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Capitalization for a bullet list

English Language & Usage Asked on September 27, 2021

The following is from some software documentation we are writing:

NOTE: Refreshing a report may be necessary or helpful when:

  1. you believe the data in the report has changed since it was last executed
  2. you’d like to return the report to its initial state/condition

My question is this. Should ‘you’ in the first bullet item and ‘you’d’ in the second bullet item be capitalized?

3 Answers

It is a matter of style. Here are two options:


NOTE: Refreshing a report may be necessary or helpful when:

  1. You believe the data in the report has changed since it was last executed
  2. You'd like to return the report to its initial state/condition

NOTE: Refreshing a report may be necessary or helpful when:

  1. you believe the data in the report has changed since it was last executed;
  2. you'd like to return the report to its initial state/condition.

Create whatever rules you want for your software documentation and stick to them. As with all stylistic matters, consistency is key.

Correct answer by Jimi Oke on September 27, 2021

Bullet point items should be capitalised if the item in question is a full sentence. Likewise, in that case they should also have a full stop.

Answered by user3444 on September 27, 2021

My opinion is that there are two possible cases.

  1. Bullets may be used as part of a sentence or paragraph, in which case regular capitalization and grammar rules apply.
  2. Bullets may be used as a sort of graphic communication (e.g. in a presentation) - in which case anything goes

For example, under case one, I might list

  • an apple,
  • a banana, and
  • a grapefruit.

In this case, I am interjecting bullets into my sentence, but the sentence should remain readable. This becomes more useful with complex lists, which may refer to

  • all fruit, except that which is
    • red,

    • green, or

    • yellow,

      • including, but not limited to
        • apples,
        • pears, and
        • bananas;
  • vegetables;
  • meat; and
  • legumes, unless
    • it is the 30th of the month.

In this case, the above list is in fact a grammatical sentence, but the bulleting makes it easier to read, and as such the capitalization should maintain it's regular sentence-based form.

However, if I want to do something graphical in a document, or for a presentation, I say anything goes which effectively communicates. I might do this:

  • Fruits
    • NO: Red, Green, Yellow
      • INCL. NO: Apples, Bananas, Grapefruits
  • Vegetables
  • Meats
  • Legumes (Except on the 30th of the Month)

Answered by Brandon Hastings on September 27, 2021

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