when to use single quotation marks in an essay

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When to Use Single Quotation Marks

By Erin Wright

Do you follow American-English writing standards? If so, today’s post is for you because it explains two instances when you should use single quotation marks followed by two instances when you may want to use them.

Please note that single quotation marks are used more frequently in British English and, therefore, have more applications than the four instances shown here.

Two Instances When You Should Use Single Quotation Marks

With few exceptions, use single quotation marks for (1) quotations within quotations and (2) titles within titles in quotation marks.

1. Quotations within Quotations

Use single quotation marks for quotations within run-in quotations , which are short quotes integrated into the surrounding text. 1

John said, “I started running south until I heard Max scream, ‘The zombies are over there!’”

Max replied, “I’m glad you heard me. Did Sam just yell ‘More zombies are coming’?”

“I think he did,” said John, “and Jack is hollering ‘Zombies over here,’ too.”

In the second example above, the question mark appears between the final single quotation mark and double quotation marks because Max asked the question, not Sam. 2

However, use double quotation marks for quotations within block quotations , which are longer, standalone quotes that are normally indented from the surrounding text. 3

2. Titles within Titles in Quotation Marks

In sentences and citations , titles within titles should be in single quotation marks if the following parameters are both true:

A. The original title should be in quotation marks.

B. The embedded title should be in quotation marks if written by itself. 4

The students read the article “Thoughts on ‘Thoughts in the Car’” before completing their assignments.

Susanna was delighted that her article “An analysis of Guy Clark’s ‘Desperados Waiting for a Train’” was accepted for publication.

Each style guide has its own recommendations for formatting titles in sentences and citations, so consult your own guide, if applicable.

Two Instances When You May Want to Use Single Quotation Marks

Depending on your style guide or writing field, you may want to use single quotation marks (1) in news headlines and (2) around translations of quotations.

1. Quotations in News Headlines

The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends using single quotation marks for quotations in news headlines. 5

AP is the primary style for journalism in the United States and abroad. Therefore, consider following this recommendation if you want to adhere to traditional journalism styles and don’t already follow a style guide adopted by a specific news outlet.

Sasquatch researcher claims an ‘unimaginable discovery’

Eighth grader’s insistence that ‘dog ate my homework’ was true

2. Quotation Translations

The Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook offers the option to place translations of quotations in single quotation marks directly after the original quotation. 6

The MLA Handbook is widely used by humanities departments in colleges and universities around the United States. If you follow MLA style for school or research (or if you want to align your style with humanities studies), you may want to consider using this option—as long as you do so consistently throughout your document.

The crowd chanted in Latin, “Dum vivimus, vivamus!” ‘While we live, let us live!’

The girl whispered “amor vincit omnia” ‘love conquers all.’

Visit “ How to Insert Special Characters in Microsoft Word ” for a step-by-step tutorial on inserting all of Word’s twenty-seven special characters, including single quotation marks.

1. The Associated Press Stylebook 2020–2022 (New York: Associated Press, 2020), 344–45; The Chicago Manual of Style , 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 13.30; MLA Handbook , 8th ed. (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2016), 1.3.7; Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), 8.33.

2. The Chicago Manual of Style , 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 13.30.

3. The Chicago Manual of Style , 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 13.31.

4. The Chicago Manual of Style , 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 14.94; MLA Handbook , 8th ed. (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2016), 1.2.4.

5. The Associated Press Stylebook 2020–2022 (New York: Associated Press, 2020), 138.

6. MLA Handbook , 8th ed. (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2016), 1.3.8.

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Single vs. Double Quotation Marks

Single and double quotation marks both appear in pairs and work the same way: most often, they enclose a quotation or direct speech, but they can also indicate irony, set off the title of a work (like the name of a song or a poem), or show that a word is used as itself in a sentence.

Whether to use single or double quotes depends upon whether you follow US or UK style. Double quotes (“ ”) are used to enclose text in American (and often Canadian) style, with single quotes used around words in text already within quotes. In contrast, single quotes (‘ ’) are preferred in British (and often Australian) style, with double quotes reserved for quotes within quotes.

American vs. British

In US style, text is generally enclosed in double instead of single quotation marks.

• Lulu said, “I can’t believe you did this.”
• She said it was all “a scandalous lie.”
• He has just published an “apology” on his blog.
• They clearly enjoy playing “Tuesday’s Gone” to an audience.
• She’s two now, and her new favorite word is “no.”

