ap style bulleted lists capitalization

8 Tips to Make Your Writing Sound More Formal, Capitalization in APA, Chicago, MLA, and AP. Youre singing my tune! While its not wrong and some style guides recommend this, its not the best business writing choice. finish the project by Friday, January 23; place everything youve turned in to date, plus this assignment, on afloppy disk;and. Possessive versus descriptive Q: A months confinement or a month's confinement? Any symbol may be used for the bullets, although small circles or squares are typical software defaults. nouns, pronouns, verbs. Don't use the Oxford comma in a simple series before the conjunction. EPA follows the AP rule after the dash or bullet: capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. All rights reserved. Capitalize the first word in each bullet. You can also use this tool to do it automatically. Finally, should you capitalize the first letter of each entry in a vertical list? 7. A: Eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. endstream endobj 32 0 obj <>stream Bulleted lists can be used with complete sentences, phrases, or a combination. Initial capitalization is preferred for list items that are complete sentences ( Example B) or stand-alone phrases (Examples C and D ). Online and technology (the web; the internet; URL; computers; e-commerce ). Colon Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or Q: Would "crew chief" and "team owner" be capitalized before a name? document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a4470ef17940e51381fb55e5e7bde6b6" );document.getElementById("j6a5d70196").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Sign up to receive the latest articles from Ragan.com directly in your inbox. Mary founded Instructional Solutions in 1998, and is an internationally recognized business writing trainer and executive writing coach with two decades of experience helping thousands of individuals and businesses master the strategic skill of business writing. But if you're following AP style, chances are you're overusing those big letters. Only use it to avoid ambiguity, if part of the series contains a conjunction or if you have a complex series of phrases. 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. Q: Which states are never abbreviated in datelines? The capitalization rules are as follows: Learn how to spot the 5 most common mistakes and fix them before you publish. If the elements are complex, uses commas for all. The capitalization chapter has new guidance on how to write about census divisions and geological formations. The art instructor assigned three projects for the spring semester: 2. The phrase "she has decided" warns the reader that the next . If necessary, rewrite the list item so that all items begin with capital letters or all items begin with lowercase words. Bulleted Lists: APA uses bulleted lists to avoid the perception of importance/priority connotated in numbered lists. You can learn more in the Title Capitalization Rules by Style section. 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.. Here is a sampling of frequently asked questions, with examples of AP style used in answers. She holds a B.A. 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. 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. A: AP lowercases wine varietals such as cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, and caps regional names such as Bordeaux, Sauternes and Chablis. A: AP lowercases civil rights movement. Enter the email you used in your Ragan store purchase. Example: You will not be accepted if you have been diagnosedwith: RECOMMENDATION: If youre creating along document full of bulleted items, you may choose to be consistent and end each item with aperiod. (CMS) and the Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) are what writers typically use. Microsoft and Gregg would capitalize flat and sharp if they appeared in a title (unlike Rule 2). Q: Is there a standard AP style for bulleted areas of text? Inconsistent punctuation; Sometimes the grammar isn't parallel between items. Important Note: The MLA Handbook from the Modern Language Association (MLA style) follows Chicago-style recommendations for ordered and unordered vertical lists. A: AP stories use PHP, Ajax, XML, FTP search engine optimization click-through rate pay-per-click. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style . If numbers arent essential, use bullets, especially in business documents. Very helpful stuff! Geography, addresses (state names, regions: Mideast; Northwest; northeast Minnesota; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.; Fifth Avenue ). As an Amazon Associate, CapitalizeMyTitle.com earns from qualifying purchases. The Fantastic Shakers have won many awards. How to punctuate bullet lists can be tricky because various style guides contradict each other. Capitalization looks fancy and makes things seem important. A: member is lowercase, as are congressmen and congresswoman. A: Always use figures for people, animals and objects: 3-year-old house. The following examples demonstrate both options as well as how to integrate in-text citations into bulleted lists. 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. Colon Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun orFile Size: KB. ?X~soOr{/'gqjfZIuVCZQ!SdbnU)pHuL`>b"wlh)}4!ybjK Alternatively, you can use our tool to convert text from lowercase to uppercase by clicking the UPPER button. Use a numbered list if you want to display items in a numbered series. These include short words and conjunctions: The other major type of title capitalization standard is sentence case. Unsubscribe at any time. