It might seem overwhelming to format a quote in bulk, but it's actually pretty easy. How you do it will depend on the style you are using, whether it be the Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA), or the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). Each of these styles formats block quotes in similar ways, but differ slightly from each other.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make a Bulk Appointment Based on the MLA Style
Step 1. Use a block quote if what you are going to quote is 3-4 lines long
If you are going to follow the MLA style, you should use block quotes in case you are quoting material with more than 3 lines of verse, such as a poem. Also, you should use block quotes if the text is more than 4 lines of prose, such as a novel.
- For example, you should use a block quote to quote the first stanza of Pablo Neruda's poem XV, since it has more than 3 lines.
- As another example, if you were to quote a paragraph from Charles Dickens's Great Expectations, you would use a block quote if the paragraph is longer than 4 lines.
Step 2. Enter the quote with a short sentence
At the end of the sentence that introduces the quote, you should put a colon or a comma as appropriate. A colon should be used when the quote is a continuation of something you have said and the comma should be used to show what the author said. For example, you could write the following:
- "Roland Barthes wanted to understand the difference between film and photography:".
- "In his novel White-Jacket, Herman Melville argues,".
Step 3. Put the quote on a new line without quotation marks
Quotation marks do not need to be used for block quotes, unlike short quotes according to the MLA style. You must start the appointment on a separate line, pressing the "Enter" key in order to generate a new paragraph for the appointment. For example, this is what it might look like:
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"Roland Barthes wanted to understand the difference between film and photography:
My interest in photography took a more cultural turn. I decided that I liked photography as opposed to cinema, from which I could not separate it nonetheless. This question became insistent. An "ontological" desire seized me: I wanted to learn at all costs what photography "itself" was."
Step 4. Indent the quote 1 cm (0.5 inches) from the left margin
You should indent the entire quote so that it resembles a "block" of text that is not part of the rest of the paragraph. To do this, you must select the entire quote and press the tab key on your keyboard. You can also move the ruler tab at the top of your document 1 cm (0.5 inches) to the right.
If your citation is going to cover more than one paragraph, you should apply an additional 0.25 inch (6 mm) indent to the first line of each paragraph
Step 5. Double space the quote
According to the style of the MLA, the main body of the document should be double-spaced, which should be kept for the block citation.
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In case you are going to quote more than 3 lines of a poem, you must leave the original line breaks and format. For instance:
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I like you when you are silent because you are absent;
and you hear me from afar, and my voice does not touch you.
It seems that your eyes have flown
and it seems that a kiss closes your mouth. (Neruda 25)
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Step 6. Put the author's name and page number in parentheses at the end of the citation
The reference must go after closing the punctuation of the last sentence. You should not put "p." or any other abbreviation before the page number. For example, this is what the quote might look like:
"An" ontological "desire seized me: I wanted to learn at all costs what photography" itself "was (Barthes 3)"
Step 7. Continue writing on a separate line
After finishing the block quote, press "Enter" to start a new line. In case you are going to continue in the same paragraph, you must remove the indentation and keep the margins regular, while, if you are going to start a new paragraph, you must apply an indent of 1 cm (0.5 inches) to the first line of that paragraph.
Method 2 of 3: Make a bulk appointment according to the APA style
Step 1. Use block citations if what you are going to quote is 40 words or more
Per APA style, you should use block quotes based on the number of words. Therefore, you must count those that are in the appointment to know if they are more than 40. If this is the case, you must use a block appointment.
- You can select the citation in a word processor such as Microsoft Word and then click "Word Count" under the "Review" tab. In this way, you will be able to know the number of words that the quote contains.
- For example, you should use a block citation to cite a long paragraph from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Step 2. Enter the appointment with a signal phrase
This constitutes a sentence with which the reader is indicated that an appointment will be made next. At the end of this sentence, you must put a comma or colon. Depending on the APA style, block citations can be entered in three common ways:
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List the author and the year at the beginning of the sentence. For example, you could write the following:
"In his 2013 study, Morgan states,"
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Only name the author at the beginning of the sentence, in which case you should put the year in parentheses next to their name. For instance:
"Morgan (2013) found the following:"
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Don't mention the author at the beginning of the sentence. For example, you could write the following:
"Some studies disagree with these findings:"
Step 3. Indent the quote by 0.5 inches (1 cm) from the left margin
You must start the appointment on a separate line. Select the citation and press the Tab key once or move the tab stop on the ruler at the top of the document by 1 cm (0.5 inches). You must indent the entire quote, and you do not need to use quotation marks.
