Report on Academic and Research Skills for Personal Development

This report delves into the realm of personal and academic skills, providing a comprehensive overview of the author's strengths and weaknesses. It emphasizes the importance of self-assessment, goal setting, and the development of key skills such as communication, learning, and concentration. The report outlines various note-taking methods, including Cornell, mapping, outlining, and charting, and discusses the significance of active listening and reading for effective note-taking. Furthermore, it explores the process of academic research, differentiating between primary and secondary sources and highlighting the importance of a well-defined research plan. The author also presents a personal development plan with SMART objectives, outlining specific actions and timelines for improvement in identified areas. The report underscores the continuous nature of skill development and the need for ongoing self-reflection and adaptation to achieve personal and academic goals.

Academic and Research Skills

Table of Contents
Academic and Research Skills.........................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................2
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................3
TASK 4 AND 5 .............................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Personal development can be refer as an art to present a person itself with intelligence
that can satisfy the other people with a please. Personal skill can be anything, it is actually a a
way in which an individual communicate with others and along with this there are numerous
things which can make a persons career fly. It enhances the capabilities of person which are
required to meet their goals. The personal skills can be some weaknesses, habits and phobia that
needs to polish by a person themselves in order to their dream come true. The report includes the
personal skills, note making and carry, academic research plan and a review on the personal
development plan.
TASK 1
Strength and Weakness are those term which is in everyone as well vary from person to person.
An individual have to identify their weakness then further have to work on it so they can achieve
their career goals and objectives in better manner. Thus, for improvement in myself I have to set
my future targets then work on these properly so can achieve it. Everyone have their career
planning which require proper strategy and planning for achieving it. While making plan it must
be kept in mind that it was focusing on career and must be positive along with this assist in
achieving goals and objectives. It can be possible by conducting research on the topic which
required so that their will be successful results. Thus, it is not enough to gather information only
but need to be implemented or utilise in proper manner. My strength and weakness is explained
below:-
Strength Weakness
 I have good leadership skill which will
be required in future when I will go for
any job. Because leader is the one who
can manage their team as well work in
more better manner.
 Along with this, I have good command
over MS-Excel which is required for
calculating several things related to
finance and accounting.
 Time management which is important
in daily life for doing day to day
activity. I have good management skills
 My communication skills are not good
which is important in college for giving
presentation, taking part in group
discussion and meeting.
 Learning skills are poor as I am not
able to learn thing properly. This skill is
required in day to day life because
several things are needed to be learn
without learning this it will be not
possible to implement.
 Concentration which is important in
studying but I have less concentration
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which help in doing my task in more
better manner and also college
assignment on time.
power because of this I am not able to
concentrate on several things. For
achieving particular thing there is
requirement of proper concentration.
Above mention are my strength and weakness which is identified by me. For weakness
several majors will be taken by me for removing these or for working on it. Everyone have some
objectives in life same me also have.
SMART objectives- These are the criteria which help in setting objectives in several areas such
as project management, employees performance and also in personal development. Here,
SMART means Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
 My major and foremost objective is that I have to improve my communication skill
which is important in daily life. For explaining my own thoughts and view points to
others. As well it is necessary for transferring data and information.
 Learning skills are those which is necessary in students because without learning they are
not able to answer the questions asked by them in class room. Along with this it play
important role in exams times.
 Concentration is required for grasping something and also in accruing. With proper
concentration power no one can focus on particular thing. In student age this is important
and required in everyone.
TASK 2
Everyone has there own way of learning and observing thing that make them learn about
their subject interests and which they can learn through preparing their own notes. Taking notes
is an important process cause it allows a return record of the lecture which is not included in the
textbook. For taking the notes one needs to be active in listening and learning. There are various
ways to taking the notes that as different lecturers provide different kind of notes. There are
various ways of learning and that's they follows many kind of notes taking methods, that can
include:
Cornell method : The Cornell method is to provide help in arrange class notes that can
easily summarize and distinguish because it covers main points, details and clues at one place.
Mapping method : Mapping methods is useful when learning about relationship between
topics. It is a visual presentation in of the notes for those who are have problem in reading out
the notes.
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Outlining method : The outlining method is using to outline the headings and bullets to
organize a topic in an appropriate manner. So that main topics and sub topics can be identify
easily.
Charting method : Charting note used to arrange an information in columns that is one
side is with the topic and title and other side with description.
Notes taking through listening
Notes taking is dependent on the listening that can be define as:
Listening for repetition : When a speaker or lecturer repeat a phrase or idea that means I
is one of the most important thing in the chapter.
Highlighting obvious clues : It is very often when professors are specifically point
certain phrase or topic that shows that it is most important for the exams, so one should not rely
on the memory rather its better to make notes.
Use pictures and diagrams : Pictures and diagrams are aid to make notes more
attractive that is easy to remind letter and in a specific process cause a diagram follows the entire
process of the task.
Seminars : One should gathers the knowledge from the seminars cause what the speaker
