Report on Personal Development Plan for Academic and Research Skills

This report details a student's personal development plan focused on enhancing academic and research skills. The introduction highlights the importance of personal development in maximizing individual potential, particularly in areas such as marketing research, where adaptability and understanding are crucial. Task 1 involves a self-audit, identifying strengths (quick learning, technological skills) and weaknesses (research, communication, and note-taking skills), and establishing SMART objectives to address these areas. Task 2 explores note-taking methods, emphasizing the use of online resources, classroom lectures, and conversations with seniors, as well as various reading strategies like newspapers, research papers, and blogs. Task 3 outlines a research plan, including primary and secondary research methodologies, and the sources of information for each. Finally, Task 5 presents a personal development plan with timelines and progress tracking for improving research and communication skills. The report aims to provide a structured approach to personal development within an academic context.

Academic and Research Skills

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................2
TASK 3 ...........................................................................................................................................4
TASK 5 ...........................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Personal development is a specific procedure which is uses to maximise potential of an
individual. Through this, they can easily enhance interpersonal skills, qualities and learning
procedure in order to attain their target goals and objectives. In between them, a learner needs to
understand some specific areas that requires to develop in between academic and research
(Shapiro, 2011). As in marketing research, an individual requires to maximise their adoption,
understanding, modification and implementation abilities. For this, it is necessitate to develop a
self audit plan that represent strength and weaknesses of an individual to enhance them through
self learning procedure. Main objectives of this procedure is to achieve short term as well as long
term targets, goals and objectives in effective manner. In this, it is needed to monitor progress of
individual against their future plans and procedures. This procedure consider formal and
informal activities for the personal development approaches.
TASK 1
Personal development is a most important procedure that helps to identify skills and
ability of a person. For an individual, it is required to analyse their own strength and weaknesses.
Through this, they can easily examine particular areas that needs to improve. These are the
personal development plans that helps to taking appropriate determination for the career growth.
For me, it is require to enhance my weaknesses through different learning methods and
authenticate sources. I needs to analyse particular areas that are related to my future growth and
than start learning appropriate informations through my own skills and abilities. In this procedure
self audit assist me to analyse my strength and weaknesses as -
Strength - As I am a good learner, it helps me to adopt several information practically in
my skill development procedure. Some of my personal skills are good but I needs to improve my
professional skills and abilities. Through this, I can easily achieve my target goals and
objectives. Some of my strengths as quick learning and technological skills helps to resolve
issues and conflicts in career development plan.
Weaknesses – For me it is require to develop my research, communication and
summarising with notes taking skills. It would be a major challenge for me while I represent a
authentic research in front of my seniors. In this procedure, I needs to analyse proper information
from several places, so in this communication skills aid to contradict properly to others for
1

getting specific and authenticate information easily. Somehow I needs to improve my English
language skill to express my own views effectively in front of others.
Smart objective –
This procedure basically uses in a specific term in which an individual clearly determine
their ideas, efforts, strengths, ability that helps to achieving several goals and objectives easily. It
is basically uses to analyse specific need and want of individual for specific skill that requires to
improve in effective manner. My smart objectives are given below as-
 To develop research skills in one year
 To improve communication skill within 6 Months
 To develop note taking skills in 10 Months
Short term targets – For me it is required to improve communication and note taking skills in
short time period or in duration. By improving such skills, I can easily provide effective
contribution in achieving target goals and objectives.
Long term targets – One of my long term target is to improve my research skill. This is a most
important procedure that helps to represent my own views and authenticate information within a
project. This is based on my future targets and research topics.
All these procedures are based on development of my future career in specific manner.
Through this, I can easily understand my weaknesses that are requires to improve properly by
using different type of methods and informations.
TASK 2
An individual requires to improve their skills by using different type of sources and
varieties (Wong, 2011). Note taking is also a skill that helps to permanently record several
informations at a specific place. In this procedure, an individual gather data and informations
from different as well as authenticate sources. These kind of notes reduce risk as well as
bothering to remember information for a long term period. It also help to distinguish ideas that
are come on a specific time period. For me it is require to maximise my research skills by
grabbing several information through different type of resources. In this process I can maximise
note taking skill by two different methods as -
Noted key points of information from a variety of sources using active listening skills- In
this process, in needs to analyse several sources that helps to improve my weakness through
listening method. For this I can use -
2

 Online methods – This is a most popular method that help to provide specific and
authenticate information to me. Now a days, each individual enhance their learning skill
by attaining online sufferings. These are aid to improve my listening skills for Noted key
points regarding my research and data collection method. Through this, I can easily
enhance my furthers skills and making a effective and impactful notes easily.
 Class room lecture – This is a traditional method that are uses by learners. In it, lecturer
provide information regarding a specific topic. Through this, I can easily store proper
information that I listen during class room lecturer. These type of sources aid to enhance
my research skills in effective manner.
 Conversation and questioning with seniors – In this process, I can easily improve my
communication and research skills by questioning method. Seniors are the guide who
provide appropriate information related to specific topic. These conversation and active
listening skills are helps to making proper notes for proper research procedure.
Noted key points of information from a variety of sources using reading strategies – Each
and every individual learn several objectives by the help of listening and reading strategies. I can
also use various reading strategies for noted key points information as -
 Newspapers and articles – These are the most important sources that helps to maximise
information of a learner (Bhatia, 2014). Through this I can easily analyse proper
information on the bases of my research topic and its requirement. Some of the learners
are prefer reading strategies to memorise several elements by their visual powers. In this
newspapers and articles helps to provide specific information in proper manner.
 Research papers of different authors – In this process, I needs to identify my specific
topic of research. After this, I can easily getting proper information in authentic manner.
These kind of learning strategies are based on secondary research, that helps to provide
view point of different authors on the bases of their specific enquiry.
 Blogs – Advance technology has major impact on society. Through this, individual can
easily get several information on the bases of written journals through online websites.
These are most convenient methods for me that provide appropriate information to me at
anywhere. It is the most effective reading strategy to Noted key points of information
easily.
3