If your citation is going to span more than one paragraph, you should apply an additional 0.25 inch (6 mm) indent to the first line of the citation
Step 4. Double space the quote
According to the APA style, the entire document should be double-spaced, as well as the block citation. If you want to double-space the quote, select it, click the paragraph format button, and then select the "double" or "2.0" spacing option.
Step 5. Include the reference at the end of the quote in parentheses
Depending on how you entered the citation, you may need to include the author's name, year, and page number of the citation. Each of these must be separated by commas and you must put "page." before the page number. This reference should appear after closing the punctuation of the last sentence of the citation.
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In case you mentioned the author and the year at the beginning of the sentence, you should only include the page number at the end of the quote. For instance:
- In her 1998 study, Jones found that "the scent of lavender reduced stress by 20%." (p. 112)
- Jones (1998) found that "lavender scent reduced stress by 20%". (p. 112)
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In case you did not mention the author or the year at the beginning of the sentence, you must include the author, the year and the page number at the end of the quote in parentheses. For instance:
One study found that "the scent of lavender reduced stress by 20%." (Jones, 1998, p. 112)
Step 6. Return to the original margins at the end of the quote
Press "Enter" to move to a new line. In case you want to continue writing in the same paragraph, you must paste the quote to the left margin, removing the additional indentation. If you are starting a new paragraph, you should indent the first line of that paragraph by 0.5 inches (1.5 cm).
Method 3 of 3: Make a Bulk Appointment Based on the CMS Style
Step 1. Use block citations if the text is longer than 5 lines or 100 words
Usually this rule is used for prose. In the case of poetry, you should use a block quote if what you are going to quote has more than 2 lines.
For example, you should use a block quote to quote a 7-line paragraph from Charlotte Brönte's Jane Eyre
Step 2. Enter the quote with a sentence
This can mention the person to whom the quote is attributed or provide an argument as to the reasons for the importance of the quote. To finish this sentence, you must enter either a colon or a comma.
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Use a colon if the quote confirms or continues a thought of yours. For example, you could write the following:
"In many ways, this text makes a distinction between the visible and the invisible:"
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Use a comma if the quote is only used to show what the author said. For example, you could write the following:
Jones responded by saying, "
Step 3. Begin the block quote on a separate line without using quotation marks
Once you have entered the appointment, you must start it on a separate line. In this way, the quote will be distinguished from the rest of the text.
Step 4. Indent the quote 1 cm (0.5 inches) from the left margin
In most computers and writing applications, you can select the quote and press the Tab key to indent. You can also slide the tab stop of the ruler to the right.
Step 5. Apply single space to the quote
The rest of the document can be double-spaced, but the citation must be single-spaced. To do this, select it, go to the paragraph formatting section of your word processor and click on the "single" or "1, 0" line spacing.
If your citation is going to span more than one paragraph, you must apply an additional 0.25 inch (6 mm) indent to the first line of the citation and to the first line of each succeeding paragraph
Step 6. Include a footnote or reference in parentheses at the end
You should include the footnote or reference in parentheses after closing the punctuation of the last sentence of the citation.
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The first footnote should include the name of the author, the title of the work, the place of publication, the publisher, and the date (in that order). For instance:
Peterson, Mary. The effects of cigarettes on the body. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1984
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Here's what a parenthetical reference might look like:
(Peterson, 118)
Step 7. Continue writing the document on a separate line
After the appointment ends, you should continue writing the document starting on a separate line. In case you are going to continue in the same paragraph, you must eliminate the additional indentation and return to the original margins. If you are starting a new paragraph, the first line of the paragraph should have an indentation of 0.5 inches (1 cm).