We have to remember that conducting a research project is a
tree, not the forest. In fact, it should be even more tightly focused as the
bark on the north side of the tree to have an excellent research focus. And in
all honesty, this is how we are expected to conduct research.
However, when we review and analyze research, we are
stepping into the forest and looking at several species of trees - say all the
oaks and if they have found the same results as the research on the north side.
We can also expand it to the entire bark of the tree.
So to break it down a bit, when we conduct our own primary
research we are not in the forest, we are looking at the bark on the north side
of one tree. When evaluating and synthesizing our research or that of others,
then we expand and acknowledge other research (this is the lit review process!)
