The "traditional" dissertation consists of five discrete, but interconnected chapters.
The chapters include:
Chapters 1 through 3 constitute the dissertation proposal; essentially, a proposal is a concise plan or blueprint for conducting the remainder of one’s research. The addition of chapters 4 and 5 represents the dissertation final manuscript.
Jump to the chapters you need from "Preparing Literature Reviews : Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches" by M. Ling Pan. It will guide you through the literature review writing process with clear, easy-to-follow advice.