list with logic


  

List with Logic

 

Lists are anti-democratic, discriminatory, elitist,
and sometimes the print is too small.

― David Ives


Items in a list need a reason for their ordering.

 

When you list things, list them logically and consistently. What I mean by listing logically is that you have a reason for the order in your list. You should never list randomly because readers will be looking for a reason for the order in your list and will assume you are listing in the order of importance. For example, with no reason to order differently, you might order your list alphabetically:

Texas has nine major aquifers: (1) Carrizo-Wilcox, (2) Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone), (3) Edwards-Trinity (Plateau), (4) Gulf Coast, (5) Hueco-Mesilla Bolsons, (6) Ogallala, (7) Pecos Valley Alluvium, (8) Seymour, and (9) Trinity.

A reader wondering about the order can quickly (one hopes) see that the items are alphabetical is the question arise in their mind. Alternatively, you might note that the aquifers are simply listed alphabetically:

Texas has nine major aquifers. Listed alphabetically, they are the (1) Carrizo-Wilcox, (2) Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone), (3) Edwards-Trinity (Plateau), (4) Gulf Coast, (5) Hueco-Mesilla Bolsons, (6) Ogallala, (7) Pecos Valley Alluvium, (8) Seymour, and (9) Trinity.

I find this approach clunky but, depending on your audience, this may be the way to go.

If it’s not obvious how items are listed, you should mention the logic behind the listing:

Texas has nine major aquifers. Listed from greatest annual use to lowest annual use in 2019, these aquifers are the (1) Ogallala, (2) Gulf Coast, (3) Carrizo-Wilcox, (4) Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone), (5) Trinity, (6) Edwards-Trinity (Plateau), (7) Seymour, (8) Hueco-Mesilla Bolsons, and (9) Pecos Valley Alluvium.

Listing considerations also apply to including multiple references in a citation. Generally, the rule is that references are first listed by sequentially by year and then within a shared year, alphabetically:

Although several authors have commented on the policy outcomes of Senate Bill 3 implementation in Texas (Jacoby 2007, Puig-Williams 2013, Roach 2013, Wells and Bradsby 2018, Wineland 2021, Hess 2021[MR1] , Rubinstein and others 2022), I am not aware of anyone who has critically examined the implementation of activities itemized in Senate Bill 3.[1]

Listing considerations apply wherever a list occurs, such as in tables or on figures. Unless you have a good reason, you should use the same logic for listing throughout your document. 

 

copyright Robert E. Mace 2025  


[1] Example from Fillipone (2022).

Need to include Hess 2021 here [MR1] [MR1]

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