Q: How should my literature review be structured?

Your question has two parts. While the first part is clear, I don't really understand what you mean by "I want to know how to voicemail about it." If you can provide some background about what information you need to voicemail and to whom, I can try to help you. For now, I will address only the first part of your query.

A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area published within a certain time period. It collates information of the current state of knowledge and any seminal work on a topic as found in academic books and journal articles. There are two kinds of literature reviews that a student might have to write: (i) a stand-alone assignment in a course, often as part of their training in the research processes in their field, and (ii) introduction to, or preparation for, a longer work, usually a thesis or research report. The literature review that you are writing, I assume, is for a dissertation of a project work conducted as a part of your course completion.

The literature review should contain the following elements:

Introduction: The introduction explains the focus, aims, and objectives of the literature review. It starts by exploring what has been previously done in that particular subject area and discusses both positive and negative aspects of a topic under consideration. It basically sets a context to the study by explaining the background of the subject area under consideration. It concludes with an aim or purpose of the dissertation/proposed work. So, for your topic, you can consider explaining a bit of history about what has been done in the construction industry to increase productivity, what has been traditionally the role of HR in ensuring the work satisfaction of the employees in this industry, which can often be stressful, how HR has been able to help in making sure that employees at various levels in the construction industry have been able to reach their expected productivity, etc.

Body: The body summarizes and evaluates the current state of knowledge in the field and depending on the various parameters discussed, it can often be divided into many sub-headings. It discusses major themes or topics, current trends, and any findings about which researchers agree or disagree. If the review is aimed to be a part of your dissertation, then it will concentrate on the research project, and its purpose is to make an argument that will justify your project. Here, you can write about the present state of affairs, current trends, and changing roles and perspectives of the HR. How have the responsibilities of the HR changed or evolved in the past 3-5 years that might have contributed constructively towards increasing productivity, what initiatives have HR in leading construction companies taken to implement various projects to keep the employees happy, thereby reducing attrition and increasing productivity, etc.

Conclusion: The conclusion captures all the significant findings and shows its significance. If the review is an introduction to your own research, it highlights gaps and indicates how previous research leads to your own research project and chosen methodology. If the review is a stand-alone assignment for a course, it should suggest any practical applications of the research as well as the implications and possibilities for future research. In this case, you can highlight what has been done in previous studies and how your project work would help in bridging the gap that would likely enhance the knowledge in this area of research.

Depending up on what is expected from the dissertation, you might have to organize your literature review based on chronology, by publication, by a specific theme, by a particular trend, or by some methodological evaluations.

All the above-mentioned points are for reference only. You should discuss with your research supervisor to make sure that the expectations align with the supervisor’s thoughts so that you may be able to write according what has been discussed towards meeting your academic goals.

Related reading:

• A young researcher's guide to writing a literature review
• 5 Tips to write a great literature review
• How to write a literature review
• How to write methods for chronological and thematic models in a literature review?