A block quote is a long quotation that you set off from the rest of your text as its own indented paragraph instead of running it inline with quotation marks. Knowing when a quotation crosses the threshold into a block quote, and how to format it, matters in every major style. APA, MLA, and Chicago each use a different length trigger and slightly different indentation rules, so the same passage might be a block quote in one style and an inline quote in another. This guide explains exactly when to switch formats and how to lay out a block quote correctly in each style.
When a Quotation Becomes a Block Quote
The single most important rule is knowing the length threshold, because it differs by style. Get this wrong and you will either bury a short quote in a needless block or cram a long passage into running text where it does not belong.
- APA 7th edition: Use a block quote for any direct quotation of 40 words or more.
- MLA 9th edition: Use a block quote when prose runs more than four lines in your document, or when quoting more than three lines of verse (poetry).
- Chicago (17th/18th): The common guidance is to block quote prose of roughly 100 words or more, or anything running five or more lines. Chicago also recommends blocking two or more paragraphs, and verse should almost always be set off.
Notice that APA counts words, MLA counts lines, and Chicago uses a higher word or line count. If you are unsure how a quote should appear once formatted, you can paste your source details into the APA citation generator, the MLA citation generator, or the Chicago citation generator to build the matching reference entry while you set up the quote.
The Shared Rules: Indent, No Quotation Marks, Double Spacing
Although the length triggers differ, the visual format of a block quote is remarkably consistent across styles. Four habits will keep you accurate in all three.
1. Indent the whole block
Start every line of the quotation half an inch (0.5 inch, or one tab) from the left margin. APA and MLA both use a 0.5 inch indent. Chicago uses the same left indent for block quotes (sometimes called an extract). Do not indent from the right margin, and do not center the text.
2. Drop the quotation marks
The indentation itself signals that the words are quoted, so you do not add quotation marks around a block quote. The only exception is when the original source already contains quotation marks, in which case you keep those internal marks exactly as they appear.
3. Keep double spacing
In APA and MLA, the block quote is double spaced just like the rest of your paper, with no extra blank lines above or below. Chicago papers using Turabian formatting often single space block quotes with a blank line before and after, though many instructors accept double spacing. When in doubt, follow your assignment guidelines or check the Turabian citation generator conventions.
4. Place the citation after the final period
This is the rule writers most often get backward. In a normal inline quote the period comes after the parenthetical citation. In a block quote, the period comes before the parenthetical citation. Put the closing period at the end of the quotation, then add the citation in parentheses with no period after it. For a deeper look at how in-text references work, see the guide to in-text citations.
How to Format a Block Quote in APA
In APA, indent the entire quotation 0.5 inch, double space it, omit quotation marks, and end with the period followed by the parenthetical citation. You can introduce the quote with a signal phrase or place the full citation at the end. Note that APA uses sentence case for source titles and the ampersand inside parentheses. For more on these rules, see the APA format guide and the page on APA in-text citations.
Reference list entry: Marlowe, R. (2021). Reading habits in the digital age. Example University Press. https://www.example.com/reading-habits
Block quote (indented 0.5 in, no quotation marks, period before the citation): Sustained reading appears to reshape attention in measurable ways. Readers who maintained a daily habit reported fewer lapses in focus, and the effect grew stronger over the course of the study, suggesting that the benefit compounds with consistent practice over many weeks. (Marlowe, 2021, p. 84)
If you introduce the author in a signal phrase, place only the year and page after the quotation, for example: Marlowe (2021) found that… (p. 84).
How to Format a Block Quote in MLA
MLA triggers a block quote at more than four typed lines of prose or more than three lines of verse. Indent 0.5 inch, double space, drop the quotation marks, and end with the period followed by the parenthetical (Author page) citation with no comma and no year. For verse, preserve the original line breaks. See the MLA format guide and the page on MLA in-text citations for the full conventions, and remember MLA uses title case.
Works Cited entry: Marlowe, Rosa. Reading Habits in the Digital Age. Example UP, 2021.
Block quote (indented 0.5 in, no quotation marks, period before the citation): Sustained reading appears to reshape attention in measurable ways. Readers who maintained a daily habit reported fewer lapses in focus, and the effect grew stronger over the course of the study, suggesting that the benefit compounds with consistent practice over many weeks. (Marlowe 84)
When quoting poetry, reproduce the lines as they appear in the source. Here is a block of verse from a public-domain poem, with line breaks preserved and the citation by line number after the final period.
Works Cited entry: Frost, Robert. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” New Hampshire, Henry Holt, 1923, p. 87.
Block quote of verse (line breaks preserved): The woods are lovely, dark and deep. / But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep, / And miles to go before I sleep. (Frost, lines 13-16)
How to Format a Block Quote in Chicago
Chicago sets off prose of about 100 words or more, or five or more lines, as a block quotation (extract). Indent the block, omit quotation marks, and cite the source. In the notes-bibliography system the citation appears in a footnote, so the block ends with a normal period and a superscript note number, not a parenthetical. In the author-date system, place the parenthetical (Author Year, page) after the final period, just as in APA and MLA. The Chicago style guide covers both variants.
Bibliography: Marlowe, Rosa. Reading Habits in the Digital Age. New York: Example University Press, 2021.
First footnote: 1. Rosa Marlowe, Reading Habits in the Digital Age (New York: Example University Press, 2021), 84.
Shortened note: 2. Marlowe, Reading Habits, 84.
Reference list: Marlowe, Rosa. 2021. Reading Habits in the Digital Age. New York: Example University Press.
Block quote, citation after the period: …the benefit compounds with consistent practice over many weeks. (Marlowe 2021, 84)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding quotation marks. The indent replaces the quotation marks. Using both is redundant and wrong.
- Putting the period after the citation. In a block quote the period goes before the parenthetical citation, the opposite of an inline quote.
- Using the wrong threshold. A 30-word quote is inline in APA, not a block. A four-line prose quote is inline in MLA (the trigger is more than four lines). Mixing the rules across styles is a frequent error.
- Over-quoting. Block quotes should be reserved for passages where the exact wording matters. If you can paraphrase, do so and cite it. Long strings of block quotes can also raise similarity scores, so review the advice on how to avoid plagiarism.
- Forgetting to introduce the quote. Lead into every block quote with a sentence of your own so readers know why it is there.
Tips for Cleaner Block Quotes
Introduce the quotation with a colon when the lead-in is a complete sentence, then start the indented block on a new line. Keep your own analysis after the quote so the source supports your argument rather than replacing it. If you are quoting from a long quotation that itself contains a citation, treat it as a secondary source. And whenever you are unsure whether a passage should be inline or blocked, count first: words in APA and Chicago, lines in MLA. For more on handling direct quotations of any length, see the guide on how to cite a quote.
Putting It Together
A block quote is simply a long quotation given room to breathe: indented half an inch, double spaced, free of quotation marks, with the citation following the final period. The only thing that really changes from style to style is the length trigger, 40 words in APA, more than four lines of prose in MLA, and roughly 100 words or five lines in Chicago. Build the matching reference entry with the Harvard citation generator or any of the tools above, and review related guides like the hanging indent formatting page and parenthetical vs narrative citations to keep the rest of your paper consistent. Get the threshold and the period placement right, and your block quotes will be correct every time.