When we talk about literature reviews, we must remember that they can be a part of a comprehensive research report, as well as a standalone review report. In case you are writing a literature review as a separate document, then you will need to include an introduction, details about the topic you are covering, and a conclusion mentioning the scope of further research on the topic.

A literature review chapter, which is a part of a wider research report will comprise of a critical analysis of the sources which are used in the study, along with a brief introduction, stating the hypothesis of the study. Writing the hypothesis is important because you will be studying and grouping the references according to the relation that they hold with the theory proposed. The references will not just be listed, but will be analyzed to point out their salient features. You will need to critically study the ideas presented in the references to judge how they have been structured, whether they are valid and have any practical implications, whether the analysis done is accurate and clear, and what methods were used to justify these theories. Some ways in which the references can be organized in the review are:

• Chronological: this is a common method, wherein the references you are using are arranged on the basis of the date when they were published. In case you have selected some sources which are unpublished (like a thesis or conference report) then you will consider the date when they were drafted. This method shows the evolution of an idea over time.
• Alphabetical: if you follow this method, the sources will be organized according to the names of the authors. This style is also used when you are drafting the bibliography.
• Theoretical Relation: studying the relation that the sources have with the present research work is the motive of the literature review. So arranging them according to the relation that the bear with the hypothesis is a logical method. Here, sources which support the idea you present are presented first, followed by those which oppose it.
• Methodological: many colleges ask scholars to arrange the sources as per the method that they follow for research. So, they are grouped on the basis of qualitative, quantitative, experimental and other forms of methodologies.

Whatever method you follow for arrangement, make sure that it is uniform throughout the chapter. Citations are crucial part of presentation of a literature review. It is said that it’s better to over cite than under cite. Follow the precise citation style that is prescribed by your college and give all details required (name of author, publisher name, publication year, page numbers, etc.) in proper order. In the end of the chapter, you have to give a summary, comparing all the sources. Such comparison will be on the basis of methods of study, sample considered and key findings.