RULE: Use periods after independent clauses, dependent clauses, or long phrases that are displayed on separate lines in alist. Infants often display positive emotions when following parents behavioral requests, such as not touching the stove. in English Literature from Boston College, and a C.A.G.S. To draw visual attention to items in a list without implying that items go in a certain order (e.g., chronology, importance, priority), use a bulleted list. nouns, pronouns, verbs. Prepositions that contain five letters or more. Capitalize the important words in the title, Subordinating conjunctions (when fewer than 5 letters), Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for), Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs (including. TITLES Mr. Heckle and Mr. Jeckle enjoy several feline activities: Like ordered lists, unordered lists that are part of an incomplete introductory sentence are lowercased and punctuated as if each item was inside the sentence.10, People who grew up in the 1980s watched a lot of television, including, The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends prefacing unordered lists with dashes instead of bullets, although bullets are an acceptable choice for some publications.AP style also recommends punctuating complete and incomplete introductory sentences with a colon and capitalizing the first word in each list item as well as punctuating each list item with a period even if the item is an incomplete sentence.11. the proper name, do not capitalize. Capitalize the second word in a hyphenated compound if both words are equal and not suffices or prefixes (e.g., Cost-Benefit), Capitalize the first non-Greek letter after a lowercase Greek letter (e.g., -Bromohexanoic), Lowercase the first non-Greek letter after a capital Greek letter (e.g., -9-tetrahydrocannabinol), Capitalize the genus but not the species epithet. Follow @APStylebook AP uses dashes to introduce individual sections of a list, like this: - Put a space between the dash or bullet and the first word of each item in the list. That's . Don't use a bulleted list for only one item. Possessive versus descriptive Q: A months confinement or a month's confinement? Should the opening stem sentence end with a colon to introduce the bullet lists or use no colon? Also, please note that ads, brochures and legal contracts may require some deviation from these guidelines. Lowercase and spell out when not used with an individual name: The president issued a statement. It's like APA style in that you capitalize the first word after a colon if it's the start of at least one complete sentence. Title case is also commonly used for book titles, movies titles, song names, plays, and other works. Recently, we looked at how to write run-in lists, which are lists that appear inside sentences. Numbered Lists and Bullet Lists: Why and How? A: a month's confinement, per the QUASI POSSESSIVES section of the "possessives" entry. July 31, 2019. When do Icapitalize the first letter in abulleteditem? A: A few examples: Radar, Laser, NATO, OPEC. If you left caps lock on accidentally, you can quickly convert your title from uppercase to lowercase by selecting the lower button above. How about AP? I am a technical writer and editor who shares writing-related software tutorials on this website and on YouTube. But if youre following AP style, chances are youre overusing those big letters. A: AP headlines cap only first word and proper names or proper abbreviations. hn7_@os@`v6Y8m.sSWloK6]G\#4:RsJ.Sv1b0',K4;mgbj\l~}7N|7W}v0qp}_n]QQL~yNy?NQ2*yZ_p@PnCx'q%6\zr0nqfopzpyb"uGh7? Learn more about how to write better bullet lists. This is the fourth in a six-part series. Capitalize the first word in a bullet point and the introduction to the list, but not the rest. Whether a numbered list is being used when a bullet list would be more appropriate, or vice versa, Start each list item with a capital letter, unless case is an important part of the information conveyed by the listsuch as in a list of glossary terms. Subscribe to the My Blog Editor blog for the latest TIPS on improving the QUALITY of your business content. 4.24.14 AP style rules on state abbreviations updated. These are perfectly acceptable, and some style guides suggest writing lists like this. How a list is punctuated depends on the sort of information that is being presented. Colon Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or But if you are using a style guide, you may want to check it for guidance on which style to use. Q: Is it staff has or staff have? Numbers One through nine are spelled out, 10 and above are figures (Arabic numerals). Consider the examples below: I like apples. Only use it to avoid ambiguity, if part of the series contains a conjunction or if you have a complex series of phrases. Dont use a period at the end of a bullet if the bullet lists are one word or a short phrase that feels like an inventory or shopping list. Q: Great Depression is capitalized and so is American Revolution. Lists, Part 4: Numbered Lists. In this tutorial, well explore guidelines for how to write vertical lists. A list of information can be neatly organised using bullet points. Bulleted lists can be used with complete sentences, phrases, or a combination. Should each point start with a capital letter and end with a period? There are two options for the punctuation of bulleted lists when the items are words or phrases. ?X~soOr{/'gqjfZIuVCZQ!SdbnU)pHuL`>b"wlh)}4!ybjK The first step in the process of how to write an AP style press release is to familiarize yourself with the guidelines. This will automatically indent the list as well. Avoid a mix. This is a tricky one for me because, personally, I agree with you. And if so, when? The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style) recommends only using complete sentences for vertical numbered list items, not incomplete sentences as shown above.6, Unordered lists are united by commonality rather than rank or sequence. Try it with these examples and see if the period makes more sense. Good business writing seeks to make information easy to understand. Try it with a list of shorter items like this. In a simple series, AP doesn't use a comma before the last item. This is where the semicolon confusion comes in. A Bonus: We have some great shortcuts to make your life easier. It is the same across all of the four styles. Capitalize the first word of the title/heading and of any subtitle/subheading. How will ChatGPT affect the communications profession? RECOMMENDATION: Please avoid usingthe following format: If you write alot of reports and documents with lists, youll always do well if you follow the guidelines above, recognizing the need of the reader to grasp information quickly and easily. Capitalization is a style choicewith sentence fragments, you can choose to start each with either upper- or lower-case letters. For more AP style tips, watch Grammar Girls Beginning and Intermediate Guide to AP Style any time. Q: Would "crew chief" and "team owner" be capitalized before a name? Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this websites owner is strictly prohibited. Do you capitalize the first word of a bullet point? To create a bulleted list, use the bulleted list function of your word-processing program. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions (regardless of length). Once again, complete sentences introducing unordered lists are traditionally punctuated with a colon. Ive never found the AP Stylebook entry that covers this, including capitalization.. A: AP uses hyphenated e- for generic terms such as e-commerce and e-strategies. Its illogical to use semicolons and vertical lists punctuated as sentences in business writing because its visually cluttered so its harder to scan. AP style provides consistent guidelines for such publications in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and language usage. Q: Veteran's Benefits, Veterans Benefits or Veterans' Benefits? A: Eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. 205-921-5556. If checked, quotes will be output as straight quotes. This is ultimately a matter of stylistic preference. Our amended style is website (one word, lowercase w), along with other compounds: webcam, webcast, webmaster. Q: Is clarity essentially the only rule determining when a serial comma should be included? Bulleted Lists: APA uses bulleted lists to avoid the perception of importance/priority connotated in numbered lists. Anation could be oppressed by its leaders, Judy Vorfeld Repellent and Repulsive both speak to driving others away, but REPULSIVE Three horizontal centrifugal pumps with design temperature of 100 degrees F. Three electric motors, in accordance with Appendices. Because AP recommends the colon and AP is the preferred business writing style guide, I recommend using it consistently in your business writing. The Associated Press Stylebook says when writing lists "use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section, whether it is a full sentence or a phrase.". To help, weve prepared a guide to punctuating and capitalizing bullet points. Bulleted lists. Include periods after independent clauses, dependent clauses, and long phrases, and also after short phrases or words that are necessary to make the sentence grammatically complete: To register for the Annual Meeting: Go to aad.org. In bulleted and numbered lists, do not use a period or other punctuation after titles or phrases that are not complete sentences (also good for accessibility). Example: You will need to present the following information: Your driver's license. This will convert your text to uppercase. Q: If using "member of Congress" instead of congressman/congresswoman, should "member" be capitalized? For example, are newspapers italicized? Certainly, your business writings substance and information are far more critical than exacting punctuation that technically is neither correct nor incorrect since style guides vary. Q: Do you capitalize a conjunction in a headline? hb```"3VTa`0p4 )x3JH2HgQW(Iz8Nul i@fP!40XE&,0e0v`do`6c $X1)`U&y[#b s .6[ Examples: House Cleaning Tips: Remove items from shelves before dusting. Now we have bullets. Quick Links: How to Use Capitalize My Title, What to Capitalize in a Title (What Is Title Case, What Is Sentence Case), Title Capitalization Rules by Style (APA, Chicago, AP, MLA, BB, AMA, NY Times, Wikipedia). In business writing, capitalize the first letter and keep bullet list punctuation clean. Everyone loves a vertical list. Thanks for the catch! Important Note: The MLA Handbook from the Modern Language Association (MLA style) follows Chicago-style recommendations for ordered and unordered vertical lists. 