As per the above authenticate information sources I analyse that learning methods of each
individuals are different to each others. Some of the individuals are more likely Noted key points
of information from active listening skills or by using different reading strategies. All these
methods can be beneficial for me to maximise my research, communication and note taking
skills properly.
TASK 3
In a research projection, an individual requires to getting proper information related to
their topic through different kind of sources. Through this they can easily examine advantage and
disadvantages of these projects (Stagg and Kimmins, 2012). For this, I needs to make a proper
research plan that helps to provide effective information through different resources. In this
process I needs to make a effective research plan that helps to provide authentic and specific
information on particular topic. These kind of research assist to enhance my research skills in
effective manner. Research plan of this procedure can be -
Research plan
Tile section  Tile of the project
 Abstracts
Research background and
discussion
 Research aim and objectives
 Research questioning
 Research problem
 Literature review
 Scope and limitation of research
Research methodology  Methods of research as Primary and secondary methods
 Data interpretation and findings
Research management
plan
 Ethical consideration
 Risk and problem analysis
 Conclusion
Additive section  References
 Bibliography
 Appendix
4

To carrying out specific research, I needs to use different types of sources that assist to
provide effective and authenticate information easily. In this procedure, I can use different types
of methods as -
Primary research – This is a most specific area of research in which I can easily get proper in
formation if my research topic on the bases of fresh data. For this I needs to use listening strategy
that provide authenticate information of specific topic on the bases of my requirement. Through
this I can easily improve my own skills and abilities as a learner. Primary research is based on
specific data that are never uses before. In this process, I needs to analyse several informations
by my own. In this process some of the methods can be beneficial as -
 Class room lecture
 Conferences and seminars
 Conversation and questioning with seniors
Secondary research – These are also a methodology that are basically uses to get pre-determine
methods (Thiry, Laursen and Hunter, 2011). For this, I can use secondary resource of
information that are introduce by some one else by their own research and skill as well. By
reading this, I can easily understand how to make a proper and authenticate analysis. Data that
are collected by this examination process is based on historical values and representation. In this
process, I can use help of some one else to gathering authenticate information. These are the
most specific procedure that provide appropriate data. In this process, I can use reading strategies
of research skills. Sources of secondary skill can be -
 Blogs
 Research papers of different authors
 Newspapers and articles
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 Long To achieve 1st June 13th 40.00% For this I 1st June
5

skills term these kind
of targets,
I needs to
maximise
my
analysis
skill to
examine
authenticat
e
informatio
n from
further
sources.
2018 November
2018
needs to
maximise
my
research
criteria on
the bases
of primary
and
secondary
research
methodolo
gy.
2019
Communica
tion skill
Short
term
For
improving
research
skill, I
needs to
enhance
my
communic
ation skill
to getting
proper
informatio
n to
others.
Through
this I can
easily
1st June
2018
25th
August
2018
50.00% In this
procedure,
I needs to
use
Conversati
on and
questionin
g with my
seniors to
maximise
my skills
easily.
1st
November
2018
6

analyse
point of
view of
other who
already in
this
research
procedure.
Note taking
skills
Short
term
This is a
most
specific
skill which
is required
to
permanent
ly record
several
informatio
ns at a
specific
place that
are
collected
by
different
sources.
1st June
2018
20th
December
2018
70.00% In this
process, I
require to
enhance
Note
taking key
points of
informatio
n from a
variety of
sources
using
active
listening
skills and
uses
reading
strategies
as well.
1st March
2019
7

CONCLUSION
As per the above report it has been summarised that personal development is a specific
method that uses to enhance skills and strengths of an individual. Main objective of this process
is to getting target goals and objectives in effective manner. In this process self assignment and
auditing method helps to provide proper information related to own strength and weaknesses. For
this individual uses different kind of resources to enhance their interpersonal skill and working
approach. All these activities are based on future and target objectives of a person. In this, it is
needed to monitor progress of individual against their future plans and procedures.
8

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Shapiro, E.S., 2011. Academic skills problems: Direct assessment and intervention. Guilford
Press.
Wong, B. ed., 2011. Learning about learning disabilities. Academic press.
Stagg, A. and Kimmins, L., 2012. Research skills development through collaborative virtual
learning environments. Reference services review. 40(1). pp.61-74.
Thiry, H., Laursen, S.L. and Hunter, A.B., 2011. What experiences help students become
scientists? A comparative study of research and other sources of personal and
professional gains for STEM undergraduates. The Journal of Higher Education. 82(4).
pp.357-388.
Bhatia, V. K., 2014. A generic view of academic discourse. In Academic discourse (pp. 31-49).
Routledge.
9