limiting block quotation usage because overusing quotations of any length can weaken your credibility. ensuring that each block quotation is clearly attributed to its source and. keeping block quotations as short and as relevant as possible. Carefully chosen block quotations can add valuable support, variety, and authenticity to your document.Įncourage your readers to read all (or at least more) of your document by Of course, anyone who has ever had to “beef up” a term paper at the last minute knows that sometimes block quotations really are just filler, unfortunately but that is not their only use even within the word-count obsessed halls of academia. (Gasp!) And, they may be especially weary of long, unbroken blocks of text-particularly if those long, unbroken blocks of text are quotations because many people assume that block quotations are just filler text. Here’s a dirty little secret: your readers may not always read every word you write. Reader Expectations about Block Quotations However, if you are a student or academic researcher with a specific copyright concern, contact your professor, advisor, or institutional writing center for direction. Many universities publish fair use guidelines to help students navigate fair use and copyright issues. When in doubt, always obtain legal permission from the copyright holder before quoting copyrighted material if that is not possible, contact a lawyer to see if the quotation falls under fair use. Those working on commercial, for-profit, or entertainment endeavors need to be particularly cautious because fair use traditionally favors academic, nonprofit, and journalistic endeavors although, no category enjoys absolute fair use protection, not even academic writing. You can learn more about fair use and other copyright laws by visiting the United States Copyright Office’s website at. Unlicensed quotations of copyrighted material of any length can potentially violate fair use and copyright laws even with proper citation. Always consult legal counsel if you have a question about copyright issues. The information below should not be interpreted as legal advice. I am not a lawyer or a permissions editor. (See Part 2 for examples based on Chicago, APA, and MLA recommendations.)Ĭopyright Concerns about Block Quotations 
The use of first-line indentations in multi-paragraph block quotations depends on your style guide. Parenthetical and numerical citations appear after the closing punctuation.
They shouldn’t be enclosed in quotation marks however, quotations within block quotations should be placed in quotation marks.
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In certain situations, they can even be introduced by an incomplete sentence.īlock Quotations, Part 2: How to Format a Block Quotation: Block quotations are indented from the left side of the surrounding text. (See Part 1 for examples based on Chicago, APA, and MLA recommendations.) Block quotations are commonly introduced by a complete sentence ending with a colon, but they can also be introduced by a complete sentence ending with a period. Here is a brief summary for those who missed the first two parts of the series:īlock Quotations, Part 1: How to Introduce a Block Quotation: The length of your block quotations depends on your style guide. (What’s that? Block quotations aren’t exciting? How about relatively riveting? Mildly motivating? Slightly stirring?) All good things must end-even this exciting block quotation series, which I’m going to close by discussing copyright concerns, reader expectations, and alternative options to block quotations.
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