I don't know of any articles but when I upgraded wheels on both my road and mtb, I couldn't believe the performance difference--faster spin-up from a dead start, quicker acceleration while already moving, easier climbing and better tracking in turns. I could also feel the wheels' stiffness transfer more power into forward movement vs feeling flexy.

If you have the funds, wheels are most biggest performance upgrade--they are probably the most expensive upgrade as well. Removing weight from a bike is relative--static weight like saddles, bars, etc. only do so much to help. Rotating mass, however, has much more impact. My engineer friend told me that rotating mass is 3x more than static mass. That is, remove a 1/2 pound off a wheel's static weight (also influenced by tire weight/tread) translates to 1.5 pounds removed from rotating mass, if that makes sense. (BTW, I'm not looking to get into an argument with other engineer-types here--that's just what he told me).

You can start by finding out what your wheelset weighs and how it compares to others you want to upgrade to. Generally, YGWYPF--the higher the price, the lighter, stiffer, the wheels. You should be aware that carbon wheels are typically stiffer than alloys due to the material. Spoke patterns also influence ride quality. I hope this helps some.