This chapter offers general guidelines for presenting quotations. Although all of the examples are in English, the guidelines also apply to quotations from other languages (see also 22.2.1).
Quoting directly from a source is just one of several options for representing the work of others in your paper; for a discussion of the alternatives and when to use them, see 7.4. Whichever option you choose, you must cite the source of the words or ideas. Chapter 15 provides an introduction to citation practices, and the following chapters describe two common citation styles (chapters 16 and 17, bibliography style; chapters 18 and 19, author-date style).
If you are writing a thesis or a dissertation, your department or university may have specific requirements for presenting quotations, which are usually available from the office of theses and dissertations. If you are writing a class paper, your instructor may also ask you to follow certain principles for presenting quotations. Review these requirements before you prepare your paper. They take precedence over the guidelines suggested here. For style guides in various disciplines, see the bibliography.
If your dissertation will be submitted to an external dissertation repository, you may need to obtain formal permission from copyright holders for certain types of quotations. See chapter 4 of The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition (2010).
Accurate quotation is crucial to the scholarly enterprise, so you must
■ use only reliable, relevant sources (see chapter 3)
■ transcribe words exactly as they are in the original, or modify them only as described in 25.3
■ accurately report the sources in your bibliography or reference list (see chapters 16 and 18) so that readers can consult them for themselves
The ethics of scholarship also require that whenever you quote words or rely on tables, graphics, or data from another source, you clearly indicate what you borrowed and from where, using the appropriate citation style (see chapter 15). If you do not, you risk a charge of plagiarism. But even if you do cite a source accurately, you still risk a charge of plagiarism if you use the exact words of the source but fail to identify them as a quotation in one of the ways given in 25.2. For a fuller discussion of plagiarism, see 7.9.
You can incorporate a quotation into your text in one of two ways, depending on its length. If the quotation is four lines or less, run it into your text and enclose it in quotation marks. If it is five lines or longer, set it off as a block quotation, without quotation marks. Follow the same principles for quotations within footnotes or endnotes.
You may use a block quotation for a quotation shorter than five lines if you want to emphasize it or compare it to a longer quotation.
When quoting a passage of less than five lines, enclose the exact words quoted in double quotation marks. There are several ways to integrate a quotation into the flow of your text; see 7.5. You may introduce it with the name of the author accompanied by a term such as notes, claims, argues, or according to. (Note that these terms are usually in the present tense, rather than noted, claimed, and so forth, but some disciplines follow different practices.) In this case, put a comma before the quotation.
Ricoeur writes, “The boundary between plot and argument is no easier to trace.”
As Ricoeur notes, “The boundary between plot and argument is no easier to trace.”
If you weave a quotation more tightly into the syntax of your sentence, such as with the word that, do not put a comma before it.
Ricoeur warns us that “the boundary between plot and argument is no easier to trace.”
If you put the attributing phrase in the middle of a quotation, set it off with commas.
“The boundary between plot and argument,” says Ricoeur, “is no easier to trace.”
For the use of commas, periods, and other punctuation marks relative to quotations, see 21.12.2 and 25.3.1; for permissible changes to capitalization and other elements, see 25.3.1.
25.2.1.1 PLACEMENT OF CITATIONS. If you cite the source of a quotation in a footnote or endnote, where you place the superscript note number (see 16.3.2) depends on where the quotation falls within a sentence. If the quotation is at the end of the sentence, put the number after the closing quotation mark.
According to Litwack, “Scores of newly freed slaves viewed movement as a vital expression of their emancipation.”4
If the quotation ends in the middle of a sentence, put the number at the end of the clause that includes the quotation, which often is the end of the sentence.
“Scores of newly freed slaves viewed movement as a vital expression of their emancipation,” according to Litwack.4
Litwack argues that “scores of newly freed slaves viewed movement as a vital expression of their emancipation,”4 and he proceeds to prove this assertion.
