Now that you know how individuals conduct and write literature reviews, you can more easily interpret and evaluate the literature review sections included as part of the introductions of research reports. Recall that the purpose of including a literature review is for the author to inform readers about the background for the study. Good, rigorous research is grounded in the knowledge that exists in the literature. Figure 4.9 provides criteria for assessing the quality of the Literature Review section based on these elements. Using this list, you can evaluate the quality of the literature review discussions in any research report.