3 strong examples of literature review outline example formats (with real templates)

When people ask for examples of 3 examples of literature review outline example formats, the thematic outline is usually what they’re imagining. Instead of summarizing sources one by one, you organize your review around themes, patterns, or issues that appear across the research.

Think of it like sorting your laundry: all the socks together, all the shirts together. With a thematic outline, you’re grouping studies by idea, not by author.

Here’s a realistic example of a thematic literature review outline for a topic like: The impact of social media on adolescent mental health.

Sample thematic outline

Working title
Social Media and Adolescent Mental Health: A Thematic Review of Current Research

Introduction
You might:

• Introduce rising social media use among adolescents (with a quick stat from a source like the Pew Research Center).
• Explain why mental health outcomes matter (e.g., depression, anxiety, sleep).
• State your purpose: to synthesize themes across current research on social media and adolescent mental health.

Theme 1: Patterns of social media use among adolescents
In this section, you group studies that:

• Describe how often teens use social media and which platforms.
• Explore demographic differences (age, gender, socioeconomic status).
• Identify patterns like multitasking, nighttime use, or passive scrolling.

Theme 2: Negative mental health outcomes linked to social media
Here, you cluster research on:

• Depression and anxiety symptoms.
• Cyberbullying and harassment.
• Sleep disruption and body image concerns.
  You compare how different studies measure these outcomes and where they agree or disagree.

Theme 3: Potential benefits and protective factors
This is where you avoid a one-sided review:

• Studies showing social support, community building, or identity exploration.
• Research on positive peer interactions and access to mental health information.
• Factors that buffer risks (parental monitoring, digital literacy, school policies).

Theme 4: Gaps, contradictions, and future directions
You pull the threads together:

• Conflicting findings (e.g., time spent vs. type of use).
• Populations under-studied (rural youth, LGBTQ+ teens, non-U.S. contexts).
• Methodological gaps (over-reliance on self-report, cross-sectional designs).

Conclusion
You summarize the main themes, explain what the field currently suggests, and point to where more research is needed.

This is one of the best examples of a practical outline because you can adapt the same structure to almost any topic:

• Remote work and employee productivity (themes: work–life balance, technology use, communication patterns, burnout).
• Childhood obesity (themes: diet, physical activity, environment, policy).
• Online learning outcomes (themes: engagement, technology access, instructor presence, assessment).

If you look at writing guides from universities like Harvard’s Writing Center, you’ll see that thematic organization is consistently recommended because it shows synthesis, not just summary.

Example 2: Chronological literature review outline example (great for showing development over time)

The second of our examples of 3 examples of literature review outline example formats is the chronological outline. Here, you organize studies by time period to show how thinking, methods, or theories have changed.

This works well if:

• Your topic has a clear historical arc (e.g., climate change, diagnostic criteria, education policy).
• You want to highlight shifts in theory or technology over decades.
• Your instructor asks you to trace the “evolution” of a concept.

Let’s build a real example of a chronological outline for a topic like: Research on remote work and employee productivity from 2000 to 2025.

Sample chronological outline

Working title
From Telecommuting to Hybrid Work: A Chronological Review of Remote Work and Productivity (2000–2025)

Introduction
You might:

• Briefly define remote work and why it matters for productivity research.
• Note major turning points (widespread internet, video conferencing, COVID-19, hybrid models).
• Explain that you’ll organize the review by time period to show how evidence has shifted.

Period 1: Early telecommuting research (2000–2009)
You group older studies that:

• Focus on limited telecommuting (one or two days a week).
• Emphasize technology constraints (slow internet, limited tools).
• Often study managers’ perceptions rather than direct performance data.

Period 2: Expansion of flexible work arrangements (2010–2019)
Here you highlight:

• The growth of cloud tools and collaboration platforms.
• Studies that begin to measure productivity using more specific indicators.
• Differences across industries (tech vs. manufacturing vs. services).
• Early evidence of benefits (reduced commute stress, better focus) and challenges (isolation, blurred boundaries).

Period 3: COVID-19 and forced remote work (2020–2021)
This section focuses on:

• Large-scale, rapid shifts to remote work across sectors.
• Surveys and reports from organizations and agencies (for example, reports referenced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
• Mixed findings on productivity under crisis conditions (school closures, health anxiety, lack of childcare).