The same placement options apply to citations given parenthetically with either bibliography-style (16.4.3) or author-date citations (see 18.3.1), with two notable differences:
■ If a period or comma would normally precede the closing quotation mark, place it outside the quotation, following the closing parenthesis.
The authors seek to understand “how people categorize the objects they encounter in everyday situations” (Bowker and Star 1999, 59).
To determine “how people categorize the objects they encounter in everyday situations” (Bowker and Star 1999, 59), the authors devised a study.
■ When the author’s name is mentioned in text along with the quotation, place the date next to the author’s name, regardless of where it appears relative to the quotation.
“Scores of newly freed slaves viewed movement as a vital expression of their emancipation,” according to Litwack (1999, 482).
Litwack’s (1999, 482) observation that “scores of newly freed slaves…”
25.2.1.2 SPECIAL PUNCTUATION. For a quotation within a quotation, use single quotation marks for the inner set of quoted words.
Rothko, argues Ball, “wanted to make works that wrought a transcendent effect, that dealt with spiritual concerns: ‘Paintings must be like miracles,’ he once said.”
If you run two or more lines of poetry into your text, separate them with a slash (/), with a space before and after it. In most cases, however, use block quotations for poetry (see 25.2.2.2).
They reduce life to a simple proposition: “All things have rest, and ripen toward the grave; / In silence, ripen, fall, and cease.”
25.2.2.1 PROSE. Present a prose quotation of five or more lines as a block quotation. Introduce the quotation in your own words in the text; see 7.5. If you introduce the quotation with a complete sentence, end the sentence with a colon. If you use only an attribution phrase such as notes, claims, argues, or according to along with the author’s name, end the phrase with a comma. If you weave the quotation into the syntax of your sentence, do not use any punctuation before the quotation if no punctuation would ordinarily appear there (see the second example below).
Single-space a block quotation, and leave a blank line before and after it. Do not add quotation marks at the beginning or end, but preserve any quotation marks in the original. Indent the entire quotation as far as you indent the first line of a paragraph. (In literary studies and other fields concerned with close analysis of texts, you should indent the first line of a block quotation further than the rest of the quotation if the text is indented in the original; see also 25.3.) For other punctuation and capitalization within the quotation, see 25.3.1.
Jackson begins by evoking the importance of home:
Housing is an outward expression of the inner human nature; no society can be fully understood apart from the residences of its members. A nineteenth-century melody declares, “There’s no place like home,” and even though she had Emerald City at her feet, Dorothy could think of no place she would rather be than at home in Kansas. Our homes are our havens from the world.1
In the rest of his introduction, he discusses …
If you quote more than one paragraph, do not add extra line space between them, but indent the first line of the second and subsequent paragraphs farther than the rest of the quotation.
He observed that
governments ordinarily perish by powerlessness or by tyranny. In the first case, power escapes them; in the other, it is torn from them.
Many people, on seeing democratic states fall into anarchy, have thought that government in these states was naturally weak and powerless. The truth is that when war among their parties has once been set aflame, government loses its action on society. (Tocqueville, 248)
If you cite the source in a footnote or endnote, place the note number as a superscript at the end of the block quotation, as in the first example above (see also 16.3.2). If you cite the source parenthetically, put the citation after the terminal punctuation of a block quotation, as in the second example above. (Note that this differs from its placement with a run-in quotation, as explained in 25.2.1.1.)
25.2.2.2 POETRY AND DRAMA. Present a quotation of two or more lines from poetry as a block quotation. Begin each line of the poem on a new line, with punctuation at the ends of lines as in the original. For most papers, indent a block of poetry as you would a prose quotation; if a line is too long to fit on a single line, indent the runover farther than the rest of the quotation. (In a dissertation or other longer paper that includes many poetry quotations, center each left-aligned quotation on the page relative to the longest line.)
Whitman’s poem includes some memorable passages:
My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from this soil, this air,
Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same
I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.
If you are quoting a poem with an unusual alignment, reproduce the alignment of the original to the best of your ability.
