TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Bulleted lists From:Chuck Martin <cmartin -at- SEEKERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 18 Aug 1997 11:30:19 -0700
>>You wrote:
>>>The answer to your question is "no."
>>
>>>However, in your example, you would not use a colon.
>>
>>_I_ would use a colon. I also at times follow each bulleted item with a
>>semi-colon, and the last with a period. Thus, the list is in essence a
>>complete grammatical sentence.
>>
>>Any reason not to?
>>
>>-
>>IRA L. JACOBSON
>>Petah Tiqwa, Israel
>>
As with many things, the answer seems to be: it depends. Both Chicago and
Carolyn Rude's "Technical Editing" leave open the option of punctuation.
However, Lyn Dupre's "Bugs in Writing" is more specific--=and less flexible:
- Use no end punctuation in displayed list entries of less-than-full
sentences.
- Use periods in displayed list entries of one or more sentences.
- Do not mix full sentences and less-than-full sentences in displayed lists.
--
"You don't look American"
"Everyone looks American, because Americans are from everywhere"
- Doonesbury
Chuck Martin
Technical Writer, Seeker Software, Inc | Personal
cmartin -at- seekersoft -dot- com | writer -at- grin -dot- net
www.seekersoft.com | www.grin.net/~writer
TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html
