Editorial Style Guide
Styleguide Contents
Lists
In general: Use a line space, or partial line space, before and after all stacked lists. In the following examples, a six-point line space precedes and follows the lists.
Lists within Sentences
Within a sentence, separate items in a list with commas (see the Punctuation section concerning commas in lists) or with semicolons if the items in the list include commas.
- The students came from Midland, Michigan; Los Angeles, California; Binghamton, New York; and Miami, Florida.
Vertical Lists
Introduce items in a vertical list with numbers only when the order matters. Otherwise, use bullets or another typographical symbol.
- Make sure all persons have left your classroom.
- Close the classroom door behind you.
- Leave the building via the nearest stairwell.
If any of the items in a vertical list are complete sentences, punctuate all items in the list with periods. If no items are sentences, follow each with a comma and end the list with a period if the list completes a sentence, or omit punctuation at the end of each item, including the last one. (Be consistent within a document in how you treat similar types of lists.)
- a midterm test
- a final exam
- a team project
- a research paper
- a weekly log for recording your lab work
If the sentence introducing the list is a complete sentence, it can end in a period or a colon, whichever seems appropriate (following and as follows require a colon). If the introductory material is not a complete sentence, use the punctuation mark that’s appropriate for the context, whether that's a comma, semicolon, dash, or nothing at all.
- check with their physician;
- pick an activity they enjoy;
- start slowly; and
- set realistic goals.