Use of capitals and full stops in bullet points [duplicate]
I found a site quoting the Chicago Manual of Style. I don't have the style manual handy, but this advice mirrors what I know from my personal experience.
"A vertical list is best introduced by a complete grammatical sentence, followed by a colon. Items carry no closing punctuation unless they consist of complete sentences. If the items are numbered, a period follows the numeral and each item begins with a capital letter. To avoid long, skinny lists, short items may be arranged in two or more columns. If items run over a line, the second and subsequent lines are usually indented." CMOS (6.127-28)
So if you're just listing points you would do:
- point 1
- point 2
- point 3
(it is only necessary to capitalize points if they are "longer phrases" or follow a numbered list.)
If you were describing them, it might be:
- This is something about point 1.
- This is something about point 2.
- This is something about point 3.
Edit: Adding this to answer Ryan's question in the comment.
Here is an example of combining both the enumeration of the items and the description, using one of the examples from the site I linked:
A computer lab needs various equipment:
- Computers - Obviously a key component of a computer lab.
- Desks - You need somewhere to put the computers.
- Chairs - People need someplace to sit.
- etc.
I don't have a citation handy, but the general usage that I see is:
Bullet and number lists do not end with a period or other punctuation unless it is a complete sentence, except that a question mark or exclamation is used when appropriate. And bullet lists should rarely include complete sentences.
The first word in each entry is normally capitalized. When the entries look like titles, they may use title capitalization. (i.e. the first letter of each word capitalized except for articles and minor prepositions, etc) The only times I can think of when a bullet list does not have the first letter of each entry capitalized is when each is just one or two words.
Example 1: Very short entries, no need for capitalization
Animals in the zoo include:
monkeys
bears
lions
Example 2:
Things I do every day:
Get out of bed
Eat breakfast
Go to work
Come home
Watch TV
Go to bed
Repeat cycle!
Example 3: titles
Topics to be discussed include:
Saving the World
Saving Souls
Saving for a Vacation
When to use title case and when to just capitalize the first letter is highly debatable and subjective. If the entries are complete sentences, you should definately not use title case.
Most important, be consistent. Don't make half the bullet points full sentences and half just one or two words. Don't capitalize one and not the next. Etc.
I'm reminded of a lecture I once attended on writing style where the speaker had a slide on the importance of consistency with three bullet points, labeled "1.", "B.", and "Third".