Lists can be used to structure an item consisting of many parts and to make the text easier to understand at a glance. Below, you will find some of the basic principles for making lists.
A list consists of an introductory sentence and the different listed items. The items listed should grammatically match with the introductory sentence and be of the same format. The items in a list can be clauses beginning with a lowercase letter that are part of the introductory sentence (Example 1) or complete sentences (Example 2). Start the list using the ListCaption style, followed by the Lists style.
Example 1. The sections of a thesis (Kniivilä et al., 2012, p. 48) are
– Title page
– Abstract
– Table of contents
– Body text
– Bibliography
– Appendices.
When necessary, numbered lists can be created using the NumberedList style. In that case, automatic numbering appears as shown in the following example.
Example 2. The thesis writing process begins with the following stages:
1. Drafting the main sections.
2. Gathering ideas and structuring them, using e.g. mind-map techniques.
3. Writing the text in overlapping or consecutive stages.
4. If one section is causing difficulties, moving on to another one.
5. Requesting feedback on the text and editing it as necessary.