In British academic and formal writing and book publishing, single quotation marks are used instead.

• She said, ‘I’m glad you wrote.’
• Poco said it was all ‘a scandalous lie’.
• He has issued an ‘apology’.
• Perhaps the best apology poem is ‘This Is Just to Say’ by William Carlos Williams.
• My new favorite phrase is ‘goblin mode’.

However, in British news copy, double quotes are used, as in US style. The BBC and Guardian , for example, follow this style, although they use single quotes in headlines, likely to save space.

• “We don’t know exactly when their olfactory impairments started to decline.” But she is “confident” that long-term exposure to pollution was the cause, even at low levels. — “Is air pollution causing us to lose our sense of smell?” BBC Future (Feb. 21, 2023)

Quotes within quotes

In US style, use single quotes around words that appear in text already inside double quotes. Double quotes are the primary marks in American writing, with single quotes kept in reserve to be brought out only when you need a secondary pair of quotation marks.

• Her latest article, “Why We Are All in ‘Goblin Mode,’” was just published this morning.
• “Is that the image that won ‘Picture of the Year’?”
• “When she says ‘soon,’ she means sometime this year.”
• “I wish we had brought some ‘cookies,’ if you know what I mean.”

In British writing, this style is reversed: single quotation marks are the default, with double quotation marks used around a quote within text already in single quotes.

• ‘Is that the image that won “Picture of the Year”?’
• ‘When she says “soon”, she means sometime this year.’

In British news writing, double quotation marks are used instead, with single quotation marks used for quotes within quotes (which is the same as US style).

• “A good example is ‘Can your child walk?’,” Sheldrick says. “What do you mean by ‘walk’?” — “What parents get wrong about childhood ‘milestones’,” BBC Family Tree (Jan. 10, 2023)

American style manuals such as the Chicago Manual of Style , AP Stylebook , APA Publication Manual , and MLA Handbook all recommend using single quotation marks only if needed to show quotes in text already enclosed in double quotes. The British New Oxford Style Manual , in contrast, recommends using double quotes only in text already within single quotes.

Punctuation around single and double quotes

In US style, commas and periods always go inside quotation marks, whether single or double. This rule stands for all quoted text, including quotes within quotes. Thus, if a phrase is enclosed in single quotes inside text in double quotes, the period goes inside the single and double quotes.

• “She said she would call ‘soon.’”
• “The phrase of the year is ‘goblin mode,’” she announced.

Question marks and exclamation points go inside single or double quotation marks depending on the text they are meant to punctuate. They go outside if they belong to the surrounding sentence.

• “She yelled, ‘Now!’”
• “Did I just hear someone say ‘dragon’?”
• “Did you ask her if she wants to join our little expedition?” “Yes. She simply asked, ‘When?’”
• “Did you ask about our share?” “I did, and he said, ‘I have no idea what you are talking about’!”

In British style, a punctuation mark generally goes inside single or double quotes only if it is meant to punctuate the text enclosed in those quotes, but outside if it should be punctuating the surrounding sentence.

• ‘I think it’s all over,’ she said.
• ‘The phrase of the year is “goblin mode”,’ she announced.
• ‘He says it’s “urgent”, which means it’s due next week,’ she replied and rolled her eyes.
• Maya asked, ‘When?’
• ‘Did I just hear someone say “dragon”?’

In modern British fiction and news copy, the comma goes inside the closing quotation mark that appears before a speech tag.

• ‘I think,’ she said, ‘it’s all over.’

However, in British formal and academic writing, the comma goes inside to indicate punctuation in the original passage but outside otherwise.

• ‘No one I know trusts the police,’ said an interviewee. The comma replaces the period that would have occurred naturally in the original sentence.
• ‘The “truth” is not what they want,’ she said.
• ‘No one I know’, said an interviewee, ‘trusts the police.’ The comma goes outside (in formal writing) since there would have been no punctuation after the word know in the original sentence.
• ‘The “truth”’, she said, ‘is not what they want.’

The New Oxford Style Manual recommends this as traditional British style but notes that the comma in the last two examples above would appear before the closing quotation mark in modern British fiction and journalism.

Space between single and double quotes

When a single quote appears beside a double quote (either opening or closing), a space may be inserted between the two to improve readability. Doing this is optional: it can be useful in some fonts, less useful in others. If you do insert a space, make sure to use a non-breaking space to ensure that a quotation mark doesn’t get stranded at line break. In print publications, typesetters generally place a hair space (or thin space) between two adjacent quotation marks.

