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Quotation Marks


1.  Place commas and periods inside, not outside, quotation marks. Place all other punctuation outside quotation marks unless it was contained in the original source. Follow this practice whether or not the comma is part of the original quotation. The general rule is that commas and periods should be inside the quotation marks at all times, while all other forms of punctuation, such as question marks, colons, semicolons, and exclamation points, should be outside the quotation marks, unless they were contained in the original quotation.
 

Incorrect: The court held that "physical injury is not a required element of a sexual harassment claim", and the plaintiff went on to win her case.

Correct: The court held that "physical injury is not a required element of a sexual harassment claim," and the plaintiff went on to win her case.

Incorrect: As Socrates asked Phaedrus, " [A]re you and I expected to praise the sentiments of the author, or only the clearness, and roundness, and accuracy and tournure of the language"?

Correct: As Socrates asked Phaedrus, " [A]re you and I expected to praise the sentiments of the author, or only the clearness, and roundness, and accuracy and tournure of the language?"

Plato, Phaedrus, reprinted in On Homosexuality: Lysis, Phaedrus, and Symposium 51 (Benjamin Jowett trans. 1991).
Incorrect: How dare you call me a "bad apple!"

Correct: How dare you call me a "bad apple"!


Explanation: In the second set of examples, the question mark is part of the original quotation from Phaedrus and should therefore be placed inside the quotation marks. However, in the third set of examples, the exclamation point is supplied by the writer and is therefore properly placed outside the quotation marks.
 

2.  Use single quotation marks if one quote appears inside a longer quote. The use of single quotation marks around an internal quotation enables the reader to easily distinguish the internal quote from the material surrounding it. As such, single marks also allow the reader to determine from which source the internally quoted material was drawn.

Incorrect: "The rationale of the qualified privilege developed by the Court ... invoked the authority of Justice Murphy's Chaplinsky dictum: the calculated falsehood, "the lie, knowingly and deliberately published about a public official," is simply beyond the constitutional pale." Laurence H. Tribe, Constitutional Law 870 (2d ed. 1988)(quoting Garrison v. Louisiana, 379 U.S. 64, 75 (1964)).

Correct: "The rationale of the qualified privilege developed by the Court ... invoked the authority of Justice Murphy's Chaplinsky dictum: the calculated falsehood, 'the lie, knowingly and deliberately published about a public official,' is simply beyond the constitutional pale." Laurence H. Tribe, Constitutional Law 870 (2d ed. 1988)(quoting Garrison v. Louisiana, 379 U.S. 64, 75 (1964)).

3.  Use both double and single quotation marks when an entire quote from another source has been repeated in the source you are citing. However, you can avoid this situation by citing only the original source, provided that (i) this would be an effective use of authority and (ii) you have read the original source yourself.

Incorrect: The utterance of an expletive amounted to ""an imminent threat ... to the administration of justice."" Eaton v. City of Tulsa, 415 U.S. 697, 698 (1974)(per curiam)(quoting Craig v. Harney, 331 U.S. 367, 376 (1947)).

Correct: The utterance of an expletive amounted to "'an imminent threat ... to the administration of justice.'" Eaton v. City of Tulsa, 415 U.S. 697, 698 (1974)(per curiam)(quoting Craig v. Harney, 331 U.S. 367, 376 (1947)).
 

Also correct if one has read the original source:
The utterance of an expletive amounted to "an imminent threat ... to the administration of justice." Craig v. Harney, 331 U.S. 367, 376 (1947)).


In choosing which of the two correct forms to use, the writer must ask, "Which of these cases is the most important piece of authority?" If Eaton is the answer, use the first correct formulation. If Craig is the answer, use the second correct formulation. In order to make that determination, you must read both cases.
 

Cross References: Quotation Incorporation, Brackets, Ellipses

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