HOW TO – Use blocked quotation format in Word

Rule: Long quotations should be blocked to make them easier to read. In this context, “blocked” means indented .5” from the left margin. But don’t do this manually. Use Word’s block indent tool.

Blocked quotations do not need quotation marks and the period at the end should come after the last sentence instead of after the parenthetical citation. See the sample at the bottom of the page.

Instructions: Word’s Formatting toolbar should show an icon that looks like a paragraph with a right arrow in it. This is the block indent tool. Type the long quotation without any formatting, select it, and then click on the block indent icon.

If you can’t find the icon, go to the Format menu, drag down to Paragraph, and change the Indentation for the left margin from 0” to .5”.