Skip to Main Content

Vancouver Referencing Guide: Long Quotations

Header - Direct Quotations

Direct Quotations - Long (Block) - 40 words or more

Direct Quotations - Long (Block)

Direct Quotations - Long (Block)  -  40 words or more

lf a quotation contains 40 words or more, then treat it as a 'block quotation':

  • Do not enclose the quotation in quotes.
  • Start the quotation on a new line in your assignment.
  • Indent the whole quotation 0.5 inch from the left margin.
  • lf the quotation contains additional paragraphs, then indent the first line of each subsequent paragraph an additional 0.5 inch.

 

Example

Neville comments that:

It can sometimes be difficult, if not impossible, to avoid using some of the author’s original words, particularly those that describe or label phenomena. However, you need to avoid copying out what the author said, word for word. Choose words that you feel give a true impression of the author’s original ideas or action (1, p.37).

 

​The in-text citation is given at the end of the quotation and before the punctuation, with a full reference, including page number, in the reference list.

 

Full reference for the Reference List

1  C. Neville, The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism, 2nd ed. Maidenhead:          Open University Press, 2010, P37

Vancouver Referencing Guide: A - Z