Check to make sure your report meets the guidelines on each topic.
Use bullets for unordered lists (when order does not matter, such as with a list of equipment).
Use numbers for ordered lists (when order DOES matter, such as with procedures).
Italicize symbols (e.g., a for area) unless they are abbreviations (e.g., LMTD for log-mean temperature difference).
Do not italicize units.
Number each equation, which appears at the right and is right justified.
Reference a figure as a proper noun (e.g., Figure 1).
Capitalize proper nouns but not common nouns, such as chemical names (e.g., "urea" NOT "Urea").
If two or more ideas are parallel, they are easier to grasp when expressed in parallel grammatical form. Single words should be balanced with single words, phrases with phrases, clauses with clauses. The reader expects to see the same grammatical pattern. When the pattern is broken, the reader is distracted and the meaning may be lost. Consider the following obvious examples and revisions:
More complicated sentence structures also need to follow parallel construction.
Be aware that each element in a list must have the same structure: if you start using noun phrases, use noun phrases throughout the list; if you use sentences, use sentences throughout. For instructions, use imperative mood or commands to state each step. This idea of parallel form also affects the use of headings and subheadings.
Notice how the third step in the revised version is not only parallel, it is more precise.