• “It’s true,” she said. “I haven’t heard ‘Billie Jean.’ ”
• “ ‘Cookies’ aren’t what they are selling,” he replied.

To insert a non-breaking space in Microsoft Word, press Ctrl + Shift + Space (on Windows) or Option + Space (on Mac OS). The HTML character code is   .

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Use single quotes for quotation marks around text already in double quotes.

In US style, double quotes generally enclose direct speech.

In UK style, single quotes usually enclose direct speech.

Use single within double quotes to show quoted text within quoted text.

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When to Use Single Quotation Marks

Use single quotation marks for quotes inside of quotes. Use apostrophes to serve as single quotation marks. Single quotation marks follow the same rules as regular quotation marks.

• Example: The professor said, “Read the article entitled  ‘How to Grow Hydroponic Tomatoes.' ” 
• Example: In her essay on creativity, the author states, “According to Sigmund Freud, dreams are  ‘the royal road to the unconscious,’  and new research is proving him right.”
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How to Use Quotation Marks

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Using Quotation Marks

The primary function of quotation marks is to set off and represent exact language (either spoken or written) that has come from somebody else. The quotation mark is also used to designate speech acts in fiction and sometimes poetry. Since you will most often use them when working with outside sources, successful use of quotation marks is a practical defense against accidental plagiarism and an excellent practice in academic honesty. The following rules of quotation mark use are the standard in the United States, although it may be of interest that usage rules for this punctuation do vary in other countries.

The following covers the basic use of quotation marks. For details and exceptions consult the separate sections of this guide.

Direct Quotations

Direct quotations involve incorporating another person's exact words into your own writing.

• Quotation marks always come in pairs. Do not open a quotation and fail to close it at the end of the quoted material.

Mr. Johnson, who was working in his field that morning, said, "The alien spaceship appeared right before my own two eyes."

Although Mr. Johnson has seen odd happenings on the farm, he stated that the spaceship "certainly takes the cake" when it comes to unexplainable activity.

"I didn't see an actual alien being," Mr. Johnson said, "but I sure wish I had."

When quoting text with a spelling or grammar error, you should transcribe the error exactly in your own text. However, also insert the term sic in italics directly after the mistake, and enclose it in brackets. Sic is from the Latin, and translates to "thus," "so," or "just as that." The word tells the reader that your quote is an exact reproduction of what you found, and the error is not your own.

Mr. Johnson says of the experience, "It's made me reconsider the existence of extraterestials [ sic ]."

• Quotations are most effective if you use them sparingly and keep them relatively short. Too many quotations in a research paper will get you accused of not producing original thought or material (they may also bore a reader who wants to know primarily what YOU have to say on the subject).

Indirect Quotations

Indirect quotations are not exact wordings but rather rephrasings or summaries of another person's words. In this case, it is not necessary to use quotation marks. However, indirect quotations still require proper citations, and you will be committing plagiarism if you fail to do so.

Many writers struggle with when to use direct quotations versus indirect quotations. Use the following tips to guide you in your choice.

Use direct quotations when the source material uses language that is particularly striking or notable. Do not rob such language of its power by altering it.

The above should never stand in for:

Use an indirect quotation (or paraphrase) when you merely need to summarize key incidents or details of the text.

Use direct quotations when the author you are quoting has coined a term unique to her or his research and relevant within your own paper.

When to use direct quotes versus indirect quotes is ultimately a choice you'll learn a feeling for with experience. However, always try to have a sense for why you've chosen your quote. In other words, never put quotes in your paper simply because your teacher says, "You must use quotes."

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Correct Usage of Quotation Marks in Academic Writing

The correct use of quotation marks can be confusing for authors, especially those whose primary language is not English (ESL authors). Quotation marks are used to show that the text is taken word for word from another source, to call attention to an important word or phrase, or when using a technical term for the first time. There are “run-in quotes,” and quotes that are separated by block text. There are quotes within other quotes and different punctuation styles depending on the subject matter, style guide used, and even the country. The following descriptions will help you with quotation marks in your academic writing.