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per AP style: After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. Q: What is AP's style on the military's don't ask, don't tell policy? In a simple series, AP doesn't use a comma before the last item. This post deserves a standing ovation. label all file pages (and the disk itself) with your designatedcode. Other terminology (business; food and beverages; legal and justice; medical; ethnic and nationality; politics; religion ). Vertical lists can be ordered or unordered and can be introduced by complete or incomplete sentences, all of which affect how the individual list items are capitalized and punctuated. This article is a summary of AP style. x]0)} N "d/J]g<3gcyY?9Y\}xLgH*vVQ8e[!}mg%O*~OqoEhe9k=~o^p{?~7?ZOu6ImR)Gow=\JrP Garner's Modern American Usage inserts periods at the end of bullet lists only if the bullet list begins with a capital letter. Q: Why is "doctorate in psychology" not capped, but "Bachelor of Arts" is? We could also write this list with commas instead of semicolons. Others, like the Chicago Manual of Style, suggest lowercasing it. Thanks for the comment, Anna. Grammar (essential vs. nonessential clauses; pronouns; subject-verb agreement ), Q: I'm confused on the use of "that" and "who" when talking about groups. The following example demonstrates this format as well as how to include a citation for the information in the bulleted list. Capitalize the first word of the title/heading and of any subtitle/subheading, Capitalize all major words (nouns, verbs including. Each of these capitalization styles has slightly different rules for which words are capitalized and each of these styles can be written using title case capitalization or sentence case capitalization. The same applies when someone may refer to specific items by number. You should always use a colon before a bulleted or numbered list. This is why capitalization of items that make up a list of bullet points is sometimes a matter of style. Use numbered lists when youre working with instructions to be done in sequence, and the numbers suggest ahierarchy. in compound modifiers (e.g., Mid-year, Anti-hero, etc.). Does this help? Individual list items following a complete sentence are usually capitalized but appear without terminal punctuation (i.e., they dont end in a period, comma, colon, or semicolon) if they are incomplete sentences, phrases, or single words.3. Considering those rules, these hyphenated words would all be correctly capitalized in titles: In the list above, up, in, on, off, and out are adverbs-not prepositions. endstream endobj startxref The tricky thing is punctuation. In business writing, yes, use a colon at the end of the introductory stem sentence. Careful punctuation also reflects thought and care. Don't use a bulleted list for only one item. Title case is the most common form of title and headline capitalization and is found in all four major title capitalization styles. This is a grammar guide that accompanies our post on how to write better bullet points. Good business writing seeks to make information easy to understand. It is intended as a guide to common PR Team style and . Consider the examples below: Regards, Julia! Please list your allergies and give date of last flare-up. Sixth and Seventh streets). in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of New Hampshire. For a list of short items, there is no need to punctuate each point. July 31, 2019. Another easy decision. 4.24.14 AP style rules on state abbreviations updated. 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. 28 0 obj <> endobj 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. Bulleted Lists: Capitalization and Punctuation By Judy Vorfeld 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. Capitalization (proper nouns: America; proper names: Democratic Party; popular names: Indy 500; compositions: books, movies, operas ). 11.5.13 Updates made to University statistics, the list of research centers and section on Web addresses. Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, APA style, Chicago style, formatting, grammar, MLA style, punctuation. Home Style and Grammar Guidelines Lists Lists Just as heading structure alerts readers to the order of ideas in a paper, lists help readers understand a related set of key points within a sentence or paragraph. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. AP uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. AP and Chicago Manual of Style - capitalize initial word and use periods after sentence list items. 7. Lists, Part 4: Numbered Lists. To help, weve prepared a guide to punctuating and capitalizing bullet points. Added standalone cities to guidance on addresses and states. - Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section. Write it. Avoid a mix. 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. 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. Q: Is it staff has or staff have? After each dash, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. For lists of fragments, short phrases, or words, capitalization is optional: My favorite fruits include: oranges apples bananas dragon fruit My favorite fruits include: Oranges Apples Bananas Dragon fruit As with the other optional punctuation above, though, make sure to use a consistent capitalization style throughout your writing. - Put a space between the dash or bullet and the first word of each item in the list. Today we'll look at numbered lists. Recently, we looked at how to write run-in lists, which are lists that appear inside sentences. We recommend following the AP Stylebooks bullet punctuation, with additional clarifications that AP doesnt address. Whether youre writing an essay, email, or cover letter, youll