Less is more when crafting direct quotes. Paraphrase easily verifiable facts; save direct quotes for opinion-type statements.
How to punctuate quotes:
- Use quotation marks, not italics, around quotes.
- Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks; dashes, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation points go outside unless they apply to the quoted material. Will he show us how to find the place he described as “the world’s most beautiful garden sanctuary”? She asked the audience, “Will you support this mission?”
- Use single quotation marks for quotes within a quote: “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’”
- citations: Citations at the end of a quote should be in parentheses with the period at the end: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Exception: See inset quotes below
- epigraphs: When a quote is being used as an epigraph at the beginning of a work, no quotation marks are needed; use an em dash before the citation: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. –John 3:16 See also epigraph
Inset quotes: For longer quoted material, such as song lyrics, poetry, or a block quotation from a text, indent/inset the quote and don’t use quotation marks or italics. (Chicago style) If attribution is not included elsewhere, it can be listed in parentheses on a separate line.
He holds him with his skinny hand,
“There was a ship,” quoth he.
“Hold off! Unhand me, grey-beard loon!”
Eftsoons his hand dropt he.
(Coleridge, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”)