How do quotation marks look—what’s the typeface? In scientific writing, this is important because it can distinguish a quotation mark from a prime mark, which is used often in genetics and other physical-science disciplines. According to the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), quotation marks that are often called “curly” or “smart” quotes, are used in most published text and are meant to match its typeface. Smart quotes should not be confused with straight quotes (“), which is the computer’s default form. In addition, single straight quotes are often used as prime marks; as the symbol in measurements, such as feet and arcminutes; and in mathematics, as in x’y’; however, this is not the correct usage—the prime symbol (ʹ) should be used instead. Changes to the correct forms can easily be made in your computer’s word-processing program.

Quotation Marks in Text

Regardless of which style guide you use or which side of the Atlantic you are on, there is an agreement about the specific rules for using quotation marks in your text. For example, if you are inserting a direct quote into your writing, it is important to ensure that the reader understands that those words are not yours. In a story that includes conversations among the characters, quotation marks distinguish their words from those of the author.

Quotation marks are also used to call attention to new words or phrases, which is particularly useful in science and technical writing, such as in the following sentence: One of the several branches of zoology, “ichthyology,” concentrates on the study of fish. Note that, in keeping with the American English style, not only is the new term in double quotes, but the comma is inside the quotation marks.

Related: Confused about the use of punctuations in a research paper ? Check out these posts now!

Quotation Marks in Reference Lists

Different style guides have different protocols for using quotation marks in reference lists. Papers written for the liberal arts or humanities follow the style set by the Modern Language Association ( MLA ). Authors with disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences usually use the American Psychological Association ( APA ) style guide, and writers in the biological sciences and engineering fields refer to the Council of Science Editors (CSE) handbook. For example, MLA and CMOS use quotation marks around titles of articles within books, but APA does not. Book titles are not surrounded by quotation marks, but periodicals (including newspapers) are. Note the differences in the following examples.

MLA: Bagchi, Alaknanda. “Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi’s Bashai Tudu.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature , vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, pp. 41–50.

APA:  MacLean, E. L., Krupenye, C., & Hare, B. (2014). Dogs ( Canis familiaris ) account for body orientation but not visual barriers when responding to pointing gestures. Journal of Comparative Psychology , 128, 285–297.

CMOS:  Joshua I. Weinstein, “The Market in Plato’s Republic,” Classical Philology 104 (2009): 440.

CSE: Powell JM, Wattiaux MA, Broderick GA. Evaluation of milk urea nitrogen as a management tool to reduce ammonia emissions from dairy farms. J Dairy Sci. 2011;94(9):4690–4694

Single, Double, and Punctuation

There are different rules for using single or double quotations marks. In American English, double quotation marks are used first and single quotations marks are used second for a citation within a citation. British English is just the opposite. See the following examples.

American : “I know,” he said, “that I heard him say ‘help me’ as he fell.”

British : ‘I know’, he said, ‘that I heard him say “help me” as he fell.’

In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks while other punctuations are placed outside. Is this logical? No, but it stems from the days of typesetting by hand when the printer did not want to have small punctuation sort of hanging off the end of a block of text. In British English, all punctuation is placed outside the quotation marks unless it is part of the quoted text. For scientific writing, CSE suggests that punctuations should follow the British English style as “internationally accepted” usage; however, always check your author guidelines.

Block Text and Epigraphs

The format for quotations changes depending on the length of the passage. If it is more than four lines, MLA protocol states formatting the passage as block text, which is never surrounded by quotations marks, APA protocol states to use block text if the passage exceeds 40 words. Other style guides might have other rules so be sure to check.

Epigraphs are inscriptions that are often used on buildings, tombstones, or other objects. Although they can be direct quotes, quotation marks are not used; special typefaces and formats are used instead to call attention to them.

Writing Tips

Don’t overuse quotation marks—whatever style guide you use, it’s important that they be used correctly but sparingly. It is not always necessary to use them around words for emphasis . Always check to ensure that you are using the correct style for your discipline.

• Academic Skills, University of Melbourne. ‘Using quotation marks’. Retrieved from https://students.unimelb.edu.au/academic-skills/explore-our-resources/grammar/punctuation

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The Proper Use of Quotation Marks

#scribendiinc

Everything you need to know about using quotation marks

Who knew formatting quotation marks was so complicated? They seem relatively easy to use and self-explanatory, but the formatting of these little English language punctuation marks varies from country to country and is sometimes even governed by the conventions of genre.

It turns out that quotation marks are the wily and feral children of the writing world. In order to help you navigate their subtle nuances and unpredictability, Scribendi.com has compiled a list of rules to help you properly format quotation marks.

