Lists: bulleted and numbered

When to use lists

You can use lists to aid scannability and help users extract information from pages. Bulleted and numbered lists are particularly useful for presenting tips, attributes, warning signs, symptoms and similar content.

General guidelines for lists

Number of list items

Generally, lists should have no fewer than two items and no more than six. Exceptions to this guideline can be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If you have more than six items, or the items have a lot of text in them, consider reworking the content as a series of subsections and subsubheadings, with either paragraphs or shorter lists.

Parallelism

For fragment lists and stand-alone lists (see below), parallelism means that the grammatical structure of the list items must parallel each other. This means using the same word type to start each item, as well as the same tense in each item. 

For example, in this fragment list, each list item/sentence fragment begins with a verb in the present tense:

The program aims to help parents:

• • • talk to their children 

    • think of new ways to deal with conflict 

    • discuss ideas from other parents. 

For sentence lists (see below), parallelism means trying to use the same sentence type or sentence contruction - for example, statement or question.

For example, in this sentence list, each list item/sentence begins with a term, followed a colon and a statement (or two) describing the term:

Children might be diagnosed with one of three types of ADHD, depending on symptoms:

• ADHD combined type: children with this type have both hyperactive/impulsive and inattentive symptoms. They tend to have trouble concentrating, are fidgety or restless and are always on the go. They often act without thinking.

• ADHD inattentive type: children with this type mainly have inattentive symptoms. They tend to have trouble concentrating, remembering instructions, paying attention and finishing tasks.

• ADHD hyperactive/impulsive type: children with this type mainly have hyperactive and impulsive symptoms. They’re always on the go, have trouble slowing down and often act without thinking.

How to order lists: unordered and ordered

Lists can be unordered (that is, bulleted) or ordered (that is, numbered). Most of the lists we use on raisingchildren.net.au are unordered.

Use an unordered (bulleted) list if the order is not critical to understanding the content. When you're organising an unordered list, list items in the order that will make sense to the user reading it. This might sometimes be alphabetical order, or it might be order according to most practical or common advice.

Use an ordered (numbered) list only when you need to show priority or chronology in the series.

For example:

Take the following first aid steps:

• • 1. Make sure the area is safe, and that there’s no further risk of injury.

    2. Take off the child’s clothing immediately, but only if it’s not stuck to the skin.

    3. Treat the burn with water only. Cool the burned area under running water for 20 minutes. 

    4. Cover the burn with a loose, light, non-sticky dressing, such as plastic wrap or a clean, wet cloth. Raise burned limbs.

Types of lists

There are three main types of lists:

• • •     sentence lists

    •     fragment lists

    •     stand-alone lists.

You present and punctuate each type of list differently.

Sentence lists

This is a list in which the list items consist of full sentences. Here's how to present this type of list:

• Make sure list items are full sentences.

• Use initial caps for each list item.

• Use a full stop at the end of each list item. 

• Use one of the following 3 ways to introduce a sentence list:

  1. 1. sentence lead-in ending in a colon 

     2. phrase lead-in ending in a colon 

     3. bolded subsubheading with no colon.

Example 1: sentence lead-in

Here are more breakfast ideas to encourage healthy eating habits in the morning:

• • • Make breakfast a time to sit and eat with your kids.

    • If your child says he’s not hungry in the morning, try making a healthy smoothie, with milk, yoghurt and a piece of fruit such as a banana. 

    • Encourage your child to eat a small meal at home, like a small bowl of oats or a piece of fruit. Then give your child a healthy snack before school starts.

Example 2: phrase lead-in

If you need more help:

• Read the information on this website.

• Speak to your child and family health nurse.

• Call a parenting helpline.

Example 3: bolded subsubheading

Treatment for ant bites and stings

•     Give paracetamol or ibuprofen in recommended doses to ease pain and swelling.

•     Put a cold pack on the area to reduce swelling.

Fragment lists

This is a list in which the list items consist of sentence fragments (phrases or incomplete sentences).  Here's how to present this type of list:

• Use a colon after the list lead-in. 

• Use sentence fragments for list items, making sure that each item is grammatically parallel.

• Don't use initial caps for list items.

• Don't include punctuation at the end of each item, except for the final item.

• Use a full stop at the end of the final list item.

For example:

Some ideas for outdoor play with your baby include:

• enjoying tummy time on a blanket, towel or picnic rug

• crawling on grass, under outdoor furniture or through old boxes

• watching tree leaves and branches move and listening to birds

• looking at coloured cars, street signs or traffic light signals.

Stand-alone lists

This is a list in which the list items consist of nouns, noun phrases or sentence fragments. 

Here's how to present this type of list:

• Use a heading without a colon or lead-in. 

• Use nouns or noun phrases for list items, not full sentences or sentence fragments.

• Use initial caps for list items.

• Don't use punctuation. This includes the final item, which doesn't have a full stop.

For example:

Symptoms of ant bites

• • • A painful red lump

    • Swelling 

    • Itchiness