Paul Mundy Lists How to deal with them

Rules for lists Keep the list short Not too many bullet points Boldface key words Make the items parallel  Complete sentences  Start with a verb  Noun phrase All about the same length

A bad list Farmer field schools have proved effective for promoting soil conservation. Managing land appropriately; Avoid overgrazing on slopes

Punctuation in lists This is a list without punctuation: First item Second item Third item. This list is punctuated as if it were a sentence: first item; second item; third item; and the fourth item.

More rules for lists If the items in a list are complete sentences  Put full stops at the end  Use capitals at the beginning Don’t use full stops for short items End the last item of the list with a full stop

Bullets Don’t overdo bullets  Don’t have too many levels of bullet This is too many  So is this  And this is ridiculous Numbers or bullets?  Numbers for sequences  Bullets for alternatives  Bullets if there’s no particular order

Using run-in headings Run-in headings. These are minor-level headings consist of a few key words. The key words are usually in boldface, followed by a full stop or em space. Explanation. A short explanation (a phrase, 1-2 sentences, or several paragraphs) follows. Using bullets. If the items are short, consider using bullets with the keywords. Like this. This is an example. And this. Here is another example.