Supervisor Feedback and Reframing My Project as a Literature Review
After my supervisor meeting, I felt a lot clearer about where my project was going. One of the most important outcomes was that I stopped thinking of the project as something I had to “go out and collect data” for. Instead, I started seeing it as an opportunity to bring together what others have already researched—and to critically examine it.
My supervisor suggested that I focus on creating a structured literature review, ideally with a comparative approach. This immediately made things feel more manageable. Rather than worrying about access and logistics, I could now focus on reading, organising, and synthesising. In some ways, this shift gave the project more depth. It allowed me to concentrate on gaps in the literature, on which types of flowers are studied most, and on where circular economy thinking is present—or missing—in floriculture research.
He also helped me shape my three core research questions. These questions now focus on (1) the environmental impact comparison, (2) the representativeness of certain flower types, and (3) CE strategies for florists. These questions feel concrete enough to guide my work but open enough to allow for interesting insights.
Since that meeting, I’ve been building a folder of key articles and case studies. It’s a new kind of challenge—less about interviews and more about patterns in data and research—but it’s a challenge I feel ready for.
Ah this is interesting development too – finding patterns in data and research can be really satisfying work and as I said in my earlier post is not so much about systematically telling us what work has been done but using that existing work to build foundations for something new to emerge. You aren’t just repotting but making sure the soil has been fed nutrients, is in a good place for sunlight, and will be well watered to allow the project to grow 🙂 (sorry I couldnt resist one comment which uses plant metaphors 😉 )