Items in a Series
Queen's uses the Oxford comma. In a series of items listed in sentence form, use the comma before the final and.
- Career Services offers various seminars, lectures, workshops, and consultations.
- The lecture series includes information on study habits, residence, mental health and well-being, and life off campus.
Lists that appear in running text and follow a colon should have semicolons.
- In the photo: Duncan Hunter (Community Health and Epidemiology); Grant Amyot (Political Studies); Angela James, Director, Centre for International Management, Smith School of Business; and Brenda Brouwer, Queen’s Vice-Provost and Dean, School of Graduate Studies.
Vertical Lists with Bullets
Vertical lists with bullets should be introduced with a complete sentence followed by a colon. Punctuation within the bulleted items will depend on the type of list. A list that includes full sentences requires punctuation in those sentences (periods, not semi-colons, at the end of the sentences). No punctuation is required, however, in lists with short points that are not full sentences. University style is to capitalize the first word of bulleted items (unless each item is only one or two words).
Sentence Example
The provost’s oral report included updates on the following items:
- Enrolment planning. With a new budget model nearing completion, the university will soon be in a position to create the Strategic Enrolment Management Group, which will develop an enrolment plan.
- Queen’s National Scholars (QNS) program. The reinstated program has been redesigned to streamline the selection process into two stages.
Short Point Example
The committee made several recommendations:
- Engage student participation
- Include staff and faculty in all discussions
- Assess progress quarterly