Period 4: Hybrid work and long-term outcomes (2022–2025)
You discuss:

• Studies on hybrid models (part office, part remote).
• Longitudinal findings on performance, retention, and burnout.
• Emerging debates about equity, access, and digital fatigue.

Synthesis across time periods
Instead of stopping at the timeline, you:

• Compare early optimism/pessimism with newer evidence.
• Point out how methods improved (better measurement, larger samples, cross-country comparisons).
• Identify persistent questions (e.g., impact on innovation, mentorship, early-career employees).

Conclusion
You wrap up by showing how the field moved from narrow telecommuting studies to complex hybrid work research.

You can easily adapt this chronological outline example to other topics:

• Public health messaging about vaccines (pre-social media, early social media, COVID-19 era, post-2021).
• Diagnostic criteria for ADHD or autism across DSM editions (see context from NIMH).
• Literacy instruction methods from phonics-only to balanced literacy to science-of-reading approaches.

Among the best examples of when to use this outline: capstone papers that specifically ask you to “trace the development” of a theory, policy, or treatment over time.

Example 3: Methodological literature review outline example (organized by research methods)

The third of our examples of 3 examples of literature review outline example formats is the methodological outline. Here, you organize studies by how the research was done: qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, experimental, longitudinal, etc.

This format shines when:

• Your assignment asks you to evaluate research quality.
• You’re preparing for a thesis or dissertation and need to justify your own method.
• Your field uses very different methods to study the same problem (for example, in education, psychology, or public health).

Let’s sketch a real example of a methodological outline for a topic like: Interventions to reduce college student anxiety.

Sample methodological outline

Working title
Methods for Calming Minds: A Methodological Review of Interventions to Reduce College Student Anxiety

Introduction
You might:

• Note rising anxiety rates among college students (you could reference background from the American Psychological Association).
• Explain that many interventions exist (counseling, apps, group programs, curriculum changes).
• State that you’ll organize the review by research method to compare strengths and limitations.

Section 1: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
Here you group the most experiment-like studies:

• RCTs of mindfulness programs, CBT-based workshops, or stress management courses.
• How they assign students to intervention vs. control groups.
• Outcome measures (standardized anxiety scales, GPA, retention).
• Strengths: strong internal validity, clearer cause–effect.
• Limitations: often short-term, sometimes small or non-diverse samples.

Section 2: Longitudinal and observational studies
You shift to studies that:

• Track students over multiple semesters or years.
• Observe anxiety levels before and after policy changes (e.g., pass/fail grading options).
• Use repeated surveys or institutional data.
  You compare their ability to show long-term patterns but note they may struggle to prove that one specific intervention caused the change.

Section 3: Qualitative and mixed-methods studies
This section covers:

• Interviews and focus groups exploring students’ lived experiences with campus resources.
• Mixed-methods research that combines surveys with open-ended questions.
• Insights into why certain interventions feel accessible or intimidating.
  You highlight how these methods reveal context that numbers alone can’t capture.

Section 4: Digital and app-based intervention studies
Because technology has grown rapidly, you might create a sub-section focused on:

• Smartphone apps for mindfulness, mood tracking, or CBT exercises.
• Online support groups and teletherapy.
• Studies comparing app-based vs. in-person interventions.

Methodological synthesis
You step back and compare methods:

• Which methods show the strongest evidence for effectiveness?
• Where do methods conflict (e.g., RCTs show small effects, but qualitative data shows high student satisfaction)?
• What methodological gaps remain (few studies on diverse campuses, limited long-term follow-up, underuse of mixed methods)?

Conclusion
You end by summarizing which methods seem most promising and where future research could improve.

This methodological literature review outline example translates well to:

• Evaluating treatments for chronic pain (pharmacological, behavioral, physical therapy).
• Comparing reading interventions in elementary schools.
• Assessing public health campaigns on smoking cessation or nutrition (see program examples through CDC).

How to choose between these 3 literature review outline examples

Now that you’ve seen examples of 3 examples of literature review outline example formats—thematic, chronological, and methodological—how do you pick one for your own project?

