Seriation (Lists)
Lists within a Paragraph
To show seriation (lists) within a paragraph or sentence, use lowercase letters (not italicized) in parentheses:
Job satisfaction is increased when nurses are provided with (a) therapeutic massage, (b) relaxation therapy, and (c) music therapy.
Numbered Lists
To show seriation (lists) of separate paragraphs, number each paragraph or sentence with an Arabic numeral, followed by a period but not enclosed in or followed by parentheses.
Berk (2001) suggests that parents determine suitability of books for children by using the following criteria:
1. Books are made from durable material…(paragraph or sentence continues).
2. Books are action-oriented….(paragraph or sentence continues).
Bullets are now permitted (6th edition)
For lists that do not communicate hierarchical order or chronology, use bullets:
In general, learners found use of an APA tutorial of benefit in writing their papers. What follows are samples of participants' responses:
- "This tutorial helped me by using nursing examples."
- "I like the 24/7 access."
- "It took me a few minutes to search the tutorial, but after that, I felt more comfortable with it."