Quotation marks appear with other punctuation marks.
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- Commas and periods go inside the closing quotation mark.
- Colons, semicolons, and ellipsis go outside closing quotation marks.
When should I use double quotation marks?
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- When referring to a letter, phrase, or sentence as a linguistic
Letter “b”
The singular “they”
Instead of writing “the disabled child,” you may write “the child with down syndrome”
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- For stimulus
The stimulus words were “house,” “child,” and “dog.
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- To reproduce verbatim instructions or material from a test
The first instruction was “examine the content carefully”
The second question is “Should people be allowed smoke in public places?”
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- To introduce ironic comments, slang, or labels for the first time—do not do it the second time.
| First Time | Second Time |
| The “healthy” dog did not bark | Then the normal dog dropped dead on the floor. |
| His passport had the label “newcomer” | the newcomer label meant that… |
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- When a title of a periodical article or book chapter is used in the text or in a copyright attribution.
In text: Silva (2021) article, “Digital Marketing Plan for the Company Investments Olda, Venezuela” explains the…
In a copyright attribution: Adapted from: “Digital Marketing Plan for the Company Investments Olda, Venezuela”Silva, R. (2021). Revista Orbis, 17(49), 5–19. Copyright 2021 by Orbis Magazine.
When not to use them?
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- To highlight a term for which you will provide a definition (use italics).
- When referring to numerals
The numeral 10 is very common in the list.
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- To hedge or downplay meaning
Correct: Students embraced commitment.
Incorrect: Students “embraced “commitment.
(Adapted from APA, 2020, p. 157-159)
Source
The American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th edition.
