
Tile and Introduction of research In this defined the title of project which explain and
introduce regarding research report
Abstracts It is related with various stages and steps that required for
conducting research.
Research aim and objectives This wills enable some aims and objectives of particular
research topic which must be analysed through proper
research.
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Research question and problem This will prepare questionnaires by formulating different
questions regarding research objectives. It will support in
identifying various issues or problems that can be occurred
while research process.
Literature review In this analyse several information which are related with
research questions. It will be beneficial in gathering relevant
data by considering experts views and recommendations as
well.
Scope and limitation of research This will includes the description of the scope of research
Methods of research This will includes the application of different research
methods which mainly classified into different categories
which are known as primary and secondary
Data interpretation It is the part which includes interpretation of data collected
from research with help of statistical methods and presented
in the form of graphs and charts
Recommendation and conclusion Under this part recommendations are provided for the
development of organisation
References
Primary research: It is most effective method which includes collection of views and
feedbacks directly from respondents. I used this method to develop my own weaknesses through
taking the guidance of others. This will provides the opportunity to me is to improve my own
skills. The different methods which used under this includes conference and seminars, classroom
venture and conversation and inquisitive with professionals.
Secondary research: This method is helpful in getting the information in less period of
time. I used this to get over from my weakness of research skills, presentation approaches and
technical skills. The different type of sources of which are used under this method includes
Article and research of several writers, newspapers and journals and Aptitude test.
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TASK 5
Personal development plan
My personal
development
targets
Short or
long term
target
How will I
achieve my
targets
Developmen
t date
Date of
review
Progress
made
towards
target
Further
action
required
Actual date
of achieving
target
Research
skills
Long
term
To achieve
these
targets, I
needs to
improve
my note
taking
skills that
assist me
to get
proper
informatio
n of each
and every
topic.
1st August
2018
25th
February
2019
60.00% To
improve
my
research
skills, I
needs to
use
primary
research to
collect
fresh and
authenticat
e
informatio
n by my
own
efforts.
1st August
2019
Presentation
approaches
Mid-term Presentati
on process
required
Note
taking
activities
for
grouping
1st August
2018
18th
January
2019
50.00% All these
activities
and
presentatio
n
approache
s are based
individual'
1st May
2019
6

authenticat
e
informatio
n and data
in order to
use them
for long
term.
s career
objectives
that
requires to
achieve
properly.
Technologi
cal skills
Short
term
Improvem
ent of
technologi
cal skills
are
developed
by
attaining
technical
classes on
regular
bases. For
this, I can
also use
online
aptitude
test to
enhance
my
general as
well as
technologi
1st August
2018
28th
October
2018
40.00% For this, I
needs to
use more
online
methods
for
learning as
well as
knowledge
developme
nt process.
Through
this, I can
easily
maximise
my
technologi
cal skills.
1st
February
2019
7

cal skill.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been summarised that personal development is a specific
process that uses to analyse strength and weaknesses for development plan. Through this an
individual can easily adopt several techniques to enhance all the weaknesses. SMART objectives
is also a specific process that aid to identify future goals and targets. An individual can use note
taking approach in order to record cast data properly for long period. Searches and presentation
are two specific areas that required structure formation. At last this report determine personal
development plan.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Borich, G.D., 2016. Observation skills for effective teaching: research-based practice.
Routledge.
Calhoun, C., 2014. Using Wikipedia in information literacy instruction: Tips for developing
research skills. College & Research Libraries News. 75(1). pp.32-33.
Castelli, D. M. and et. al., 2014. VII. The history of physical activity and academic performance
research: informing the future. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child
Development. 79(4). pp.119-148.
Krueger, R. A., 2014. Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Sage publications.
McConville, M. ed., 2017. Research methods for law. Edinburgh University Press.
Miller, J., 2014. Building academic literacy and research skills by contributing to Wikipedia: A
case study at an Australian university. Journal of Academic Language and
Learning. 8(2). pp.A72-A86.
Neuman, W. L., 2016. Understanding research. Pearson.
O'Neil, H. F. ed., 2014. Learning strategies. Academic Press.
O'Sullivan, M. K. and Dallas, K. B., 2017. A collaborative approach to implementing 21st
century skills in a high school senior research class. Education Libraries. 33(1). pp.3-9.
Segal, J. W., Chipman, S.F. and Glaser, R., 2014. Thinking and learning skills: Volume 1:
relating instruction to research. Routledge.
Wilson, E. ed., 2017. School-based research: a guide for education students. Sage.
Online
Personal Development. 2018. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/personal-development.html>.
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