Include verbatim passages only when paraphrasing or reiterating the material will not work. Quoting passages should be used sparingly and always be properly cited.
Modify the passage to fit the paper. For example, you may want to omit certain parts of a lengthy quote. Only include the relevant part of a quote and remove the remainder by using ellipses (...) to indicate when something has been removed.
Make any changes to the passage that are warranted. Sometimes it may be necessary to change a word choice or some other minor detail to make the passage easier to understand. If a word is replaced by another one, indicate so by using brackets around the word, as in [for example].
Quote the passage using the formatting style of the paper. APA Style and MLA Style are common formatting styles. Consult your style book for other styles. The same style should be used throughout the paper.
Quote the passage using APA Style.
Short passages with less than 40 words should be written within double quotations marks and appear within the text. Cite the passage in-text and in the References section. Punctuation that belongs to the passage should be included in the quotation marks.
Long quotations with more than 40 words should be written in block form, omitting quotations marks. Begin the passage on a new line, maintain double-spacing, indent five spaces from left margin and cite the passage at the end in parentheses after the closing punctuation mark.
Quote the passage using MLA Style.
Short passages with less than four typed lines should be written within double quotation marks and appear within the text. Cite the passage in-text and in the References section. Punctuation that belongs to the passage should be included in the quotation marks.
Long quotations with more than four typed lines should be written in block form, omitting quotation marks. Begin the passage on a new line, maintain double-spacing, indent one inch from left margin and cite the passage at the end in parentheses after the closing punctuation mark.