This is what Herbert captured so beautifully:
Sure there was wine
Before my sighs did drie it: there was corn
Before my tears did drown it.
Is the yeare onely lost to me?
Have I no bayes to crown it?
No flowers, no garlands gay? all blasted?
All wasted?
If you quote two or more lines of dialogue from a dramatic work, set the quotation apart in a block quotation formatted as you would prose. Present each speaker’s name so that it is distinct from the dialogue, such as in all capital letters or in a different font. Begin each speech on a new line, and indent runovers farther than the rest of the quotation.
Then the play takes an unusual turn:
R. ROISTER DOISTER. Except I have her to my wife, I shall run mad.
M. MERYGREEKE. Nay, “unwise” perhaps, but I warrant you for “mad.”
25.2.2.3 EPIGRAPHS. An epigraph is a quotation that establishes a theme of your paper. For epigraphs used in the front matter of a thesis or dissertation, see A.2.1. Treat an epigraph at the beginning of a chapter or section as a block quotation. On the line below it, give the author and the title, flush right and preceded by an em dash (or two hyphens; see 21.7.2). You do not need a more formal citation for an epigraph. Leave two blank lines between the source line and the beginning of text. See also figure A.9.
The city, however, does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand.
—Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities
When you do your research, you must record the exact wording, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation of any text you plan to quote, even if they do not follow the guidelines in this manual. When you incorporate the quotation into your paper, however, you may make minor adjustments to fit the syntax of the surrounding text or to emphasize certain parts of the quotation.
Note that disciplines have different standards for issues discussed in this section, such as modifying initial capital and lowercase letters and using ellipses for omissions. For papers in most disciplines, follow the general guidelines. For papers in literary studies and other fields concerned with close analysis of texts, follow the stricter guidelines given under some topics. If you are not sure which set to follow, consult your local guidelines or your instructor.
25.3.1.1 SPELLING. If the original source contains an obvious typographic error, correct it without comment.
Original: These conclusions are not definate, but they are certainly suggestive.
Clayton admits that his conclusions are “not definite.”
If, however, such an error reveals something significant about the source or is relevant to your argument, preserve it in your quotation. Immediately following the error, insert the Latin word sic (“so”), italicized and enclosed in brackets, to identify it as the author’s error. It is considered bad manners to call out errors just to embarrass a source.
Original: The average American does not know how to spell and cannot use a coma properly.
Russell exemplifies her own argument by claiming that the average American “cannot use a coma [sic] properly.”
When quoting from an older source or one that represents dialect with nonstandard spelling, preserve idiosyncrasies of spelling, and do not use sic. If you modernize or alter all of the spelling and punctuation for clarity, inform your readers in a note or preface.
25.3.1.2 CAPITALIZATION AND PUNCTUATION. In most disciplines, you may change the initial letter of a quoted passage from capital to lowercase or from lowercase to capital without noting the change. If you weave the quotation into the syntax of your sentence, begin it with a lowercase letter. Otherwise, begin it with a capital letter if it begins with a complete sentence, with a lowercase letter if it does not. You may also make similar changes when you use ellipses; see 25.3.2.
Original: As a result of these factors, the Mexican people were bound to benefit from the change.
Fernandez claims, “The Mexican people were bound to benefit from the change.”
Fernandez claims that “the Mexican people were bound to benefit from the change.”
Fernandez points out that “as a result of these factors, the Mexican people were bound to benefit from the change.”
“The Mexican people,” notes Fernandez, “were bound to benefit from the change.”
Depending on how you work the quotation in the text, you may also omit a final period or change it to a comma.
Fernandez notes that the Mexicans were “bound to benefit from the change” as a result of the factors he discusses.
“The Mexican people were bound to benefit from the change,” argues Fernandez.
Likewise, if the original passage ends with a colon or semicolon, you may delete it or change it to a period or a comma, depending on the structure of your sentence (see 21.12.2.1).