5 simple story types to fill out your editorial calendar, A quick refresher on using minor punctuation marks in AP style, 8 tips on writing and editing from Jerry Seinfeld. According to APA, racial and ethnic groups are designated by proper nouns and Get your free sample back in 3 to 6 hours! Although a little old-fashioned, some people like to use semicolons or commas in lists. You can learn more in the Title Capitalization Rules by Style section. The two major capitalization styles for headlines and titles are sentence case and title case. AP uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. Bulleted lists. A: AP doesn't use italics in news stories. By far, this is the most vexing punctuation issue! AP style capitalization is mainly used by writers for the Associated Press but is also used widely throughout journalism. If your bulleted list is part of the sentence and is not preceded by a colon, treat the bullets like a part of the sentence, adhering to standard capitalization and punctuation. r%Q! Most often, the text that introduces such lists ends with a colon, as in "The value of . Follow the same capitalization rules you would follow for normal sentences. In business writing, capitalize the first letter of bullet lists. AP and Chicago Manual of Style - capitalize initial word and use periods after sentence list items. You're not "piling on." The individual list items following the complete sentence are usually lowercased if they arent complete sentences themselves. For lists of fragments, short phrases, or words, capitalization is optional: As with the other optional punctuation above, though, make sure to use a consistent capitalization style throughout your writing. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Erin Wright with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Bullet points. Q: If we're speaking about regions of the state, should it be South Louisiana, North Louisiana and Central Louisiana? See "diseases" entry for further guidance. finally, draft your conclusion. Published: November 13, 2012 Updated: August 22, 2020. Get an email every time a new blog post is published. . Bachelor of Arts is capitalized as an academic degree, as are B.A. Thanks for the tips. Does this help? AP editor Paula Froke fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online AP Stylebook. Capitalization and end punctuation depend on the type of list and the contents of the list. We wont send you spam. Here is an example of bullet lists that need a period to complete the introductory stem sentence: Here is an example of bullets lists that do not need a period because they are fragments not connected to the introductory stem sentence: These are reasons I love traveling to Ireland: Here is an example of bullet lists that do not need a period because theyre one word or a short phrase that feels like an inventory or shopping list: This issue is straightforward. 48 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<8DCDC806A06A984EB23F9AC6F5FBCE2C><8DCDC806A06A984EB23F9AC6F5FBCE2C>]/Index[28 32]/Info 27 0 R/Length 99/Prev 782230/Root 29 0 R/Size 60/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Numbered, lettered, and bulleted lists. All rights reserved. A: AP Stylebook entry on "collective nouns" says band names take plural verbs. Chicago Manual of Style does not. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions of four letters or fewer. (After reading this) .. Instead, texts like The Canadian Style (2nd ed., 1997) offer guidelines for styling bulleted lists, some of which strike some writers (this one, for instance) as needlessly complicated. How to Create Bulleted Lists in Microsoft Word, How to Create and Modify Numbered Lists in Microsoft Word, How to Create Custom Bullets in Microsoft Word, Parallel StructureThe Secret to Beautiful Bullet Points. All major words in titles (including small words, such as "Is" and "It"); for example, "Business and Economics". One exception: email (no hyphen, which reflects majority of usage). Example: There are anumber of tags used in HTML, including: RULE: Its not necessary to use periods after short phrases or single words in alist, if the introductory statement is grammatically complete (see below) or if the listed items are like those on an inventory sheet or ashopping list. Vacuum windowsills and corners with a vacuum hose. Lowercase the second word in a hyphenated compound when it is a prefix or suffix (e.g., Anti-itch,world-wide) or part of a single word. I like bananas. 