The phrase "should be preceded by" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to indicate that one thing should come before another in a sentence or sequence of events. Example: In a traditional Indian wedding, the groom should be preceded by his family and friends as he enters the venue.
In any case, the declaration of war should be preceded by efforts at conciliation and arbitration.
It should be preceded by a lot of tests in Petri dishes and laboratory animals.
Miliband argued that any action in Syria should be preceded by an attempt to secure a UN security council resolution.
All bad news in life, Nathan Rabin suggests in his mordant first book, should be preceded by this phrase: "We think you should do a solo album".
Adventurous trips should be preceded by a visit to a travel medicine clinic; searchable clinic lists are at www.istm.org or www.astmh.org.org
It seemed as if wherever you went and whatever you did, it should be preceded by a precautionary squirt of sanitiser.
She once said to me that all writers should be preceded by a figure ringing a bell, shouting "unclean, unclean", as used to be the case with those infected by the plague.
Mr. Hollande argues that each step toward integration in the euro zone should be preceded by an increase in "solidarity" — code for Germany's doing more to support the weaker southern states.
The rebels say the impending referendum on Europe should be preceded by a 28-day "purdah" during which the Civil Service would be neutral and other rules would apply as in a general election campaign.
The Russian leader insisted, however, that a presidential election should be preceded by constitutional changes in Ukraine aimed at federalising the country and handing greater powers to the regions, steps that would favour greater Russian influence over eastern Ukraine after the Kremlin annexed Crimea.
It is generally recommended that orthodontic treatment should be preceded by periodontal therapy.
