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Chicago Style Guide: 17th Edition

Formatting: Quotations

For more information on formatting quotations, see Section 13 of the Chicago Manual of Style. 

 

When Quoting:

  • Phrase the surrounding sentence in such a way that the quoted words fit into it logically and grammatically (13.11)
  • Integrate tenses and pronouns into the new context (13.12)
  • Surround the quoted passage with double quotation marks, i.e. "quotation" (13.30)
  • Place closing punctuation inside the closing quotation mark, i.e. "quotation." 

Block Quotations

  • Use block quotations (also called extracts) if quoting: 
    • five or more lines of text and/or more than 100 words
    • two or more lines of poetry
    • two or more paragraphs
    • quoted correspondence (if including salutations and signatures)
  • Formatting block quotations:
    • Single-spaced
    • Set off from the regular text by starting on a new line
    • Indent the entire block one-half inch on the left hand side (Use the indent/tab feature of your word processing software)
    • Do not enclose blocked quotation in quotation marks, but keep any quotation marks that appear in the original text
    • Leave a blank line before and after the block
    • Single-spaced  

Source in addition to the CMOS 17th edition: "How Do I Format My Class Paper in Chicago Style." CMOS Shop Talk (blog). Chicago Manual of Style, July 18, 2017. http://cmosshoptalk.com/2017/07/18/how-do-i-format-my-paper-in-chicago-style/.  

Quotation within Quotation

  • Use single quotation marks around a quote that falls within a quote
  • Any punctuation that is part of a quote within a quote should be placed inside the single quotation marks

EXAMPLE:

"When you are quoting from a resource and that quote includes an internal quote, 'use single quotation marks for the internal quote!' and include punctuation for that internal quote within the single quotation marks."