They look good. Below is a description of the ways you can use our case converter. Thanks for the comment, Anna. 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). Bullets Associated Press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. One exception: email (no hyphen, which reflects majority of usage). There are two options for the punctuation of bulleted lists when the items are words or phrases. If numbers arent essential, use bullets, especially in business documents. In business writing, capitalize the first letter of bullet lists. In AP style, headlines capitalize the first word, proper names, or proper abbreviations, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Q: How does AP treat programming language when used in general text? A: Lowercase the compass point - central Louisiana -- unless it's a widely known section, as in Southern California or South Florida. 10439 W Royal Palm Rd., Peoria AZ 85345 For example, here is a summary of the instructions to write a standard 5 paragraph essay. Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section or a phrase." This is clear, but AP doesn't fully address when to omit a period at the end of each bullet. 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. 1:28 PM - 14 Jul 2021 37 Retweets 189 Likes The rule of thumb in AP style is that things should be lowercased unless a rule indicates that theyre upper. To see what I mean, read the lead-in word or phrase then read the first item on the list. The most accepted style guide in business writing and web publishing is the AP Stylebook. 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. It is intended as a guide to common PR Team style and . A colon should be used to introduce the list, and the first letter of each point should be capitalised. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. endstream endobj startxref Ordered vertical lists have, you guessed it, an order. By virtue of their formatting, numbered lists stand . 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. Words that should not be capitalized include: They are also written without terminal punctuation (i.e., they dont end in a period, comma, colon, or semicolon).9. x]0)} N "d/J]g<3gcyY?9Y\}xLgH*vVQ8e[!}mg%O*~OqoEhe9k=~o^p{?~7?ZOu6ImR)Gow=\JrP When a vertical list follows a full sentence, introduce it with a colon. 7. 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. A: Eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. Now check your email to confirm your subscription for My Blog Editor blog alerts. The AP Stylebook is a writing and editing reference for newsrooms, classrooms and corporate offices worldwide. ap style bulleted lists capitalization veterinary ophthalmologist santa barbara June 22, 2022 flood banks advantages and disadvantages montana national guard jobs ap style bulleted lists capitalization veterinary ophthalmologist santa barbara June 22, 2022 flood banks advantages and disadvantages montana national guard jobs ap style bulleted lists July 31, 2019. Yes. 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. Asthma or some allergies. Inconsistent punctuation; Sometimes the grammar isn't parallel between items. 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. nouns, pronouns, verbs. Are we nitpicking punctuation with these considerations of bullet lists? J%HfTH@zGI8a. These include short words and conjunctions: The other major type of title capitalization standard is sentence case. For example, are newspapers italicized? A: AP uses the numeral for acres, even when less than 10, as a dimension: 5 acres. To create a bulleted list, use the bulleted list function of your word-processing program. According to APA, racial and ethnic groups are designated by proper nouns and Get your free sample back in 3 to 6 hours! It also connects closely related thoughts. Next, identify a newsworthy angle and set up your press release's header section. 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. Youre singing my tune! A: "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Numbered and unnumbered lists are more commonly used in scholarly publications. Bulleted lists can be used with complete sentences, phrases, or a combination. Grammar (essential vs. nonessential clauses; pronouns; subject-verb agreement ), Q: I'm confused on the use of "that" and "who" when talking about groups. Numbered lists (as noted on p. 64 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association) can be used to denote items in a series, such as conclusions or procedural steps. 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. So many choices to make! All contents 2023 Associated Press All rights reserved. A: AP Stylebook entry on "collective nouns" says band names take plural verbs. Theyre easy to read. 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. finally, draft your conclusion. You should always use a colon before a bulleted or numbered list. 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. If unchecked, quotes will be output as curly quotes. If necessary, rewrite the list item so that all items begin with capital letters or all items begin with lowercase words. endstream endobj 29 0 obj <> endobj 30 0 obj <>/Border[0 0 0]/Rect[603 407.25 648 420.75]/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>><>/Border[0 0 0]/Rect[270.75 387.75 315.75 401.25]/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>><>/Border[0 0 0]/Rect[281.25 368.25 318.75 381.75]/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>>]/Contents[34 0 R 35 0 R 36 0 R 37 0 R 38 0 R 39 0 R 41 0 R 42 0 R]/CropBox[0 0 792 612]/MediaBox[0 0 792 612]/Parent 26 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSets[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/Type/Page>> endobj 31 0 obj <>stream To help, weve prepared a guide to punctuating and capitalizing bullet points. For a series of complex terms, though, use commas after each for clarity. A: AP lowercases wine varietals such as cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, and caps regional names such as Bordeaux, Sauternes and Chablis. This creates anew layer of confusion on how to use capitalization and punctuation in such lists. is lowercase. Not using a colon isnt wrong, but omit it only with certainty that you comply with the style guide of your choice. . But if you are using a style guide, you may want to check it for guidance on which style to use. A list of information can be neatly organised using bullet points. 