When do i use brackets in a quote

Other options might include clarifying either through a footnote or, instead of using a quote, paraphrase the original. Leave a Comment or Question: Cancel reply. Please ensure that your question or comment relates to the topic of the blog post. Unrelated comments may be deleted. If necessary, use the "Search" box on the right side of the page to find a post closely related to your question or comment. Your email address will not be published.

Use of Brackets Brackets are used for a number of purposes: Use 1: Sometimes, you may wish to clarify or add to an original quote.

For more details on brackets, see The Chicago Manual of Style He has difficulty correctly pronouncing nuclear noo-klee-er. He has difficulty correctly pronouncing nuclear [noo-klee-er]. Share Tweet Email. Mike says:.

November 4, , at pm. November 7, , at pm. Rajkumar SP says:. March 20, , at am. March 23, , at pm. Holly says:. February 8, , at am. February 13, , at pm. Choosing a colon instead of a comma creates a longer pause and puts more emphasis on the quote. When using a long quote longer than four typed lines block quotes should be used. Block the quote by one-half inch from the left margin.

If the paper is double spaced, then the block quote should be double spaced. There are no quotation marks needed for block quotes, and the citation follows the quote, outside of the period. Heinemann, M. Synthetic biology-putting engineering into biology. Bioinformatics, 22 22 , Russell, T. Keck, R. MLA Formatting Quotations. Make an appointment. It is bad manners, however, to use this device to show that another writer is a lousy speller or otherwise unlettered. Also, use it only when it is important to maintain the original spelling for some reason.

If you can edit remove the error without violating some scholarly or ethical principle, do so. Note, also, that the word sic means "thus" or "that's how it was" and is not an abbreviation; thus, no period.

If you have italicized or underlined words within quoted language that was not italicized or underlined in the original, you can note that change in brackets included within the sentence or paragraph:.