1. If the quotation ends in a punctuation mark such as a period or a comma, drop that final punctuation mark (keep it only if it’s an exclamation mark or a question mark). At the end of the sentence containing the quotation, provide a parenthetical citation of the page or line number, and put a period at the end of the whole sentence.
Mr. Bennet, however, is “among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley” (7).
[The period that concludes the quoted sentence in the original has been dropped.]
2. If you quote words that are in quotation marks in the original, such as character dialogue in a novel, then use double quote marks enclosing single quote marks.
Talking to Wickham about Darcy, Elizabeth says, “’He is a man of very large property in Derbyshire, I understand’” (67).
3. When quoting poetry, indicate line breaks with a slash mark.
The speaker may live in a city, but his heart in on the island: “While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,/ I hear it in the deep heart’s core” (11-12).
4. Quotations must match the source exactly. Indicate omissions with three dots (ellipsis), and indicate insertions with square brackets.
Ralph and the other boys realize the horror of their actions: “The tears began to flow and sobs shook him… [T]he other little boys began to shake and sob too” (186).