Note:
A quote must always
flow grammatically
with the sentence to
which it is
connected.
Single Quotation Marks:
When a direct quote sits inside of another quote, single quotation marks are used within
the quotation marks. Single quotation marks are also applied when citing the titles of
poems, stories, or articles within a direct quote.
Ex: “I will always remember Mom’s warning, ‘Never swim right after you eat!’”
recalled Jack.
EX: Before class ended Professor Robins said, “You must use the poem ‘The Road
Not Taken’ by Robert Frost as a source for the paper.”
Using [sic]:
In some cases, when citing direct quotations you may come across a sentence that has a
grammatical or punctuation error. Because direct quotations are expected to be cited
exactly as written, this error must not be corrected. Instead, place the word Sic in italics
and brackets immediately after the error in the quotation.
EX: “I love to where [sic] my APU t-shirt!”
Using Brackets:
Even if a quotation does not have a grammatical or punctuation error, it still may not fit
with the sentence surrounding it. If this is the case, brackets are used to add a missing
word, prefix, or suffix. Brackets can also be used to change the tense of a quotation or
add clarification.
EX: Yesterday Lisa confessed that she couldn’t stop “think[ing] about the final
paper for biology.”
EX: “I met a lot of [friendly] students during the APU
orientation,” answered Eric.
** This sheet is intended to be a quick reference for common citation situations.
For in-depth information on citation styles, please refer to writing manuals, take
advantage of resources offered by the on-campus libraries, or come to the
Writing Center for more information.
The Purdue Owl. Purdue U Writing Lab,
2010. Web. 7 Nov 2011.
Created by the APU Writing Center 2011