Use of Bulleted Paragraphs in ISO Standards

(applicable to Standards derived from the API CRE (Committee on Refinery Equipment), where industry custom is to use bullets and the users are familiar with this approach)

Based on the Rules for the use for bullets that may be found in the Standard Paragraphs and the API SOME (Subcommitttee On Mechanical Equipment) Task Force Chair Guide of the API CRE (Committee on Refinery Equipment) and with additional advice from ISO Central Secretariat for documents developed by ISO/TC67/SC6 (including JWGs).

A bullet (· ) at the beginning of a subclause or paragraph indicates that either a decision is required or further information is to be provided by the purchaser. This information should be indicated on the data sheet(s), otherwise it should be stated in the quotation request or in the order.
A bullet should be shown in the left-hand margin at the beginning of a subclause or paragraph that requires a decision or further information by the purchaser, when the wording "as specified", "if specified", or "when specified" appears in the text of that subclause or paragraph. A bullet is not required for "unless otherwise specified" or when a decision has been previously made and the phrase "when XXX has been specified" is used.
Each bulleted item in the text should have a provision in a data sheet for the purchaser’s decision. However, not every data sheet item requires a bulleted item in the text.
Items on the data sheet that require the purchaser to read the text in order to make a decision or to allow him to find additional technical information on the item should include a reference to the applicable numbered subclause or paragraph.
The first sentence of [1] above shall appear in the Introduction of the ISO Standard.

API CRE and ISO/TC67/SC6 haev developed "Standard Paragraphs" that are standard clauses containing wording to be put in the Introduction of relevant ISO Standards, and the latest revision includes the following:

A bullet (· ) at the beginning of a subclause or paragraph indicates that either a decision is required or further information is to be provided by the purchaser.

The following reminder to authors using the bullet functionality is provided by ISO CS:

Suggestion for greater clarity: separate out specific text to be bulleted. For example, if only the 2nd sentence in a paragraph comprising three sentences is concerned, subdivide the text so that this 2nd sentence appears in a separate paragraph that is then bulleted.

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This page 'bullets.htm' was last updated on 19 January 2006.