In literary studies and other fields concerned with close analysis of texts, indicate any change in capitalization by putting the altered letter in brackets. (For the use of ellipsis dots in literary studies, see 25.3.2.3.)
“… [T]he Mexican people were bound to benefit from the change,” argues Fernandez.
Fernandez points out that “[a]s a result of these factors, the Mexican people were bound to benefit from the change.”
In any discipline, if you put double quotation marks around a passage that already includes double quotation marks, change the internal marks to single quotation marks for clarity (see 25.2.1.2).
25.3.1.3 ITALICS. You may italicize for emphasis words that are not italicized in the original, but you must indicate the change with the notation italics mine or emphasis added, placed either in the quotation or in its citation. Within the quotation, add the notation in square brackets immediately after the italicized words. In a citation, add the notation after the page number, preceded by a semicolon (see also 16.3.5). In general, avoid adding italics to passages that include italics in the original; if it becomes necessary, you may distinguish these with the notation italics in original or, for example, Flaubert’s italics.
According to Schultz, “By the end of 2010, every democracy [emphasis added] will face the challenge of nuclear terrorism.”1
Brown notes simply that the destruction of the tribes “had all happened in less than ten years” (271; italics mine).
25.3.1.4 INSERTIONS. If you need to insert a word or more of explanation, clarification, or correction into a quotation, enclose the insertion in brackets. If you find yourself making many such insertions, consider paraphrasing or weaving smaller quotations into your text instead.
As she observes, “These masters [Picasso, Braque, Matisse] rebelled against academic training.”
She observes that Picasso, Braque, and Matisse “rebelled against academic training.”
25.3.1.5 NOTES. If you quote a passage that includes a superscript note number but do not quote the note itself, you may omit the note number.
If you omit words, phrases, sentences, or even paragraphs from a quotation because they seem irrelevant, be careful not to change or misrepresent the meaning of the original source. Not only must you preserve words that might change the entire meaning of the quotation (such as not, never, or always), but you must also preserve important qualifications. The quotation shown in the following example would be a misrepresentation of the author’s meaning. (See also 4.2.3.)
Original: The change was sure to be beneficial once the immediate troubles subsided.
Yang claims, “The change was sure to be beneficial.”
25.3.2.1 INSERTING ELLIPSES. To indicate the omission of a word, phrase, or sentence, use ellipsis dots—three periods with spaces between them. To avoid breaking an ellipsis over the line, use your word processor’s ellipsis character or, alternatively, use a nonbreaking space before and after the middle dot. You will also need to use a nonbreaking space between the ellipsis and any punctuation mark that follows. (Any mark that precedes the ellipsis, including a period, may appear at the end of the line above.) Since the dots stand for words omitted, they always go inside the quotation marks or block quotation.
How you use ellipses in certain situations depends on your discipline. For most disciplines, follow the general method; for literary studies and other fields concerned with close analysis of texts, follow the textual studies method (see 25.3.2.3). If you are not sure which method to follow, consult your local guidelines or your instructor. See 25.3.1 for adjustments to capitalization and punctuation with omissions.
25.3.2.2 GENERAL METHOD FOR ELLIPSES. You may shorten a quotation such as the following in several different ways.
Original: When a nation is wrong, it should say so and apologize to the wronged party. It should conduct itself according to the standards of international diplomacy. It should also take steps to change the situation.
If you omit words within a sentence, use three ellipsis dots as described above (25.3.2.1).
“When a nation is wrong, it should … apologize to the wronged party.”
If you omit material between sentences and the material preceding the omission is a grammatically complete sentence, use a terminal punctuation mark immediately following that sentence. Leave a space between that punctuation mark and the first ellipsis dot. Follow this practice even if the omission includes the end of the preceding sentence as long as what is left is grammatically complete (as in the second example here).
“When a nation is wrong, it should say so and apologize to the wronged party…. It should also take steps to change the situation.”
“When a nation is wrong, it should say so…. It should also take steps to change the situation.”