is telling about that may not include by professors in the lecture so one should listen it with a
focus that is needed to be take the notes from listening.
Note taking through reading
There are some reading materials which can offer a huge pool for notes that can be
include as:
Books : Books give a variety of knowledge and a focused notes that needs to gather the
information with a concentration. E – books are also a good source to collect information.
Articles : Articles can be collected from the newspapers, blogs and journals that update
about the present scenario.
TASK 3
Research can be described as a critical activity which is carried out for observing,
analysing and evaluating different factors relevant to the topic, it is necessary to be concluded so
that we can come know about possibilities of benefits which can be attained by specific concepts
through implementing the same (Collis and Hussey, 2013). This refers to a creative and
systematist work undertaken to boost up bulk of information including data about humans,
culture and society. The knowledge is utilised to to devise fresh applications in an appropriate
way to gain desired outcomes as well. There are certain sources of research which can be used to
interpret and gain better results.
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Primary sources: - This can be described as several sources to collect an appropriate
information which can be considered as useful to carrying out an effective as well as efficient
research to get required results. It basically includes various factors such as historical & legal
documents, eyewitness accounts, results of experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative
writing, speeches and many more. There are various types of primary source which can be
utilised top gather desired knowledge about specific topic which helps to conduct an appropriate
research properly to get required outcomes (Scott, 2015). It is mandatory to consider needed to
factors and study them to gain an accurate information to determine best alternative to get better
outputs.
Secondary sources: - It basically involves different kinds of components such as articles,
newspapers, books, journals, popular magazines and so on. The term secondary sources refers to
describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyse, evaluate, summarize and process primary
sources. It is necessary to first observe and analyse the situation and nature of title to make an
important plan to conduct an effective as well as efficient manner to get better results. Material
which involved in secondary resources interpret, assign value, conjecture upon and draw
conclusions to gain better outcomes and carrying out research properly in particular period of
time. Both the sources like primary and secondary has their own importance to prepare an
appropriate plan of action to conduct proper research to get desired results (Arnold, Kupersmidt
and Voegler, 2012).
Research plan is all about to build an accurate strategies or policies to make strong
planning including several activities or procedures to gain better outcomes in terms of gaining
desired results. Planning is very important as it refers to design whole process of research step-
by- step to attain better results. An effective search event in appropriate is carrying out to achieve
desired outputs in proper way (Adachiand and Willoughby, 2013).
Along with all of these elements there are some particular things which needed to be followed:
Research plan
Research plan and objectives
Title of the research
Target of the research
Strategies to conduct the researches
Finalize the investigation methods
Budget and progress report
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TASK 4 AND 5
Skills require day to day improvement on it for improving this I have to take part in
several activities such as presentation, meetings, conference, seminars and several other. There
are mainly three weakness in me which want improvement to be done for achieving future goals
and objectives. Weakness are communication skills, learning skills and concentration power.
Above mention are my three major weakness and their assessment is given below for improving
them:-
My personal
developmen
t targets
Short or
long term
targets
How will I
achieve my
targets
Date of
review
Progress
made
towards
targets
Further
action
required
Actual date
of achieving
targets
Communica
tion skills
Short term
target
For
improving
communicat
ion skills I
will join
several
classes in
which
communicat
ion skills
will be teach
12th August
2018
60% I will talk
more and
more so that
practically I
can be able
to do this.
30th
September
2018
Learning
Skill
Long Term
target
For
enhancing
my learning
skills I will
use several
techniques
like book
reading and
observation.
20 July
2018
40% Recall again
and again
whatever
you have
read or
observed
before.
15th august
2018
Concentrati Long Term Concentrati 12 50% Continue 26th
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on skill Target on power
can be
improved
with the
help of
meditation
and keep
focusing on
single
things.
September
2018
the work or
one task
until it will
not achieved
December
2018
Thus, communication skills, learning and concentration skills are those which help in achieving
career goals and objectives in proper manner as well also in personal development.
CONCLUSION
From the above assignment it has been concluded that personality development is
important for better and professional future. For developing personality there is requirement of
learning several skills and knowledge because it will help in achieving career goals and
objectives. Therefore, learning skills, concentration and communication skills needed to be
improved in me so that I can get successful position in life. Apart from all these project includes
strength and weakness as well further improvement should be done on it for removing. Although,
individual have to brush up their skills and knowledge on timely basis so they can stand in the
world which is full of competition.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Collis, J. and Hussey, R., 2013.Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and
postgraduate students. Palgrave macmillan.
Scott, W.R., 2015. Financial accounting theory (Vol. 2, No. 0, p. 0). Prentice Hall.
Arnold, D.H., Kupersmidt, J.B., Voegler-Lee, M.E. and and et; al., 2012. The association
between preschool children's social functioning and their emergent academic skills.
Early childhood research quarterly. 27(3). pp.376-386.
Adachi, P.J. and Willoughby, T., 2013. More than just fun and games: The longitudinal
relationships between strategic video games, self-reported problem solving skills, and
academic grades. Journal of youth and adolescence. 42(7). pp.1041-1052.
National Research Council, 2013. Education for life and work: Developing transferable
knowledge and skills in the 21st century. National Academies Press.
Lievens, F. and Sackett, P.R., 2012. The validity of interpersonal skills assessment via situational
judgment tests for predicting academic success and job performance. Journal of Applied
Psychology. 97(2). p.460.
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