Lists

Avoid unnecessary use of numbers or letters with lists; if the elements of a vertical list need to be set off, bullets often suffice.

If the items of a list are numbered or lettered, however, each number or letter should be followed by a period, not a parenthesis.

When numbers or letters mark divisions of an enumeration in running text, use both open and close parentheses; you can separate each element of the list with either a comma or a semicolon, depending on the grammatical or content-related complexity of the item:

To be eligible for your job, you must (1) be at least 18 years of age, (2) be a United States citizen and (3) have no criminal record.

In running text, colons are often used to introduce a list or series but should not be used to separate a verb from its object (or, in general, to separate the complement or object of an element from the introductory statement):

Required courses include the following:
ENG 201, ENG 310 AND SP 120.

Required courses include ENG 201,
ENG 310 AND SP 120.

In attendance: Greene, Conolly, Sumner and Jenkins.

In attendance were Greene, Conolly, Sumner and Jenkins.

(The rule about colon usage also applies to vertical lists)

If one or more of the items in a vertical list is a complete sentence, each item ends with a period.

Maintain parallel construction in listed items, so that each item is introduced by a verb, a noun phrase or some other similar construction.

Following are some examples of different types of lists:

Bullets, used without colons

Hazing includes, but is not limited to:

• any type of physical brutality
  
• any type of physical activity
  
• any activity that induces, causes or requires the student to perform a duty or task which involves a violation of the Penal Code.

NOTE: No punctuation is used at the end of each item in the list, but a period is placed after the last item in the list; the second and following lines of an item are flush left with the text on the line above, not with the bullet; the first word of each item on the list is lowercased unless it's a proper name; parallel construction (i.e., each item can be seen as a noun phrase) is employed.

Numbers, used without colons

To be considered for financial aid, a student must:
1. be officially admitted to UTSA
2. file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid
3. meet deadlines set by the Office of Student Financial Aid.

NOTE: No punctuation is used at the end of each item in the list, but a period is placed after the last item in the list; the second and following lines of an item are flush left with the text on the line above, not with the number; the first word of an item is lowercased unless it's a proper noun; parallel construction (i.e., each item can be seen as a verb phrase) is employed.

Numbered list in running text

The office has three main purposes: (1) to collaborate with educational institutions; (2) to study teaching in varied instrumental settings; and (3) to interpret and disseminate research findings.

NOTE: The items are separated by semicolons; the numbers are enclosed in parentheses; parallel construction (i.e., each item can be seen as a verb phrase) is employed.

Using sentences in lists

It is incorrect to use periods and capital letters as in the following example:

Students who fail to pay full tuition and fees, including late fees, on the due date are subject to one or more of the following actions at the University's option:

• Denial of readmission.
  
• Denial of further registration.
  
• Withholding of official transcripts.

The list should be revised like this:

• denial of readmission
  
• denial of further registration
  
• withholding of registration.

However, if there are several sentences within each item, periods and capitalization are permitted.

Items in a list should be parallel in structure:

Other points made by the president were the following:
Membership should be increased.
Dues should be kept the same.
Meetings should be kept more frequent.

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