Use lowercase letters within parentheses to list elements within a sentence. For example:
She went to the grocery store to procure (a) celery, (b) lettuce, and (c) carrots.
Precede elements with numbers to separate your list from the body of text. This format is best used to show chronology of a procedure or order of importance. For example:
Whenever he enters a room, a good detective will:
1. Turn on the light.
2. Scan the room.
3. Collect evidence.
Capitalize the first word in each numbered item, and follow each element with a period. Indent each numbered element as though it is its own paragraph.
Precede elements with bullets to break up the text without implying chronology, procedural steps or order of importance. Any symbol may be used as a bullet. For example:
She went to the grocery store to procure:
* celery,
* lettuce, and
* carrots.
Punctuate bulleted lists as you would a list of elements in a sentence. Indent each bulleted element as though it is its own paragraph.