Punctuation

Bulleted lists

Capitalize the first word of every bullet. Don't use semicolons or a comma after points in a bulleted list. Include a period at the end of the bullet only if that point is a complete sentence. If one bullet point requires a period, all should have a period. For example:

When you go to the store, please buy:

  • Milk
  • Apples
  • Cod cakes

When you leave the house:

  • Please buy apples, bananas, and cod cakes.
  • Fill the car with gas.

I need these things done:

  • Shopping.
  • Weeding.
  • Water the plants if they need it.

Colons

Capitalize the first word after a colon if a colon introduces a direct quotation or the first word after a colon is a proper noun. For example:

The dolphins left a note that said: "So long and thanks for all the fish!"

There are two types of articles: Reviews and Research.

Semicolons

Use semicolons sparingly. They are difficult to see on some hand-held devices. Semicolons can sometimes confuse non-native English speakers. For example, in Greek you end a question with a semicolon.

Try rewriting the sentence or paragraph to make it more readable.

Commas

Use the serial comma (sometimes called the Oxford comma). In a list of three or more, include a comma before the conjunction. For example: Please buy milk, apples, and cod cakes.

Dashes

When offsetting a phrase with dashes you should use the longer em dash (—) with a space on either side of the dash. For example:

We emphasize specific, customer-centered workflows, and — whenever possible — we preserve your current workflow.

Although you should use words instead of symbols, in some contexts you may use an "en dash" to convey a range of numbers. For example, both 10–20 footnotes and 10 to 20 footnotes are acceptable options.

We assign 2–5 people to each implementation team.

Quotes

These quotations are correctly punctuated:

"Would you like a milk shake?" he asked.

"I don't like milk shakes," she said. "You know I detest milk shakes."

He paused before saying, "Well, how about a Pepsi?"

Spaces

Sentences should always be separated by a single space. Never two spaces.

Ampersands or plus signs

Use and instead of an ampersand or plus sign, unless they're part of a command, an official title, or a company name. For example, Hoefler & Co.

Slashes

Avoid using the slash / symbol. Replace it with words or commas as appropriate. If you must use a /, or if your corporate style guide requires it, do not place a space before/after the slash.