Bullets

[Alex Soast <Alexander -dot- N -dot- Soast -at- DREXEL -dot- EDU>]

Advice on Bullets:

I would recommend that you not indent bullets.  The bullets already offset
text to the right, why push it farther to the right?  By taking up extra
space, indenting the bullets could add pages to your document.  So not
indenting also helps to save a few trees.  Not indenting also saves you
keystrokes.

If you indent subsections of your document, then indenting bulleted lists
could lead to confusion or to lists that sit near the center of the page.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any research to confirm my opinion.  But
definitely do not mix the format.  This would definitely look
unprofessional.

Sincerely,
Alex Soast




>>Subject: Bullets

>>Perhaps you help settle an argument for me that has been going on for some
time now between some friends of mine regarding bullets.  It basically
comes down to the question should bulleted lists be indented or not.  I
have my own preferences but have so far kept out of the argument.

One says they shouldn't be indented.  Easier to read (eye follows flow);
looks "neater"; default style in a lot of packages such as Word etc
therefore readers probably familiar with the style.

The other uses the same first statement (easier to read) to argue for
indenting.  If indented it makes you stop/slow the flow and pick up the
information you have deemed to need a list!  Who wants to copy MS?!

As I said this has gone on for some time now. Does anyone know of any
research etc that has been done? Perhaps even a mixture of the two might be
best but that upsets my sense of consistency!

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