22 December, 2021. This will uncapitalize your text. Clean windows with a newspaper and . Subscribe to AP Stylebook Online: AP Stylebook Online is a searchable, customizable guide for writers and editors that is updated throughout the year. Style Bullets Capitalize the first letter after a bullet. I recommend APs style guidance for end punctuation: All of these recommendations follow AP, but one clarification is needed. This guidance has been expanded from the 6th edition. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. AP has a few punctuation rules that differ from many common style guides: Do not use a comma before the last item in a simple series ("My favorite candy includes Snickers, Twix and Zagnut bars."). See APA 7, Section 6.52 for examples and more information. A: "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Some style manuals, such as the AP Stylebook and APA Publication Manual, recommend capitalizing an independent clause after a colon. Bulleted lists may be comprised of complete sentences or phrases. This post deserves a standing ovation. Our tool lets you convert the case of your text easily into sentence case. A colon should be used to introduce the list, and the first letter of each point should be capitalised. Bullets Associated Press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. The Gregg Reference Manual(Sabin). Sentence case simply means you capitalize the first letter of a sentence, proper nouns, and nothing else as opposed to capitalizing almost every first letter in title case. Were so programmed to capitalize only proper nouns and the first word of acomplete sentence that it almost seems wrong to capitalize single words and phrases. Its visually cluttered, impeding easy scan. Now check your email to confirm your subscription for My Blog Editor blog alerts. - Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section. If nothing else, your writing will be consistent. Below you'll find information on numbers, time and dates, locations, phone numbers, punctuation, capitalization and titles, and the Internet. If numbers arent essential, use bullets, especially in business documents. The MLA's guidelines for styling vertical lists are derived from The Chicago Manual of Style (6.127-132). %PDF-1.4 % All style guides agree to capitalize the first letter of the bullet list unless you opt for the "vertical lists punctuated as a sentence" format using semicolons, illustrated above. Content style guide Capitalization As part of our plain language style, we use sentence capitalization as the standard on VA.gov, with a few exceptions. is lowercase. in compound modifiers (e.g., Mid-year, Anti-hero, etc.). The capitalization rules are as follows: NY Times style capitalization is mainly used by writers for the NY Times but is also used widely throughout journalism. The following rules apply to APA headline capitalization and title capitalization: Making sure you have the right capitalization for MLA headings is crucial for scholarly articles. And if youd like any more help with the punctuation and capitalization of lists in a document, dont forget we have proofreaders available 24/7! If the bulleted text is a whole sentence, uppercase the initial letter of the first word and use a period to conclude the paragraph (see "Lists, Part 5: Bulleted Lists" in the APA Style Blog . Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, APA style, Chicago style, formatting, grammar, MLA style, punctuation. Grammar (essential vs. nonessential clauses; pronouns; subject-verb agreement ), Q: I'm confused on the use of "that" and "who" when talking about groups. Use either all full sentences in your bullet lists or all fragments. For company names, use their preference: eBay. Symbols such as small circles, squares, dashes, and so forth may be used for the bullets. So many choices to make! While the above words are generally capitalized in titles regardless of style, there are some words that are generally not capitalized when using title case. Do it anyway. Learn how your comment data is processed. Bulleted lists allow a writer to create a list that stands out from the text without the implied chronology or order of importance that a numbered list might convey. Do you need a colon to introduce a list? persistent psychological distress (Glozier et al., 2010; Lund et al., 2010). This is usually done when each list entry finishes an introductory phrase, as shown below: Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox. This creates anew layer of confusion on how to use capitalization and punctuation in such lists. The CMS is commonly used in the publishing sphere, and AP style is more press-oriented . The same applies when someone may refer to specific items by number. Then craft an attention-grabbing headline, write the body of your press release, add the boilerplate