Bulletins vary greatly in their styles and in the length and tone of articles. In general the most successful have developed a concise format for articles with clear subheadings. These may be standardised so that readers know where to find particular kinds of information. For example, the US Public Citizen’s Worst Pills, Best Pills, a bulletin for consumers, ends each article with a practical advice section titled, “What you can do”. Titles usually give a clear idea of the topic of the article, but occasionally catchy titles are used to attract readers’ attention.

Most bulletins cite the references used as information sources (something that all bulletins should do, wherever possible). Some provide illustrations and tables, others do not. In addition to producing individual issues, many bulletins produce a yearly index. Some also publish bound collections of articles or CD-ROMs containing back issues. In countries where readers have Internet access, bulletins are increasingly published on Internet web sites as well as in print.