Think about three questions:

1. What is your assignment asking for?
If the prompt mentions “themes,” “issues,” or “patterns,” a thematic outline is your best match. If it says “historical development” or “over time,” lean toward chronological. If it emphasizes “methods,” “approaches,” or “research design,” the methodological outline is likely the best fit.

2. What story does your research naturally tell?
Some topics naturally fall into themes (for example, risk factors, outcomes, interventions). Others clearly move through eras (pre-internet, early internet, social media). Still others are best understood by comparing methods (lab experiments vs. field studies vs. surveys).

3. Can you realistically handle the structure with your deadline?
A thematic outline is often the easiest example of structure for shorter papers (5–10 pages). Chronological and methodological outlines can work better for longer projects where you have space to explain transitions across time or methods.

You’re not locked into one format forever. Many strong reviews blend these approaches: for instance, a mainly thematic review that briefly notes historical shifts within each theme, or a methodological review that still groups similar methods into themes.

More real examples of how these outlines look in different subjects

To give you more than just theory, here are a few real examples of how students often adapt these outlines across disciplines.

Public health (thematic)
Topic: Barriers to vaccination uptake in rural communities.
Themes might include: access and transportation, health literacy, trust and misinformation, policy and insurance coverage.

Business/marketing (chronological)
Topic: Consumer trust in online shopping from 1995 to 2025.
Periods might include: early e-commerce (trust and payment security), Web 2.0 and reviews, mobile shopping, AI-driven personalization and privacy concerns.

Education (methodological)
Topic: Effectiveness of project-based learning in middle school science.
Sections might compare experimental designs, quasi-experimental classroom studies, qualitative case studies, and mixed-methods classroom research.

Psychology (thematic + methodological blend)
Topic: Mindfulness-based interventions for depression.
You might organize themes (clinical vs. non-clinical populations, delivery formats, age groups) and, within each, compare RCTs, qualitative follow-ups, and meta-analyses.

Environmental studies (chronological)
Topic: Research on urban heat islands.
You could move from early observational work, to satellite-based studies, to recent modeling and policy-focused research.

Nursing (methodological)
Topic: Family-centered care in pediatric units.
You might compare observational studies, caregiver interviews, intervention trials, and chart-review studies.

These are the kinds of best examples your instructor usually has in mind when they say, “Look at examples of a literature review outline"—not just a generic bullet list, but a structure that clearly matches your research question.

Quick checklist to turn these examples into your own outline

Use these examples of 3 examples of literature review outline example formats as templates, then:

• Write your working title and research question at the top of the page.
• Decide which structure (thematic, chronological, methodological) best fits that question.
• Draft 3–5 major headings (themes, time periods, or methods).
• Under each heading, jot down which studies fit there and what they contribute.
• Check that each section compares and connects studies—not just lists them.
• Make sure your conclusion circles back to your research question and points to gaps or next steps.

If you want more guidance, many university writing centers offer sample outlines and full-length literature review examples. For instance, the University of North Carolina Writing Center and Purdue OWL both walk through organization strategies that match the three example types in this guide.

FAQ: examples of literature review outline questions students actually ask

Q1. Can I mix these three outline types in one literature review?
Yes. Many strong papers blend them. For example, you might use a thematic structure overall, but within each theme briefly note how research has changed over time (a mini chronological approach) or compare different methods used to study that theme.

Q2. What is an easy example of a literature review outline for a short paper?
For a short assignment, a simple thematic outline is usually the easiest. Pick three or four clear themes (for instance, causes, effects, and interventions), list the most relevant studies under each, and write a brief introduction and conclusion that tie them together.

Q3. Where can I find more real examples of full literature reviews, not just outlines?
Look at open-access theses and dissertations from university libraries, or sample papers posted by writing centers. Many graduate programs share past student work (with permission), which gives you real examples of how an outline turns into a finished chapter.

Q4. How many themes or sections should I have in my outline?
There’s no magic number, but for most undergraduate papers, three to five main sections work well. Longer projects like theses or dissertations may have more, but every section should earn its place by helping answer your research question.

Q5. Do instructors actually care which of the 3 outline examples I use?
They care more that your structure makes sense for your topic and that you’re synthesizing research, not just summarizing study after study. Any of the examples of 3 examples of literature review outline example formats can work, as long as you use it thoughtfully and clearly explain how your sections relate to your question.