If neither of the above two rules apply, you more than likely won’t need to add punctuation to your bullet point list. Punctuation isn’t required if your bullet points aren’t complete sentences or paired with an introductory stem. For example, if you’re making a grocery shopping list, you could write:
Bullet points can be used to structure any list and are usually used to break up long blocks of text, highlight key points, or summarize text. How to Punctuate Bullet Points. The first thing to do is check whether your style guide has anything to say about punctuating bullet points. If it does, then follow its instructions.
An entire list may be laid out and punctuated as one complete sentence. Don’t use a colon to introduce such a list. End each list item with a comma, and use a period at the end of the list. Since such a list is meant to be read as a sentence, don’t capitalize any of the individual elements.
Punctuating Bullet Points: Do You Need Periods? We’re often asked whether you need a period at the end of each entry in a list. And, as a guideline, we’d suggest punctuating bullet points as follows: When listing full sentences, use a period for each entry (like here). For lists with longer sentence fragments, periods are optional.
The only thing you need to consider is whether you’ll use the Oxford comma or not. This is the comma before the “and.” ... The punctuation of a bulleted list will depend on the style guide you use. Each style guide will have its own kind of rules when it comes to punctuating sentences. For instance, CMOS says that bulleted lists have no ...
How to Punctuate Bulleted and Numbered Lists. 26 February, 2020. Bulleted and numbered lists help you present your work clearly. You can use them to: help readers understand key information at a glance; show that several items belong to a single category; break up complex points. The advantage of lists is that they jump out at readers.
Note: Punctuation of bullets is determined by list, not by page. It’s OK to have a list of bullets that are fragments (that don’t use periods) on the same page as a list of bullets with multiple full sentences (that use periods). Just use the correct house style of punctuation for each type of list. Example of bulleted list with fragments
Put a space between the dash or bullet and the first word of each item in the list. Capitalize the first word following the dash or bullet. Use periods at the end of each sentence in a bulleted list. Use no punctuation at the end of a single word or single phrase in each section of a list. Do not use semicolons.
Punctuating Bullet Lists is Widely Misunderstood. Everyone uses bullet lists (vertical lists in which the order of listed items doesn’t matter and items are preceded by the same mark, usually a “•”). They’ve become increasingly popular as data and content explode. Business writers rely heavily on lists to grab readers’ attention and ...
Preferred style is without terminal punctuation, unless the list item is a complete sentence. Numbered lists may appear with or without the period after the number. One has flexibility in choosing styles for punctuating lists, as long as consistency is maintained within a document. Example A:
Do you use punctuation in a bulleted list? If the text of your bullet point is a complete sentence (or multiple sentences), use capital letters and punctuation. If your points are not structured as proper sentences, you don’t need to end with punctuation. How do you format a bulleted list? Select the text you want to format as a list.
Bulleted Lists: Use bullet points when a list does not need to be in sequential order, e.g., Informed consent includes the following: • explanation • purpose • risks and benefits • alternative options • right to decline Lowercase the first word of each point. At the end of each bullet point either use no punctuation or, for a more
2. Start with a colon and end with a full stop if the list is a sentence. If you’re using a lead-in sentence, so that the bullet points or numbered list could be read as a sentence if you want, always start the list with a colon, and end with a full stop. You don’t need any other punctuation or “line endings” like “and” (see below ...
Discover the four most common ways to punctuate a list of bullet points. Lists make life easy. Lists make things clear. But punctuating lists isn’t as easy or clear. Discover the four most common ways to punctuate a list of bullet points. Top. ... But you don’t necessarily need to add them in if it’s not your style either. So... You do you.
Adding extra information to bullet points in lists. When you want to add extra information to a bullet point that connects to a stem statement, you need to think about your punctuation. While it is acceptable to have an additional sentence with no full stop, it looks odd. If you are going on holiday you need to: Consider the weather.
A while back, the folks at Write in New Zealand talked about punctuating bullet lists. The post caught my attention because their practice is refreshingly straightforward.If the stem sentence and the list items are all complete sentences, we punctuate with an initial capital and a full stop.If the stem sentence is an introductory phrase or…
While some rules for punctuating bulleted lists differ, most are the same as those used for in-text lists. The difference are the use of the bullets and the use of white space, which provide visual separation and which reduce the need for punctuation.The bulleted lists presented on this page are examples of list ("seriation") guidelines from a variety of business and academic style manuals, as ...
Lists within written documents can transcend simple enumerations. Complex lists are characterized by lengthy or in-depth items that may require additional punctuation for clarity. Such examples include items described with phrases or entire clauses. Providing a clear distinction between entries calls for strategic comma placement.
