To Dress or not to Dress ...

Evidence from electron scattering experiments is reviewed that unequivocally demonstrates that nucleons behave as correlated particles that can not be described successfully within the confines of the mean field. Theoretical results for nucleon spectroscopic factors are discussed which demonstrate that all qualitative and many quantitative features of the experimental strength distributions are understood. It is argued that a key quantity characterizing nuclear saturation, represented by the central charge density of ²⁰⁸Pb, is dominated solely by the effects of short-range correlations. Based on these considerations it is proposed that nuclear saturation must be studied in nuclear matter without the inclusion of long-range correlations with emphasis on the proper inclusion of short-range correlations. A self-consistent scheme, including full off-shell propagation in the determination of the effective interaction obtained by summing ladderds diagrams, fulfills this requirement. Some consequences of propagating dressing nucleons for pairing correlations and the effective interaction are discussed. A possible implication for the saturation properties of nuclear matter is pointed out.