how to switch what side a quotation marks
Dear APA,
I'm quoting from a couple of different sources in my APA Way paper, and I can't figure out what to do with all the quotation marks and periods and commas. Do I put the period within or outside the quotation marks? What about question marks and quotation marks? I've been told and so many different things over the years that the answers have just blurred together. Please assistance!
—Quizzical in Queens
Beloved Quizzical,
We're not surprised that y'all have been told dissimilar ways to punctuate over the years, because there practise indeed exist unlike practices in the globe. On the upside, if you are writing an APA Style newspaper, we have some squeamish, straightforward solutions for you.
To begin, let's take a cursory wait at the 2 punctuation systems you lot've probably encountered, which are chosen American manner (or Northward American Style) and British style.
Here is a quick nautical chart of the differences:
| Style issue | American Mode | British Mode |
| To enclose a quotation, use… | Double quotation marks | Single quotation marks |
| To enclose a quotation within a quotation, use… | Single quotation marks | Double quotation marks |
| Place periods and commas… | Inside quotation marks | Outside quotation marks |
| Place other punctuation (colons, semi-colons, question marks, etc.)… | Outside quotation marks* | Outside quotation marks* |
*Place other punctuation inside quotation marks when that punctuation is part of what is being quoted, such as a quoted question.
Equally you might gauge from our proper noun, APA Way uses American fashion punctuation (see p. 92 of the 6th ed. Publication Manual), as exercise several other major mode guides (such as AP, Chicago, and MLA). The table below elaborates, with examples for each punctuation mark.
| Punctuation mark | In relation to endmost quotation mark, place it… | Example | Notes |
| Flow | Within | Participants who kept dream diaries described themselves every bit "introspective" and "thoughtful." | |
| Comma | Within | Many dream images were characterized as "raw," "powerful," and "evocative." | |
| Parentheses | Outside | Barris (2010) argued that "dreams express and work with the logic of gaining a sense of and a relation to ourselves, our lives, or our sense of reality as a whole" (p. 4). | Run across more examples of how to cite direct quotations hither. |
| Semi-colon | Outside | At the beginning of the written report, participants described their dream recall rate as "low to moderate"; at the end, they described it as "moderate to high." | |
| Colon | Outside | Participants stated they were "excited to begin": We controlled for participants' expectations in our report. | |
| Question mark or exclamation point (part of quoted material) | Within | The Dream Questionnaire items included "How often do you remember your dreams?" and "What do you lot most often dream about?" We institute intriguing results. | When a quotation ending in a question mark or assertion bespeak ends a sentence, no extra menstruum is needed. |
| Question mark or assertion signal (not part of quoted material) | Outside | How will this report impact participants who stated at the first, "I never remember my dreams"? We hypothesized their dream call up would increase. | |
| Quotation within a quotation + catamenia or comma | Inside | Some participants were skeptical about the process: "I don't put any stock in these 'dream diaries.'" | When multiple quotation marks are used for quotations inside quotations, go along the quotation marks together (put periods and commas inside both; put semi-colons, colons, etc., exterior both). |
Equally a concluding annotation, we'd like to say that nosotros realize APA Style is used in many places across the earth that may not usually follow American style punctuation rules and that not all fields or publishers in the United States and Canada utilise American manner punctuation. Does this mean that yous should alter to American style punctuation when y'all're writing an APA Style paper? If you lot're writing for publication with APA or you've been told to "follow the APA Publication Manual," and then the answer is aye. However, if you typically use British way punctuation (or some other style) and you take doubts about what to do, cheque with your publisher or professor to find out their preference.
Nosotros hope that this clears upwards how to punctuate around those quotation marks in your APA Style newspaper.
Quotably yours,
Chelsea Lee
Source: https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/08/punctuating-around-quotation-marks.html
Punctuating Effectually Quotation Marks
Dear APA,
I'm quoting from a couple of different sources in my APA Style newspaper, and I can't effigy out what to practice with all the quotation marks and periods and commas. Do I put the period inside or outside the quotation marks? What about question marks and quotation marks? I've been told and then many unlike things over the years that the answers have simply blurred together. Please assist!
—Quizzical in Queens
Beloved Quizzical,
We're not surprised that y'all have been told different ways to punctuate over the years, because there do indeed exist different practices in the earth. On the upside, if you are writing an APA Style paper, we accept some squeamish, straightforward solutions for y'all.
To begin, let's have a brief wait at the ii punctuation systems yous've probably encountered, which are called American style (or North American Way) and British mode.
Hither is a quick chart of the differences:
*Place other punctuation within quotation marks when that punctuation is part of what is being quoted, such as a quoted question.
As y'all might guess from our proper noun, APA Style uses American style punctuation (see p. 92 of the 6th ed. Publication Manual), as do several other major style guides (such as AP, Chicago, and MLA). The table beneath elaborates, with examples for each punctuation marker.
Punctuation mark
In relation to closing quotation mark, identify information technology…
Example
Notes
As a concluding notation, we'd like to say that nosotros realize APA Style is used in many places across the world that may not usually follow American style punctuation rules and that not all fields or publishers in the United States and Canada use American style punctuation. Does this hateful that you lot should change to American style punctuation when you're writing an APA Style newspaper? If you're writing for publication with APA or you've been told to "follow the APA Publication Manual," and then the reply is yes. Even so, if yous typically use British mode punctuation (or some other style) and you take doubts about what to do, check with your publisher or professor to detect out their preference.
We hope that this clears up how to punctuate around those quotation marks in your APA Way paper.
Quotably yours,
Chelsea Lee