1. Single or double?

All of life's important decisions seem to come down to this very question (hotel rooms, ice cream, scotch) and it is no different for quotation marks. Whether to use single or double quotation marks is the number one problem we encounter when editing documents.

This entirely depends on what country you're writing in. In Canadian and American writing, double quotation marks are used. In British and Australian writing, single quotation marks are used. Sometimes, professors don't care whether you use single quotation marks or double. If this is the case, then default to whatever you're most comfortable with, but take care to be consistent.

2. Punctuation

Punctuation usage is another issue we deal with in the documents we edit, and once again the proper form is dependent on what country you are writing in. American and Canadian usage places full stops inside the quotation marks. British and Australian usage is dependent on the context of the sentence.

If the punctuation mark is part of the actual quotation, then it goes inside the quotation marks. In most other circumstances, the punctuation marks go outside the quotation marks. 

What do you do when you need to quote something within a quotation? This question has plagued writers for generations. The placement of quotation marks within quotation marks is technically referred to as nesting. The correct format is, shockingly, related to what country you are writing in.

In American and Canadian usage, where double quotation marks are used, quoting within a quotation (or nesting) requires single quotation marks. If following British or Australian rules, where single quotation marks are used, use double quotation marks when nesting. Astute readers might ask about a quotation within a quotation within a quotation. In that extremely rare circumstance, our advice is to rephrase the sentence.

The general rule is that one should not put a space between the quotation mark and the word that follows, or put a space between the last word and the closing quotation mark.

The only exception to this is when you are dealing with nesting. When you are dealing with a nested quotation at the beginning or end of a quotation, you are required to put a space between the nested quotation mark and the primary quotation mark.

This is an issue we do not encounter very often, but it should be explained. Usually, the genre you're writing in does not affect the placement of punctuation in relation to quotation marks. However, British and Australian publishers of non-fiction (primarily journalism) allow for the placement of punctuation marks within quotation marks if those punctuation marks are part of the person's speech.

So there you have it—our pithy and succinct guide to quotation marks. If you're confused or still have questions about whether you are properly formatting quotation marks, then don't fret. Just forward your document to our English academic editors  and we'll make sure your quotations are quoted properly, and in case you were wondering, you can quote us on that.

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• How to Quote | Citing Quotes in APA, MLA & Chicago

How to Quote | Citing Quotes in APA, MLA & Chicago

Published on April 15, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Jack Caulfield. Revised on May 31, 2023.

Quoting means copying a passage of someone else’s words and crediting the source. To quote a source, you must ensure:

• The quoted text is enclosed in quotation marks or formatted as a block quote
• The original author is correctly cited
• The text is identical to the original

The exact format of a quote depends on its length and on which citation style you are using. Quoting and citing correctly is essential to avoid plagiarism which is easy to detect with a good plagiarism checker .

Table of contents

How to cite a quote in apa, mla and chicago, introducing quotes, quotes within quotes, shortening or altering a quote, block quotes, when should i use quotes, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about quoting sources.

Every time you quote, you must cite the source correctly . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style you’re using. Three of the most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

Citing a quote in APA Style

To cite a direct quote in APA , you must include the author’s last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas . If the quote appears on a single page, use “p.”; if it spans a page range, use “pp.”

An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative. In a parenthetical citation , you place all the information in parentheses after the quote. In a narrative citation , you name the author in your sentence (followed by the year), and place the page number after the quote.

Punctuation marks such as periods and commas are placed after the citation, not within the quotation marks .

• Evolution is a gradual process that “can act only by very short and slow steps” (Darwin, 1859, p. 510) .
• Darwin (1859) explains that evolution “can act only by very short and slow steps” (p. 510) .

Complete guide to APA

Citing a quote in mla style.

An MLA in-text citation includes only the author’s last name and a page number. As in APA, it can be parenthetical or narrative, and a period (or other punctuation mark) appears after the citation.

• Evolution is a gradual process that “can act only by very short and slow steps” (Darwin 510) .
• Darwin explains that evolution “can act only by very short and slow steps” (510) .

Complete guide to MLA

Citing a quote in chicago style.

Chicago style uses Chicago footnotes to cite sources. A note, indicated by a superscript number placed directly after the quote, specifies the author, title, and page number—or sometimes fuller information .

Unlike with parenthetical citations, in this style, the period or other punctuation mark should appear within the quotation marks, followed by the footnote number.

Complete guide to Chicago style

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• Missing reference entries

Make sure you integrate quotes properly into your text by introducing them in your own words, showing the reader why you’re including the quote and providing any context necessary to understand it.  Don’t  present quotations as stand-alone sentences.

