How and when do I use block quotations?
Answer
Quotations longer than 40 words are treated as block quotations:
- block quotations are not enclosed in quotation marks
- start block quotations on a new line
- indent the whole block .05 inches
- indent the first line of any additional paragraphs an extra 0.5 inches
- a quotation block should have no extra space before or after it
- double-space the entire block
For citation purposes, you can either:
- cite the source in parenthesis after the final punctuation of the quote, or
- cite the author and the year in the narrative before the quotation and then place the page number in parenthesis after the final punctuation of the quote
Example: block quotation with one paragraph:
As the specimen develops their singing, the scientists noted:
The whales seem capable of communicating their songs over long distances by using clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls. (Tannhäuser, 2022, p. 200)
Example: block quotation with two or more paragraphs:
The researchers lauded the federal government’s recent marine mammal conservation efforts but urged that more be done:
Federal support for endangered marine mammal recovery has increased under the auspices of the Ocean Protection Plan and other initiatives.
This momentum must be maintained to ensure the survival of these species.
Ocean conservation can be misconstrued as leading to the elimination of ocean industries, but this is not always the case. Conservation
does not always require severe, compromising actions. (Davies & Brillant, 2019, “Guiding Principles” section)
See the APA 7 website for more information.