Treatment of quoted matter

Short quotations
Long quotations
Verse
Changes to quoted matter

Avoid overusing quotations. Quotes should be used to support your argument, not construct it. When using quoted matter, preserve the exact spelling, punctuation and paragraphing of the original, and always acknowledge the source from which the quotation has been taken.

Short quotations

Quotations of fewer than forty words or less than three lines (as a general rule) should be incorporated in the rest of the text and enclosed in single quotation marks. (The example below is based on an 'in text' citation style.)

Long quotations

Quotations of more than forty words or three lines (as a general guide) should be offset from the general text as a separate block, indented from the left margin. Surrounding quotation marks should not be used. This is known as 'block quotation'. The font should be the same as the body text, but one or two points smaller, to make it clear that the quoted matter is separate from the general text. An example of block quotation follows:

The tension between the different concepts of models and their implications in discourse and action is similar to one suggested by Kuhn (1970, p. 148):
The proponents of competing paradigms are always at least slightly at cross-purposes. Neither side will grant all the non-empirical assumptions that the other needs in order to make its case. They are bound partly to talk through each other.
The theoretical models and suggestions, and particularly pictorial models in this thesis are, thus, simplifying approximations put up for further consideration and refinement.

Verse

Quotations of three lines or less of verse may be incorporated into the body of the text, using quotation marks. The line break should be indicated by a forward slash, spaced on either side, as in the following example:

This idea is demonstrated in the earlier line of verse: 'Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit / of that forbidden tree'.

More than three lines of verse should be set in a separate block, indented from the left margin. The line structure of the original should be preserved, as in the following example:

This is revealed in the following lines:
So absolute she seems
And in herself complete, so well to know
Her own, that what she wills to do or say
Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best.

Changes to quoted matter

On occasion, the wording of quoted matter may need to be changed so that it can be understood correctly. Note that this should only be done when absolutely necessary.

Omission

To signal that you have omitted words from quoted matter, insert an ellipsis (three dots):

'The belief ... has been held for some time.'

Insertion

To add to or alter quoted matter, insert necessary words surrounded by square brackets:

'When he [the investigator] heard about it, action was taken.'

Apparent error

To signal an error in quoted matter, insert 'sic' (Latin for 'thus/this way') in square brackets next to the error to indicate it was present in the original (i.e., not made by you):

'The Eureka Rebellion of 1763 [sic] was a turning point.'

Emphasis

To draw attention to words within quoted matter, use italics. You must make it clear that you have added the emphasis through an insertion, as below:

'He entered the house through the south window [emphasis added].'