There are three main strategies you can use to introduce quotes in a grammatically correct way:

• Add an introductory sentence
• Use an introductory signal phrase
• Integrate the quote into your own sentence

The following examples use APA Style citations, but these strategies can be used in all styles.

Introductory sentence

Introduce the quote with a full sentence ending in a colon . Don’t use a colon if the text before the quote isn’t a full sentence.

If you name the author in your sentence, you may use present-tense verbs , such as “states,” “argues,” “explains,” “writes,” or “reports,” to describe the content of the quote.

• In Denmark, a recent poll shows that: “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• In Denmark, a recent poll shows that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• Levring (2018) reports that support for the EU has grown since the Brexit vote: “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (p. 3).

Introductory signal phrase

You can also use a signal phrase that mentions the author or source, but doesn’t form a full sentence. In this case, you follow the phrase with a comma instead of a colon.

• According to a recent poll, “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• As Levring (2018) explains, “A membership referendum held today would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” (p. 3).

Integrated into your own sentence

To quote a phrase that doesn’t form a full sentence, you can also integrate it as part of your sentence, without any extra punctuation .

• A recent poll suggests that EU membership “would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” in a referendum (Levring, 2018, p. 3).
• Levring (2018) reports that EU membership “would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” in a referendum (p. 3).

When you quote text that itself contains another quote, this is called a nested quotation or a quote within a quote. It may occur, for example, when quoting dialogue from a novel.

To distinguish this quote from the surrounding quote, you enclose it in single (instead of double) quotation marks (even if this involves changing the punctuation from the original text). Make sure to close both sets of quotation marks at the appropriate moments.

Note that if you only quote the nested quotation itself, and not the surrounding text, you can just use double quotation marks.

• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: “ “ Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, ” he told me, “ just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had ” ” (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had ” (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway introduces his narrative by quoting his father: “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had’” (Fitzgerald 1).
• Carraway begins by quoting his father’s invocation to “remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (Fitzgerald 1).

Note:  When the quoted text in the source comes from another source, it’s best to just find that original source in order to quote it directly. If you can’t find the original source, you can instead cite it indirectly .

Often, incorporating a quote smoothly into your text requires you to make some changes to the original text. It’s fine to do this, as long as you clearly mark the changes you’ve made to the quote.

Shortening a quote

If some parts of a passage are redundant or irrelevant, you can shorten the quote by removing words, phrases, or sentences and replacing them with an ellipsis (…). Put a space before and after the ellipsis.

Be careful that removing the words doesn’t change the meaning. The ellipsis indicates that some text has been removed, but the shortened quote should still accurately represent the author’s point.

Altering a quote

You can add or replace words in a quote when necessary. This might be because the original text doesn’t fit grammatically with your sentence (e.g., it’s in a different verb tense), or because extra information is needed to clarify the quote’s meaning.

Use brackets to distinguish words that you have added from words that were present in the original text.

The Latin term “ sic ” is used to indicate a (factual or grammatical) mistake in a quotation. It shows the reader that the mistake is from the quoted material, not a typo of your own.

In some cases, it can be useful to italicize part of a quotation to add emphasis, showing the reader that this is the key part to pay attention to. Use the phrase “emphasis added” to show that the italics were not part of the original text.

You usually don’t need to use brackets to indicate minor changes to punctuation or capitalization made to ensure the quote fits the style of your text.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

If you quote more than a few lines from a source, you must format it as a block quote . Instead of using quotation marks, you set the quote on a new line and indent it so that it forms a separate block of text.

Block quotes are cited just like regular quotes, except that if the quote ends with a period, the citation appears after the period.

To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick or any money, or anything that he usually took when he went out; leaving his second breakfast half-finished and quite unwashed-up, pushing his keys into Gandalf’s hands, and running as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water, and then on for a mile or more. (16)

Avoid relying too heavily on quotes in academic writing . To integrate a source , it’s often best to paraphrase , which means putting the passage in your own words. This helps you integrate information smoothly and keeps your own voice dominant.

However, there are some situations in which quoting is more appropriate.

When focusing on language

If you want to comment on how the author uses language (for example, in literary analysis ), it’s necessary to quote so that the reader can see the exact passage you are referring to.

When giving evidence

To convince the reader of your argument, interpretation or position on a topic, it’s often helpful to include quotes that support your point. Quotes from primary sources (for example, interview transcripts or historical documents) are especially credible as evidence.

