Bullet points and lists

Ensure that you construct parallel lists

A parallel list means that each item in the list has the same structure. For example, each item might: 

• start with the same part of speech (noun, verb)
• use the same verb tense (present, past, future)
• use the same voice (active or passive)
• use the same sentence type (statement, question)

For example, in the bulleted list above, each item starts with a verb in the present tense and includes an example in round brackets.

Be aware! There are differences in constructing lists in offline and online texts: in online texts, little to no punctuation is common, whereas in offline texts these are frequently used. Take a look below.

offline texts: Four basic types of lists

1. Lists of short items (without main verbs) should be introduced by a full sentence and have the following features:

• introductory colon
• no initial capitals
• no punctuation (very short items) or comma after each item
• a full stop at the end.

2. Lists in which each item completes the introductory sentence should:

• begin with the introductory colon;
• label each item with the appropriate bullet, number or letter;
• end each item with a semicolon;
• close with a full stop.

 3. Lists in which all items are complete statements without a grammatical link to the introductory sentence should proceed as follows:

1. introduce the list with a colon;
2. label each item with the appropriate bullet, number or letter;
3. start each item with a lower-case letter;
4. end each one with a semicolon;
5. put a full stop at the end.

4. Lists in which any one item consists of several complete sentences should be announced with a complete sentence and continue as indicated below:

1. Introduce the list with a colon.
2. Label each item with the appropriate bullet, number or letter.
3. Begin each item with a capital letter.
4. End each statement with a full stop.

This allows several sentences to bonline textse included under a single item without throwing punctuation into confusion.

online texts: two basic types of lists

1. Lists of short items (without main verbs) should be introduced by a full sentence and have the following features:

• an introductory colon
• initial capitals
• no punctuation

2. Lists of full sentences should feature:

• an introductory colon
• initial capitals
• a full stop at the end of each sentence

References

• E-Write. Writing for Online Readers.'How and Why to Make your Lists Parallel (And what does parallel mean?)'. Retrieved from http://www.ewriteonline.com/how-and-why-to-make-your-lists-parallel-and-what-does-parallel-mean/ 
• NN Group, '7 Tips for Presenting Bulleted Lists in Digital Content.' Retrieved from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/presenting-bulleted-lists/