If you omit material between sentences so that the material preceding and following the omission combines to form a grammatically complete sentence, do not include terminal punctuation before the ellipsis. To avoid misrepresenting the author’s meaning, however, it is generally better to use one of the shortening options above or to use two separate quotations in this situation.
“When a nation is wrong, it should say so and … take steps to change the situation.”
The same principles apply with other types of punctuation marks, which precede or follow an ellipsis depending on where the words are omitted. In some situations, such as the second example below, consider using a more selective quotation.
“How hot was it? … No one could function in that climate.”
“The merchant’s stock included dry goods and sundry other items…, all for purchase by the women of the town.”
or
The merchant stocked “dry goods and sundry other items” for the town’s women.
Since in many contexts it is obvious when a quotation has been shortened, you need not use ellipsis points in the following situations:
■ before or after a quoted phrase, incomplete sentence, or other fragment from the original that is clearly not a complete sentence; if you omit anything within the fragment, however, use ellipsis points at the appropriate place:
Smith wrote that the president had been “very much impressed” by the paper that stressed “using the economic resources … of all the major powers.”
■ at the beginning of a quotation, even if the beginning of the sentence from the original has been omitted (but see 25.3.2.3 for the textual studies method for ellipses).
■ at the end of a quotation, even if the end of the sentence from the original has been omitted
25.3.2.3 TEXTUAL STUDIES METHOD FOR ELLIPSES. The textual studies method uses ellipses more strictly than the general method to represent omissions of material at the beginning and end of quoted sentences. If you use this method, follow the principles of the general method except as noted below.
Original: When a nation is wrong, it should say so and apologize to the wronged party. It should conduct itself according to the standards of international diplomacy. It should also take steps to change the situation.
■ If you omit material between sentences but quote the sentence preceding the omission in full, include the terminal punctuation mark from the original. Leave a space between that punctuation mark and the first ellipsis dot, as in the general method, shown in the first example below. However, if the omission includes the end of the preceding sentence (even if what is left is a grammatically complete sentence), put a space instead of a punctuation mark immediately following that sentence. After the space, use three ellipsis dots to represent the omission, followed by a space and the terminal punctuation mark from the original (as in the second example here).
“When a nation is wrong, it should say so and apologize to the wronged party…. It should also take steps to change the situation.”
but
“When a nation is wrong, it should say so…. It should also take steps to change the situation.”
■ If you begin a quotation with a sentence that is grammatically complete despite an omission at the beginning of the sentence, indicate the omission with an ellipsis. If the first word is capitalized in the quotation but not in the original, indicate the changed letter in brackets (see 25.3.1).
“… [I]t should say so and apologize to the wronged party.”
■ If you end a quotation with a sentence that is grammatically complete despite an omission at the end of the sentence, indicate the omission with a space and a three-dot ellipsis, followed by a space and the terminal punctuation from the original, as you would for an omitted ending between sentences.
“When a nation is wrong, it should say so….”
25.3.2.4 OMITTING A PARAGRAPH OR MORE. The following practice applies to both the general and textual studies methods of handling omissions.
If you omit a full paragraph or more within a block quotation, indicate that omission with a period and three ellipsis dots at the end of the paragraph before the omission. If the quotation includes another paragraph after the omission, indent the first line of the new paragraph. If it starts in the middle of a paragraph, begin with three ellipsis points after the indentation.
Merton writes:
A brand-new conscience was just coming into existence as an actual, operating function of a soul. My choices were just about to become responsible….
… Since no man ever can, or could, live by himself and for himself alone, the destinies of thousands of other people were bound to be affected.
25.3.2.5 OMITTING A LINE OR MORE OF POETRY. For both the general and textual studies methods, show the omission of one or more complete lines of a poem quoted in a block quotation by a line of ellipsis points about as long as the line above it.
The key passage reads as follows:
Weep no more, woeful shepherds, weep no more,
For Lycidas your sorrow is not dead,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To all that wander in that perilous flood.