When presenting an author’s position or definition

When you’re referring to secondary sources such as scholarly books and journal articles, try to put others’ ideas in your own words when possible.

But if a passage does a great job at expressing, explaining, or defining something, and it would be very difficult to paraphrase without changing the meaning or losing the weakening the idea’s impact, it’s worth quoting directly.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?
• Chicago style
• Paraphrasing
• Critical thinking

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

A quote is an exact copy of someone else’s words, usually enclosed in quotation marks and credited to the original author or speaker.

In academic writing , there are three main situations where quoting is the best choice:

• To analyze the author’s language (e.g., in a literary analysis essay )
• To give evidence from primary sources
• To accurately present a precise definition or argument

Don’t overuse quotes; your own voice should be dominant. If you just want to provide information from a source, it’s usually better to paraphrase or summarize .

Every time you quote a source , you must include a correctly formatted in-text citation . This looks slightly different depending on the citation style .

For example, a direct quote in APA is cited like this: “This is a quote” (Streefkerk, 2020, p. 5).

Every in-text citation should also correspond to a full reference at the end of your paper.

A block quote is a long quote formatted as a separate “block” of text. Instead of using quotation marks , you place the quote on a new line, and indent the entire quote to mark it apart from your own words.

The rules for when to apply block quote formatting depend on the citation style:

• APA block quotes are 40 words or longer.
• MLA block quotes are more than 4 lines of prose or 3 lines of poetry.
• Chicago block quotes are longer than 100 words.

If you’re quoting from a text that paraphrases or summarizes other sources and cites them in parentheses , APA and Chicago both recommend retaining the citations as part of the quote. However, MLA recommends omitting citations within a quote:

• APA: Smith states that “the literature on this topic (Jones, 2015; Sill, 2019; Paulson, 2020) shows no clear consensus” (Smith, 2019, p. 4).
• MLA: Smith states that “the literature on this topic shows no clear consensus” (Smith, 2019, p. 4).

Footnote or endnote numbers that appear within quoted text should be omitted in all styles.

If you want to cite an indirect source (one you’ve only seen quoted in another source), either locate the original source or use the phrase “as cited in” in your citation.

In scientific subjects, the information itself is more important than how it was expressed, so quoting should generally be kept to a minimum. In the arts and humanities, however, well-chosen quotes are often essential to a good paper.

In social sciences, it varies. If your research is mainly quantitative , you won’t include many quotes, but if it’s more qualitative , you may need to quote from the data you collected .

As a general guideline, quotes should take up no more than 5–10% of your paper. If in doubt, check with your instructor or supervisor how much quoting is appropriate in your field.

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Changes to Quotations

You can change direct quotations under certain circumstances. Some changes require you to explain the change, and others you can make without indicating the change to readers.

Changes to a quotation not requiring explanation

Some changes can be made to direct quotations without alerting readers:

• The first letter of the first word in a quotation may be changed to an uppercase or a lowercase letter to fit the context of the sentence in which the quotation appears.
• Some punctuation marks at the end of a quotation may be changed to fit the syntax of the sentence in which the quotation appears, as long as meaning is not changed (e.g., it might alter meaning to change a period to a question mark, depending on how the sentence is written).
• Single quotation marks may be changed to double quotation marks and vice versa.
• Footnote or endnote number callouts can be omitted.
• Any other changes (e.g., italicizing words for emphasis or omitting words) must be explicitly indicated.

Changes to quotations are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 8.30 to 8.31 and the Concise Guide Sections 8.30 to 8.31

Changes to a quotation requiring explanation

Other changes require you to alert reader to the change:

• Use an ellipsis to indicate that you have omitted words within a quotation (e.g., to shorten a sentence or tie two sentences together).
• Either type three periods with spaces around each ( . . . ) or use the ellipsis character created by your word processing program when you type three periods in a row ( … ), with a space before and after.
• Use four periods—that is, a period plus an ellipsis (. … )—to show a sentence break within omitted material, such as when a quotation includes the end of one sentence and the beginning of another sentence.
• Use square brackets, not parentheses, to enclose material such as an addition or explanation you have inserted in a quotation.
• If you want to emphasize a word or words in a quotation, use italics. Immediately after the italicized words, insert “emphasis added” within square brackets as follows: [emphasis added].

If the quotation contains an error, it is necessary to indicate the error .