University of Phoenix

Personal Responsibility Essay: Research and Organizatio

Resources: CWE Annotated Bibliography and CWE Reference and Citation Generator
Review the CWE Annotated Bibliography.
Prepare an annotated bibliography for the sources in your Personal Responsibility Essay. Include the following information: * Reference citation for each source * Summary of the information in the source and how you determined it to be reliable
Write a 250-word explanation of the following: * How you determined the sources to be reliable and relevant, and whether or not there is an author bias * How this information might strengthen or weaken your essay
Format your explanation consistent with APA guidelines.

Thesis Statement:

Even though someone with personal responsibility values the consequences of their acts; having personal responsibility is also knowing how to manage your time wisely, and recognizing what sacrifices will need to be made to meet deadlines, and puts special attention to its compromises in order to meet them. To be successful in college as a student, you must maintain good attendance, make substantial post in discussions, and turn all of your assignments in on time.

Rough Draft

Responsibility is a virtue that must be learned and practiced. Being successful requires taking personal responsibility for your actions. In order to be accountable in all aspects of life, it is important to be focused on what you want to accomplish. Establishing a plan of action, with short and long term goals, it helps to be disciplined, and concentrated on your goal. Time management is a key element to maintaining a balance between life, work, and studies. These values are essentially useful in college, as you are required to participate actively, maintain good attendance, and submit your assignments in on time. When you’re trying to achieve academic success, personal responsibility is the key to opening the doors to your future.

“Setting goals involves defining your aims in both long and short term time frames” (Keys to Success Ch. 2, pg. 31) The first step to take to set a long term goal, is to try to envision what you would like to have accomplished six months or even years from where you stand. Following your long terms goal plan, comes your short term goals which are set in smaller time frames. These smaller steps motivate you to keep going towards your main objective, as you see your accomplishments. For example if you were a hiker, a long term goal would be to reach the peak of Mount Everest. Consequently, your short term goals would be the preparations, and training you would take to reach the top. One way to discipline yourself into staying focused on what you want to undertake is” to make your goals specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and linked to a Time Frame”. Using the SMART system you can organize your goals according to priorities and importance.

Sometimes it seems like you can’t find enough hours in the day to make time for work, study and family. Knowing how to balance these three time consuming events requires different steps. The first step to finding equilibrium is to be organized. That way you will avoid spending too much time on one specific event, while other deadlines begin to appear on the horizon. Next, it will be advised to set a flexible schedule, because as a working student, and member of a family, you have to be ready to adapt to new assignments, and unexpected errands. Therefore a schedule should be set so that you will have enough study time, and if something comes up, it won’t create conflicts when you move it to another spot in the week. Even though getting through most part of your week might seem overwhelming, knowing that it can be done, because other people have done it, will motivate you to succeed in college.

Aside from parenthood, college is a time, unlike any other in life. There is no secret recipe for succeeding in college, but for me there are certain characteristics that will prevent total failure. First, I can avoid procrastination by giving myself incentives for studying or completing assignments in advance. Being present and participating in class discussions shouldn’t be left aside for last, but regarded as an opportunity to acquire more knowledge. Next, it will be helpful to create decent study habits depending on the kind of routines that work best for me. This is essential for turning assignments in on time. Last but not least, hard work is must in order to be successful. This means putting task into priorities and making sure I complete each one.

In conclusion, although someone with personal responsibility values the consequences of their acts, personal responsibility also knowing how to manage your time wisely. Sacrifices will always be needed if graduating from college is a major goal in life. Using a SMART goal achievement plan will categorize tasks into long and short term goals, thus making them achievable. To be successful as a student is to, maintain good attendance, make substantial post in discussions, and turn all of your assignments in on time. But most importantly, a responsible person avoids procrastination, and does their obligations putting special attention to its compromises in order to meet them.

Annotated Bibliography

Kandemir, M. (2014). The Predictors of Academic Procrastination: Responsibility, Attributional Styles Regarding Success / Failure, and Beliefs in Academic Self-Efficacy. Education & Science / Egitim Ve Bilim, 39(171), 99-114. The study examines the factors associated with academic procrastination. Using a variety of surveys, scales and tests, the author was able to come to the conclusion that academic procrastination behaviors in students share predictable factors. This study is of great use for investigating what behavioral patterns should be avoided to prevent procrastination in order to reach academic success.

Kenner, C., & Weinerman, J. (2011). Adult Learning Theory: Applications to Non-Traditional College Students. Journal Of College Reading And Learning, 41(2), 87-96.
In this journal the author presents the advantages and or setbacks that adults, between the ages of 25 to 50, face when they enroll in higher education. Adult learners are different from traditional learners and this work shows the tools educators use to help adult learners integrate into a learning environment, and help them achieve success.

Macan, Therese H.; Shahani, Comila; Dipboye, Robert L.; Phillips, Amanda P.. Journal of Educational Psychology82.4 (Dec 1990): 760-768.
According to this journal, stress is a common factor in college student’s academic experience. A population of students participated in questionnaires that evaluated how they manage their time, the amount of stress manifested, and the overall results of their grade point average. Knowing what causes students stress, and what can be done to prevent or reduce its effects on college students, can ease college experience.

Martin, K., Galentino, R., & Townsend, L. (2014). Community College Student Success: The Role of Motivation and Self-Empowerment. Community College Review, 42(3), 221-241.
This research examines the reasons why some college students manage to make it through graduation, while others don’t. The focus of the study is mainly on the variables, and characteristics of those graduates and the strategies that they used to finish their career. The Author conducts a series of interviews with the intent to find the similar characteristics, goals, and motivation that college graduates have in common.

Time management for college students. (1997, 09). Better Homes and Gardens, 75, 226. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/205348890?accountid=458 This article shows the different time management techniques college students should practice in order to balance out their time, and avoid procrastination. With these time management tools and techniques, college students can learn, and practice how to juggle a full time job, a family, and a social life.

Determining if sources are reliable and relevant, as well as, whether or not there is an author bias is based on different elements. One reason is to determine if a source is accurate. Next, we need to verify the information to validate, and last but not least, is to check for Author bias. The reliability of the source can strengthen your essay or weaken the essay with inaccurate information.

Reliable and Relevant
When using sources to conduct research on a particular topic it is important that the source is accurate. The information the source is providing will be accurate if it is supported by documentation and evidence that will prove the legitimacy of the information provided. One way to verify the validity of the source is to check if the information in the source will support the topic, have links, references. The source should have the information you need for your research. The best reliable sources are found in school, government or military sites. If the sources are reliable, these sites will provide support of the information obtained, the information will be accurate and no information can be added or changed by other users. There are some sources that pass the test of being accurate, but the author is bias to the topic, which gives information that is based solely on the Author’s view of the topic. The source that is considered to be Author bias is usually not supported by references, links or accurate information, and anyone can input data and change information provided in the source.

Strengthen or Weaken the Essay
When obtaining information from reliable sources, it can strengthen the essay by providing accurate, consistent and validation to the essay. The sources are most likely to be found in school or government sites and can be supported by relevant documentation. In the other hand, if the sources cited in the essay are written by an author bias, or if the source is not relevant to the topic your work will lack the credibility for your work.