Chapter 5 – Evaluating Introductions and Literature Reviews

Every research article starts with an introduction and literature review. This chapter presents evaluation questions to pay attention to when reading (or writing) the front end of a research report. All criteria for assessing the quality of an introduction/literature review are separated into four main areas: (1) General Structure, where effective and not so effective ways of organizing the intro and literature review are described and illustrated; (2) Language Matters, focusing on the specific ways that sources should be cited and described; (3) Quality of Sources, paying attention to including up-to-date research evidence and sources with opposing findings, and (4) Quality of Analysis, which demonstrates the ability of researchers to clearly describe the state of knowledge emerging from the current research literature and identify the gaps in this knowledge, or areas for further study. Each of the evaluation questions in the chapter includes explanations and examples with excerpts from recent research articles for illustration. Exercises at the end of the chapter help practice the knowledge and skills gained through the chapter material.