Quotation Marks

  1. Final periods and commas go inside the final quotation mark, whether they are part of the quoted material or not.

    She said, “I will be late for work,” and then she left.

  2. However, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation marks go outside the quotation marks unless they are part of the quoted material itself.

    Were you present when she gave the speech “Visions for the Future”?

  3. Always use double quotation marks (”…") unless the quote is within another quote—in which case, use single quotation marks (’…').

  4. Titles of articles, chapters, and other shorter works are enclosed in quotation marks.

  5. Quotation marks may also be used on first use of a new term or a coined word or phrase.

    The well was classified as “not confidential.”