likely use parentheses. This will uncapitalize your text. Q: If you have a hyphen in a headline, is the word after the hyphen capitalized? In most cases, experts recommend that you start each bulleted item with acapital letter. To remove a lid from a jar that is stuck: Place the lid under hot water for ten seconds. A: Normally staff is a collective taking a singular verb, Spelling (one word or two; hyphenation; noun phrases; prefixes; suffixes), Titles (academic; courtesy; professional; military; occupational; political; religious). A: corporate (adj.) The Gregg Reference Manual uses periods only after bullets that are dependent clauses and long phrases. Bonus: We have some great shortcuts to make your life easier. hb```"3VTa`0p4 )x3JH2HgQW(Iz8Nul i@fP!40XE&,0e0v`do`6c $X1)`U&y[#b s .6[ Lowercase the second word after a hyphenated prefix (e.g., Mid-, Anti-, Super-, etc.) Following are some questions and answers to use as guidelines: When is it better to use bullets than numbers? The listing below reflects a few departures from Associated Press (AP) style typically used in Johns Hopkins' web and print text, as well as other style points that, while they are not departures from AP style, require special attention. TITLES in English Literature from Boston College, and a C.A.G.S. Bullets Associated Press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. Stay with us.". Continue from there down the list. AP Stylebook Online builds on everything that's in the print Stylebook, and makes it a more comprehensive, convenient resource. Q: In denoting area, which is correct for numbers under 10 -- 5 acres or five acres? If unchecked, quotes will be output as curly quotes. The MLA's guidelines for styling vertical lists are derived from The Chicago Manual of Style (6.127-132). The default rule is to lowercase words unless theres a reason they should be uppercase. 22 December, 2021. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per AP style: After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. First, it is important to note that there are four main title capitalization styles: Chicago style, APA style, MLA style, and AP style. Cite it. Capitalize the first word following the dash or bullet. Capitalization is a style choicewith sentence fragments, you can choose to start each with either upper- or lower-case letters. Understanding what to capitalize in a title is important to make sure that your titles and headlines look correct. Bulleted lists. Published: November 13, 2012 Updated: August 22, 2020. "The cat's toy" means one cat owns that toy. For example, here is a summary of the instructions to write a standard 5 paragraph essay. The first word after a colon unless it begins an independent clause. All contents 2023 Associated Press All rights reserved. A: "don't ask, don't tell" policy. the proper name, do not capitalize. A: AP uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. Well, that was really helpful; thanks for the effort. %%EOF Thanks for the catch! For more specific title capitalization rules, you can see the following sections which cover each style of title capitalization rules or check out our FAQs for common capitalization questions. See APA 7, Section 6.52 for examples and more information. Bulleted lists are appropriate when presenting a list of items in no particular order. Do you capitalize the first word of a bullet point? Because AP recommends the colon and AP is the preferred business writing style guide, I recommend using it consistently in your business writing. APA allows the use of bulleted lists with or without punctuation. This is another case where there are no hard rules! Of course, youll want to keep using capitals for all the basics: the beginning of every sentence, proper nouns like names and specific locations, days of the week and months. And consistency goes a long way in creating clear, credible content. A: A partial spelling with hyphens in place of some letters would convey the meaning. 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. 1 ). Lower is default; upper is special. The rules are fairly standard for title case: Making sure you have the right capitalization for APA headings is crucial for scholarly articles. This is a tricky one for me because, personally, I agree with you. The book club members made a list of their favorite genres: Individual list items following a complete sentence that are themselves complete sentences are each punctuated with a period.4. Thanks! 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."). 10439 W Royal Palm Rd., Peoria AZ 85345 A: Use Arabic figures to indicate decades of history: the 1920s, the '80s Figures, numerals, dimensions (7-year-old boy; three years ago; 1 percent; third grade; size 9; 6-by-8-foot rug; 5 ounces; 68,000-square-foot facility). 0 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. The capitalization and punctuation for each bulleted item are determined by the sentence structure. Thank you, Sarah! 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. r%Q! Common Style Guidelines If you want to, you can press Enter on your keyboard or click the Copy button next to the text box to copy the text to your clipboard. The Gregg Reference Manual(Sabin). Style Bullets Capitalize the first letter after a bullet. See the "legislative titles" entry for rulings. Q: Should diseases also known by acronyms such as PTSD be capitalized? Numbered, lettered, and bulleted lists. finally, draft your conclusion. You can also use this tool to do it automatically. Judy Vorfeld Oppress means to persecute/tyrannize/bully. Note however that it is not wrong to capitalize a sentence or clause after a colon.

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