SMM Quotations

• Always start quotations with a colon (not a comma), and end with a full stop inside the close quote: 

Smith said: "Yes, I did it."

• When the quotation precedes the source end with a comma inside the quotation marks: 

“We have no choice but to increase taxes,” the president said.

• Avoid quoting individual words or fragments unless the words are unusual, contentious or colourful. The minister said he was "angry" about the situation. Perhaps it would add something if he said he was "livid" or "incandescent", but it is pointless to quote everyday, unexceptional expressions as it is in no way more informative than a paraphrase. 

Similarly: The police said that they had not "been informed of the incident."

• Avoid 'that' quotations: The minister said that "the matter will be handled by a full internal inquiry in order to determine who is responsible." 

If not paraphrased, then use a colon. 

The minister said: "The matter will be handled by a full internal inquiry in order to determine who is responsible." 

• Where fragments are quoted, there is no extra punctuation to begin, and the closing quote mark comes before the full stop: 

The minister said his critics were "living on another planet".

• Show deletions from a quoted text with three full stops with a space before and after. 

He said: “We will win by fair means or foul ... and the devil take the hindmost."

• Quotes within quotes are single marks. Quotes within quotes within quotes are double.

Genesis's present policy is to use italics for quotations which are written in a separate paragraph, but not where the quotation is part of a paragraph which includes non-quoted text. Additional paragraphs of a quotation should begin with opening marks, with no closing marks at the end of the paragraph if the quotation is to continue.