Lists

Usage Guidance

Only use lists if you have two or more items. You can use two types of lists: bulleted (itemized) or numbered. Use bulleted lists when the order of items in the list doesn’t matter, and numbered lists when the items in the list need to follow a specific sequence.

Here are universal instructions for lists:

1. Use no more than two levels of indentation.
2. Always introduce a list with a lead-in sentence. Use a colon at the end of the lead-in sentence.
3. Try to make your list items parallel. For example, if one list item starts with a verb, all the others should follow the same format.
4. Use sentence-style capitalization for each list item: capitalize only the first letter of the item.
5. End bullet points with a period only if the list item stands alone as a full sentence. If a list item is a fragment, don’t include a period at the end. Exception: if a list item fragment is followed by a full sentence, use a period at the end of the fragment and the end of the sentence that follows.