Traditionally, bullet symbols appear as small, solid circles. However, according to the APA Style Blog, APA style allows you to use any symbol for bullets. Some symbols should probably not be used as bullets because they may confuse the reader. For instance, marks typically used as punctuation, such as exclamation marks and parenthetical marks, should be avoided.
Bulleted lists are useful for a couple of reasons. For one, they break up the text and draw the reader's eye to the list, lending importance to the information it contains. Secondly, they allow you to list information without implying chronology or levels of importance. However, bulleted lists should be used sparingly; if you use too many, your essay will appear to be choppy, and it may be distracting to your reader.
According to APA style guidelines, bulleted lists should be double spaced, just as the main body of your text should be double spaced. Information contained within a bulleted list should be punctuated and capitalized as normal. For example:
The detective immediately noticed
* the man's body,
* the murder weapon, and
* a single bloody footprint.
If a bulleted list contains individual sentences, punctuate and capitalize it accordingly. For example:
Upon arriving, the detective's eyes took in the room.
* A man was sprawled motionless on the floor.
* The murder weapon rested at the foot of the bed.
* A single bloody footprint darkened the doorway.
A bulleted list is not the only form of list that APA style allows, and may not be appropriate for all circumstances. If you want to list items without breaking up the text, you may wish to list them within a sentence. To do this, use lowercase letters enclosed in parentheses, starting with the letter "a." For example: The detective immediately noticed (a) the man's body, (b) the murder weapon, and (c) a single bloody footprint. If you wish to imply order of importance or chronology, consider using a numbered list. Note that numbered lists should contain items that are full sentences, or even paragraphs. For example:
The detective uncovered three important pieces of evidence.
1. The man's body.
2. The murder weapon.
3. A bloody footprint.