punctuation - Use of capitals and full stops in bullet points





Capitalization for a bullet list



Let's say I have a bullet point list e.g:



  • Point 1.

  • Point 2.

  • Point 3.


Notice I have put a capital letter for the starting letter of every bullet point and a full stop at the end. Is this the correct way to do it?


If not, what is the correct way to do it?


Do I put a capital letter and no full stop, or, the other way around, a full stop and no capital letter? Alternatively, do I not put a capital letter or a full stop? Is it only necessary to put a capital letter on the first bullet point and full stop on the last bullet point?


For reference, I'm from the UK so British-English grammar would apply.



Answer



I found a site quoting the Chicago Manual of Style. I don't have the style manual handy, but this advice mirrors what I know from my personal experience.



"A vertical list is best introduced by a complete grammatical sentence, followed by a colon. Items carry no closing punctuation unless they consist of complete sentences. If the items are numbered, a period follows the numeral and each item begins with a capital letter. To avoid long, skinny lists, short items may be arranged in two or more columns. If items run over a line, the second and subsequent lines are usually indented." CMOS (6.127-28)



So if you're just listing points you would do:



  • point 1

  • point 2

  • point 3


(it is only necessary to capitalize points if they are "longer phrases" or follow a numbered list.)


If you were describing them, it might be:



  • This is something about point 1.

  • This is something about point 2.

  • This is something about point 3.


Edit: Adding this to answer Ryan's question in the comment.


Here is an example of combining both the enumeration of the items and the description, using one of the examples from the site I linked:


A computer lab needs various equipment:



  • Computers - Obviously a key component of a computer lab.

  • Desks - You need somewhere to put the computers.

  • Chairs - People need someplace to sit.

  • etc.


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