On Using Bullets

Recently, in one of our e-seminars, the topic of bullets came up. And this really awakened my inner Technical Writer. I have very strong feelings about bullets, and I think that's because they are really the pinnacle of technical writing. They are meant to be short, clear, and concise clauses that communicate a list of some sort, and I love the crisp and condensed nature of them. True story: In college, I vetted a guy who was asking me out on a date by asking him how he felt about bullets.

So, you get it, I have a strange affinity for and loyalty to bulleted lists! Because of this, I also suffer an unusual frustration when I see bullets misused. So, that brings us to the topic at hand: the proper use of bullets. Below I offer some dos and don'ts to help guide you in avoiding my wrath ;)

Do keep them short

Bullets at their best should set off a list of words or short phrases. I will at times bullet a sentence (maybe two), but each bullet is communicating only one idea.

Don't use them for paragraphs

I frequently see folks bullet paragraphs in their grant proposals, and this is absurd! If it's a paragraph, it is already its own entity and a bullet does nothing for it. Just keep it as a paragraph already!

Do begin each bulleted phrase with the same type of word

When people read a bulleted list, they expect consistency; they expect that each bullet will share the same type of information. For this reason, it's a best practice to start each bulleted phase with the same type of word. Consider the following example:

Naomi's day consists of the following activities:

• checking email
• grant proposal review
• e-Seminars
• Corralling her children

This bulleted list follows both of our first two tips (which are of course the same tip written differently), but you can see that the items in my list are not written consistently. The first phrase starts with a verb in the present tense, and the second starts with an adjective. The last phrase is capitalized for Pete's sake! What would make it easier for folks to read is if I revised it as follows:

Naomi's day consists of the following activities:

• checking email
• reviewing grant proposals
• offering e-Seminars
• corralling her children

Do opt for a numbered list when the sequence matters

In the example above, if I were trying to communicate the order in which I do things (which let's be honest, they're all woven together these days), it would be better for me to use a numbered list, because the order would matter in what I was saying. For example:

Naomi's Friday consists of the following order:

1. drink coffee
2. check email
3. write the weekly blog
4. review grant proposals
5. force her kids to stop watching tv

Do identify what's in your list before the colon

This last tip is really a bonus, because it is tricky to do sometimes. But, the idea is that the last word you use (usually before a colon) to signal that you're going to use a bulleted or numbered list should identify the items that will be in the list. So, for instance, in the first two examples, my last word before the colon and the list is "activities" and then I give you a list of activities. In the third example, my last word is "order."

So, although, I often see (and sometimes write lists) like this:

The colors of the rainbow include:

• red
• yellow
• blue

I could stick to my last rule, by revising to the following:

A rainbow includes the colors:

• red
• yellow
• blue

In this revised example, I identify the type of information I'm going to identify in my list - colors. And, I agree, the original color example above is fine, but depending on if you're as big a nerd as I am, it can be fun to try and challenge yourself to reframe leading sentences to end with the word that identifies what's in your list.

So, that's it; those are the rules. You now have the tools to use bulleted lists properly, and inadvertently, you have the key to my heart! :)

Resources:

Bulleted Lists - APA