Lists

The convention is demonstrated by the following list:

• the sentance leading into the list is ended by a colon and no other punctuation
• on each line there is a space, then þ, which is alphanumeric ASCII 254 or Ctrl Z, then a space, followed by the listed item
• sometimes a line may be left before the first item in the list; this is left to the writer's discretion, but is probably best omited if the information reaches more than 20 lines
• first letter of the word at the start of the line does not need to be capitalised, unless the word is a proper noun
• single words or sentances do not need to be followed by a full stop. A more detailed paragraph should have normal punctuation.
• if the line of text wraps around, it should be indented by three spaces to be placed in line with the list
  • sublists may be indented two spaces further, otherwise three spaces is sufficient
    • further sublists should be very rare, but if needed are another two spaces in

Lists by and large are more difficult to read and asimmilate than well written text in a paragraph, the question should be asked - is this list going to improve the reader's understanding of the information. Generally speaking lists should be used if there are a number of specific points which are not themselves related to be made. Thus the clinical features of a condition are best put into a list. However, lists as a substitute for discussion of alternatives or relations in a normal paragraph should be avoided.