section, and distribute your press . finish the project by Friday, January 23; place everything youve turned in to date, plus this assignment, on afloppy disk;and. Inconsistent punctuation; Sometimes the grammar isn't parallel between items. Capitalize the first word in each bullet. The Associated Press Stylebook says when writing lists use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section, whether it is a full sentence or a phrase.. The most accepted style guide in business writing and web publishing is the AP Stylebook. The capitalization chapter has new guidance on how to write about census divisions and geological formations. This post links directly to APA Style topics of interest that users may not even know exist on the website. Example 1: It also connects closely related thoughts. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style . In our latest quarterly roundup of AP Style reminders, we cover back-to-school terms, travel terminology, and more. Memorize the AP abbreviations. Find it. The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends prefacing unordered lists with dashes instead of bullets, although bullets are an acceptable choice for some publications.AP style also recommends punctuating complete and incomplete introductory sentences with a colon and capitalizing the first word in each list item as well as punctuating Were often asked whether you need a period at the end of each entry in a list. Following are some questions and answers to use as guidelines: When is it better to use bullets than numbers? hbbd```b``"A$dH\8'$XM7"$c[D& j@H2w 2+: Careful punctuation also reflects thought and care. People who grew up in the 1980s watched a lot of television, including: If you arent a strict follower of AP style, consider using the general guidelines explained in the sections above instead of those outlined in this alert box. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Bulleted lists are covered in Section 6.52 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition. 59 0 obj <>stream Your subscription includes the . But if you're following AP style, chances are you're overusing those big letters. Titles. Stay with us.". In this review, we'll further consider how the semicolon operates in forming lists that involve items in a series. The rules are fairly standard for title case: Making sure you have the right capitalization for APA headings is crucial for scholarly articles. . Cite it. A: 2-5 p.m. is preferred. No periods on the end of a list of bullets unless its more than one sentence. Understanding what to capitalize in a title is important to make sure that your titles and headlines look correct. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. There was an error submitting your subscription. If youre confused about what words to capitalize in a title or headline, we recommend using our title capitalization tool above, but if you want specific capitalization rules, they are as follows. The buttons at the bottom let you choose specific case conversion options for the various styles. Q: In a news story, can you start a sentence with an acronym? Please list your allergies and give date of last flare-up. Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. Why wouldnt you want to add a list to your work? The Associated Press Stylebook provides an A-Z guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Bulleted lists are covered in Section 6.52 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition This guidance has been expanded from the 6th edition. Semicolon Use in Lists A properly inserted semicolon helps to provide pause and clarifying separation in sentences. Complete sentences introducing ordered lists are traditionally punctuated with a colon. Example: The software in this price range offers many excellent features: RULE: When one item contains acomplete sentence, punctuate all bulleted items as though they were complete sentences: capitalize the beginning words and use aperiod at the end of each item. Next, read the lead-in word or phrase again followed by the second item on the list. Another easy decision. A: As a descriptive term, doctorate in psychology is lowercase. A: In a simple series, AP doesn't use a comma before the last item. Example: Hampton, Va. See the stylebook for specific abbreviations. The capitalization rules are as follows: Wikipedia editors must follow certain capitalization rules for any posts to Wikipedia. Did you know that before the introduction of word processing (via word processors and computers), most publications displayed lists in either outline form or numbered lists. Use sentence case capitalization Use sentence case capitalization for most content, including page titles, headings, subheadings, buttons, and text links, unless a word is a proper noun. These aren't always the same abbreviations the mail carrier uses. There are five important things to watch for in numbered and bulleted lists: inconsistent capitalization. Use all sentences or all. I like oranges.