205-921-5556. Capitalize the first word in a bullet point and the introduction to the list, but not the rest. This is another case where there are no hard rules! 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! We could also write this list with commas instead of semicolons. Punctuation I the word Cocaine supposed to be capitalized? Q: If we're speaking about regions of the state, should it be South Louisiana, North Louisiana and Central Louisiana? First, it is important to note that there are four main title capitalization styles: Chicago style, APA style, MLA style, and AP style. AP style capitalization is mainly used by writers for the Associated Press but is also used widely throughout journalism. 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. Regards, Julia! Bulleted lists are appropriate when presenting a list of items in no particular order. See the "legislative titles" entry for rulings. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. The tricky thing is punctuation. always refer to the style guide and doublecheck capitalization recommendations. You can also use this tool to do it automatically. Awesome sauce! Vacuum windowsills and corners with a vacuum hose. Q: Is the age of an inanimate object expressed in numerals or spelled out? Q: Why is "doctorate in psychology" not capped, but "Bachelor of Arts" is? in English from the University of Rhode Island, an M.A. The first step in the process of how to write an AP style press release is to familiarize yourself with the guidelines. Please list your allergies and give date of last flare-up. Lowercase to in the infinitive (though not defined in the stylebook). Use a lettered list if you want to emphasize separate parallel items within a sentence. 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."). This option is helpful for complex or longer bulleted sentences that may be more difficult to read without the aid . She excels at designing customized business writing training programs to maximize productivity, advance business objectives, and convey complex information. AP style provides consistent guidelines for such publications in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and language usage. Unsubscribe at any time. Lowercase indefinite and definite articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. Examples: House Cleaning Tips: Remove items from shelves before dusting. There's an old joke: Thank you, Sarah! So long as your capitalization rules remain consistent in your organizations communications, youre golden. In this review, we'll further consider how the semicolon operates in forming lists that involve items in a series. endstream endobj 32 0 obj <>stream Q: Should the names of decades be capitalized when written out? This is ultimately a matter of stylistic preference. 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? Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! It makes it easier for your reader. Capitalize words with four or more letters (including conjunctions and prepositions). %PDF-1.4 % You can also use this tool to do it automatically. STATES: Abbreviate state names when listed after a city. Topics: Writer's Passport, Writing & Editing. Capitalize My Title requires JavaScript to be enabled in order to run. Q: How about using e- as a prefix for new terms in the tech and business worlds? AP Style - use dashes, capitals and periods. The stylebook uses italics for examples only. And, as a guideline, wed suggest punctuating bullet points as follows: However, this again comes down to preference and your chosen style guide. Again, these will depend on the specific style you choose (see Title Capitalization Rules by Style section). 1 ). The capitalization rules are as follows: Wikipedia editors must follow certain capitalization rules for any posts to Wikipedia. This is where the semicolon confusion comes in. Use all sentences or all. 22 December, 2021. 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. My name is Erin. Quickly convert your title or text to sentence case by simply clicking the Sentence case button in the tool above. Capitalize the first word of every bullet. Get an email every time a new blog post is published. Example: You will need to present the following information: Your driver's license. 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. See "diseases" entry for further guidance. A: Lowercase for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, hepatitis C, etc. Q: Which states are never abbreviated in datelines? Dates, time, eras (July 4, 2008; 9 a.m.; the Great Depression ), Q: When referring to a time span, I never know when to use a dash to separate the two times (ex. Do you need a colon to introduce a list? When writing an argumentative essay, you would typically research a topic and adopt a certain How to Punctuate and Capitalize Bullet Points. Some style manuals, such as the AP Stylebook and APA Publication Manual, recommend capitalizing an independent clause after a colon. Microsoft and Gregg would capitalize flat and sharp if they appeared in a title (unlike Rule 2). How to Write Vertical Lists (Ordered and Unordered), How to Export PDF Tables from Adobe Acrobat to Excel (PC & Mac), How to Insert Images into Shapes in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac), How to Align the Periods in Numbered Lists in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac), How to Password Protect Files in Microsoft Word, How to Password Protect PDFs in Adobe Acrobat (PC & Mac). However, in regard to headlines, is it now true that press release headlines should be in sentence case? Semicolons Use in Lists: Items with Internal Punctuation Capitalize every word in the headline; the main subhead is a complete sentence with a period. Use a rubber glove to twist the lid off. Capitalize the first and the last word of titles and subtitles. Vertical lists are set apart from the surrounding text and are usually prefaced with bullets or sequential numbers or letters. A: AP doesn't use italics in news stories. I love traveling to Ireland because of its: [AP, Garner, and Gregg use the colon here. However, Garner qualifies this: "If you begin each item with a lowercase letter, put a semicolon at the end of each item, use and after the next-to-last item, and put a period after the last item." (After reading this) .. As an Amazon Associate, CapitalizeMyTitle.com earns from qualifying purchases. Sixth and Seventh streets). Its hard for some people to wrap their heads around this rule, especially if each item on the list is not a full sentence.