How do I use quotation marks?

Use quotation marks to set off words, phrases, or sentences that are taken directly from another source.

Also use quotation marks to indicate titles of articles, webpages, chapters, songs, or poems that are mentioned in the text of your paper.

Note: Do not use quotation marks in place of italics. (Review APA's guidelines on using italics.) Do not use quotation marks to indicate emphasis.

Direct quotations

A direct quotation is a word or phrase that is word-for-word the same as the original source. Quotation marks indicate that you are using material that was not originally your own or that you are using someone else's words.

The following is an example of a quotation with appropriate quotation marks:

Shiell (2013) stated, “This is a direct quotation because it is word for word the same as what I said” (p. 47).

Chapters, songs, and poems

Quotation marks can also be used for the title of a chapter, a song, or a poem in APA, like in this sentence:

The poem “Writing Fun in the Sun” is one of my favorites.

Linguistic clarification

Use quotations marks rather than italics to clarify linguistic examples.

The student struggled with the use of "their" "they're," and "there."

Additional Resources:

• You can find more guidelines on the Writing Center's website about when and how to use quotation marks.

Further Questions?

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